From washing raw chicken to tossing out stale bread, bad cooking advice is everywhere – and it’s not just outdated, it can be downright dangerous. Myths handed down through generations often lead to bland meals at best, and serious health risks at worst. Here, we uncover the most misleading culinary tips you should always ignore, from the merely misguided to the potentially harmful.
Click or scroll through our gallery to discover 37 cooking tips you should never listen to – counting down to the biggest no-no of all.
It’s a persistent myth that mushrooms act like sponges and shouldn’t be washed; however, a quick rinse is perfectly fine. In fact, mushrooms already have a high water content, so a brief wash won't make much difference. What matters is drying them well, so be sure to use a clean towel or a salad spinner after rinsing. Avoid soaking your mushrooms, but don’t be afraid to clean off dirt properly. Washed mushrooms will still brown beautifully if the pan is hot and uncrowded.
Searing meat creates a flavourful, browned crust thanks to the Maillard reaction, but it doesn’t seal in juices. In fact, meat can lose just as much moisture whether it’s seared or not. What searing does do is boost flavour and texture on the outside. To keep meat juicy, focus on not overcooking it and letting it rest after cooking – this will allow the juices to redistribute instead of spilling out when the meat is cut into.
Many people assume ‘fresh’ fish is superior, but that’s not always the case. Fish labelled as fresh may have been out of water for days, losing quality as it travels. In contrast, flash-frozen fish is often frozen within hours of being caught, locking in texture and nutrients. For those living in inland areas or buying off-season seafood, high-quality frozen fish can be a better, safer option. Just thaw it properly (slowly in the fridge) for the best results. As an added bonus, frozen fish is usually cheaper than fresh fish, too.
It’s a common belief that cooking vegetables destroys their nutrients, but that’s only partly accurate. While some water-soluble vitamins like vitamin C and some B vitamins can diminish with boiling, other nutrients actually become more available when cooked. For example, cooking tomatoes boosts absorption of lycopene (a powerful antioxidant linked to heart health), and steaming carrots and spinach enhances antioxidant availability. The key is in how you cook; steaming and roasting usually retains more nutrients than boiling. So, for the best nutritional balance, eat a mix of raw and cooked veggies.
Peeling kiwis is a fiddly job and, more often than not, a fair amount of the flesh is lost in the process if you attempt to peel the fruit whole. But there is another way – slice the kiwi into coin shapes, then pick off the furry skin with your fingers. It'll come away easily, and none of the fruit will be wasted.
It’s far better to use a spoon to peel ginger than a knife – simply scrape the skin off this knobbly root with the tip of the spoon. This way, you won’t lose lots of the flesh while trying to remove the skin.
Most spices should be added to heated oil at the beginning of the cooking process, to help release their aromas and infuse the oil with flavour. The exception to this is garam masala – this fragrant spice is traditionally added towards the end of cooking, as it heightens the overall flavour of the dish.
For perfect scrambled eggs, you need do nothing more than give your eggs a vigorous whisk before cooking them slowly in melted butter. Adding more liquid such as milk, cream or water will give you runny eggs with a diluted flavour – not the soft, fluffy eggs you’re hoping for. For deliciously creamy eggs, don’t agitate the mixture; instead, let parts set and fold the eggs over and over, taking the pan off the heat before the eggs are fully cooked. This will allow the residual warmth to finish the job.
Often ignored, celery leaves (or celery tops) can be thought of as a herb in their own right. Chop them as you would any fresh herbs, and use them as a garnish – the leaves work well in place of coriander or parsley – or stir them through stocks, soups and stews. They also add flavour and a health boost to the likes of green smoothies and pesto.
Surprisingly, tomatoes shouldn't be refrigerated – both their texture and their taste are badly affected by the cold. Instead, keep tomatoes on a kitchen worktop out of direct sunlight; once they're ripe, eat them within three to five days. To speed up the ripening process, place your tomatoes in a paper bag with an apple or a banana. To extend the life of a ripe tomato, you can keep it in the fridge.
For the perfect poached egg, you'll need a deep pan and the freshest eggs you can source. Add a dash of vinegar to the water, stir it to create a vortex, then crack in an egg. Take the pan off the heat and leave the egg to poach for up to five minutes.
