Busting the most common kitchen myths

Do you do something religiously in the kitchen just because your mother told you to? Salting the pasta water to make it boil faster, storing coffee in the freezer to extend its life span, or searing a steak for juicier meat are all tips we’ve picked up over the years for how to be a better cook, but the truth is that some of these tips are actually just myths.

Enter Angela McKeller, award-winning recipe writer and author of Gluten-Free Made Easy as 1, 2, 3: Essentials for Living a Gluten-Free Life, whose years of experience in the kitchen have taught her what to believe and what not to believe. McKeller has some surprising facts about certain rules that we’ve been living by in the kitchen, and she walks us through the most common ones and spells out the truth behind them.

Think you’re destroying your mushrooms when you give them a quick rinse under the faucet? Think again. Want to know the truth behind adding marbles to milk or heavy cream? We’ll tell you. Some of the most well-known kitchen myths may not be as truthful as you’ve been led to believe, and McKeller puts all of your doubts to rest. We hope you join us in our myth-busting brigade.

1. Salt Your Water to Make It Boil Faster: MYTH

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Have you been living under the assumption that if you salt your water, you’ll bring it to a boil faster? McKeller says that you’re actually creating the opposite effect, because when you add salt to water, it raises the boiling temperature of water by a few degrees. While the degree change from adding salt is not drastic enough to affect how long it takes the water to boil, you’re certainly not helping yourself by doing it.

2. Never Rinse Your Mushrooms: MYTH

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"I love mushrooms, but after the first attempt at meticulously brushing them to get them clean, I began thinking: there has to be a better way," says McKeller. And she was right. While mushrooms are porous, giving them a quick rinse under the faucet won’t destroy their genetic makeup, and as long as you’re not soaking them for long periods of time, your mushrooms will retain their shape and flavor.

3. Store Your Coffee in the Freezer to Extend the Shelf Life: MYTH

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McKeller is all for coffee — she drinks it regularly and a bag of it usually lasts her a week. For those of you trying to extend your coffee’s life for longer than that, the freezer is not a good option, she warns. Coffee is porous, so it can absorb the moisture — and odors — of your freezer, leaving your coffee tasting anything but fresh. Storing it in a dry, cool place is the best way to keep your coffee fresh, she says.

4. Don’t Cut Meat on a Wooden Cutting Board: MYTH

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People warn against cutting your meat on a wooden cutting board because the wood’s pores can absorb the juices and bacteria from the raw meat you’re working with. The truth is, says McKeller, that as long as you properly clean and sanitize your cutting boards, it shouldn’t matter what you’re working with. While some chefs like to designate colored, plastic cutting boards for working with meat, your wooden one is just fine. McKeller uses a vinegar and water solution to sanitize her cutting boards.

See more kitchen myths at The Daily Meal