Whisking batter too enthusiastically can overwork the gluten and remove air from the mixture, meaning you end up with tough, chewy pancakes, rather than light, fluffy ones. Take care to combine the wet and dry ingredients just enough so that no floury streaks remain – and don’t let the odd lump concern you.
Using ingredients straight from the fridge might seem like the sensible, fresher option, but that’s not always the case. When it comes to products like eggs and butter, it really depends on what you’re ultimately going to make. For cakes, use eggs and butter that have had time to come to room temperature – they contain more air, so will result in a lighter bake. On the other hand, pastry and biscuits are best made with cold butter.
Non-stick pans aren't always the best option. They don't heat up as quickly as their cast-iron counterparts, so browning takes longer – and food runs the risk of being overcooked in the process. Non-stick pans are better for fragile foods such as delicate fish, or dishes that are cheesy or contain eggs. For more robust dishes such as steaks and stir-fries, use a seasoned cast-iron pan.
Despite what you may think (or have been told), authentic paella doesn’t contain chorizo; it’s made from meat or seafood, vegetables, saffron and bomba rice – a type of short-grain rice from Spain. Arborio rice (risotto rice) can be used as a substitute, but it doesn’t absorb as much liquid, so you'll end up with a slightly different texture as a result.
Potato skin is a great source of nutrients and fibre. The skin also adds texture and colour to dishes, so there’s little reason to peel your potatoes. Instead, give them a quick wash to remove any dirt, then pat them dry. Still worried? Opt for organic potatoes to be certain that there's no pesticide residue. Choose waxy Anya, Charlotte or Jersey Royals for boiling and in gratins, soups and salads, and opt for floury potatoes such as King Edwards or Russets for baking, mashing and roasting. For chips, try all-rounders such as Maris Piper or Yukon Gold potatoes.
When cooking meat on the stove, it’s tempting to flip it over more often than is actually necessary. Turning meat too much while it’s being grilled or seared prevents it from browning properly and stops the skin from crisping up. This not only impacts the colour and texture, but the flavour, too. Don’t flip meat too soon, either, and remember: one or two turns is enough.
Contrary to popular belief, adding salt to water only serves as a flavour enhancer; it doesn’t make the water boil any quicker. It’s simple chemistry: the boiling point of salted water is higher than the boiling point of water. So, while salted water can get hotter, it will actually take more time and energy to come to the boil.
It might seem like a time-saver, but adding raw potatoes to boiling water will result in the outside of the potatoes cooking faster than the inside. For an even cook, place potatoes in cold, salted water and bring it to the boil over a steady heat. If you’re baking potatoes in the oven, wash and dry them, prick their skins, rub them with oil and season them with salt. Arrange them on a wire rack set over a baking tray to enable the air to circulate and allow the skin to crisp up.
Mushrooms are harder to get right than many people realise. Overcrowding the pan and not using the right fat causes mushrooms to steam and turn slimy and rubbery. Here's a foolproof process: heat butter and olive oil until very hot, then cook one layer of mushrooms at a time, occasionally moving and turning them. This will sear and brown your mushrooms to perfection.
It might be quick and easy, but microwaving frozen vegetables can make them soggy and limp. To keep them nice and tender, cook them in a steamer basket over boiling water. If you're adding frozen vegetables to another dish such as pasta or risotto, you can throw them straight into the pan towards the end of the cooking time. However, watery ingredients like spinach might need to be thawed first to avoid adding too much liquid.
Talk to any self-respecting Italian, and they’ll tell you that spaghetti Bolognese isn't an authentic Italian dish. Instead, it's a corrupted version of tagliatelle al ragù – which, as the name suggests, is traditionally served with tagliatelle.
If a pan is crowded, its contents will steam rather than fry, and they won’t brown properly. Cramming the pan may cause ingredients to cook a bit quicker (without browning), but the results won’t be half as good – for an even cook with colour, it's much better to fry your ingredients in batches.
The advice that leftovers need to gradually cool down to room temperature before being chilled is outdated, a hangover from when food was stored in iceboxes. To prevent bacterial growth, it’s now recommended that hot food is cooled down and transferred to the fridge as quickly as possible. To ensure food stays fresher for longer, always store it in airtight lidded containers.
Arborio rice benefits greatly from being toasted. Next time you're making risotto, cook the rice in a little hot olive oil for a couple of minutes until it turns opaque, then add a ladle of stock to prevent the rice from burning. Toasting the rice infuses it with a nutty flavour and helps it absorb the liquid.
It's generally agreed that the original recipe for carbonara didn’t contain any cream. For an authentic version, the dish should be made with bacon (or lardons, pork cheek or pancetta), eggs, pecorino cheese, black pepper and spaghetti. A little Parmesan and crushed garlic are acceptable, but cream makes the dish too rich and should therefore be avoided.
If you know your knives, cooking gets a whole lot easier. A serrated (bread) knife is great for cutting soft fruit such as tomatoes and strawberries, as well as bread and pastries. A paring knife is just the thing for tricky jobs such as deveining prawns, removing seeds and peeling fruit and vegetables. Meanwhile, a chef’s knife with a broad blade is ideal for cutting through tougher root vegetables and for chopping, dicing and slicing – and a meat knife is best for cutting steak, chicken and other meats.
Pasta doesn’t need a thin layer of oil to prevent it from sticking. Oil stops the sauce from coating the pasta properly – and if you overdo it, it can make the pasta slimy. Instead, use a large pot with plenty of water and only add salt once the water is boiling. After draining your pasta, keep aside a couple of ladles of the starchy, salty liquid – it'll make the sauce you're serving the pasta with silky, creamy and rich, and it'll help it cling to the pasta.
Adding garlic to the pan at the same time as onions is a common mistake. Garlic cooks very quickly – and the smaller it’s been chopped or minced, the faster it'll cook. Avoid the bitter taste of burnt garlic by adding it once the onions have softened (if the dish contains a sauce or liquid which will then prevent it from burning), or towards the end of the cooking time.
Not only can you rescue stale bread by putting it in a preheated oven for a few minutes, but you can also use it in countless dishes – think bread pudding, French toast and panzanella, for a start. Stale bread is also great for making croutons, and it can easily be turned into breadcrumbs. In short, only throw bread away if it's mouldy.
When using garlic, don't ignore the recipe. If it calls for minced garlic, mince it; if it needs to be chopped, chop it. It's important to follow instructions, as the intensity and flavour of the garlic depends on how it's prepped and cooked. Crushed garlic is more potent, while sliced or chopped garlic is milder. Whole garlic cloves are the mildest of all, taking on an especially sweet flavour when roasted.
Reheated rice is a common cause of food poisoning, but only when it’s handled incorrectly. Cooked rice needs to be cooled within an hour, stored covered in the fridge for no more than a day, and reheated thoroughly so that it’s piping hot. Follow these guidelines, and it’s safe to eat – just remember never to reheat rice more than once.
Unless you leave it to rest, meat will never taste its best – and this is particularly true of steak and larger joints of meat. This is because allowing meat to rest relaxes the muscle fibres and helps the juices to be reabsorbed, resulting in tender, more flavourful meat. Leave the likes of steak and chicken loosely covered in foil for five to 10 minutes (thin cuts won’t require as long). Items like legs of lamb and whole chickens can be left for 15-30 minutes.
It may be tempting to give all your dirty pans a good scrub with soap, but using any kind of cleanser on a non-stick surface can damage its coating over time. Instead, let any fat in the pan cool before wiping it with a paper towel, rinsing it with warm water and drying it. Make sure to never pour oil or fat directly down the plughole; it'll solidify as it cools and could block your pipes.
For an even cook and a perfectly browned exterior, it’s much better to let meat sit at room temperature for a short while before cooking it. However, temperatures between 4°C and 60°C (40–140°F) are optimal for breeding bacteria that cause foodborne illnesses, so never leave steak and poultry out for longer than two hours – 20 to 30 minutes should be long enough to make a difference.
Assuming that it makes no difference whether you give your pan or oven time to get up to temperature is a rookie error. Food will cook more evenly and be ready in the time stated in the recipe if you use a preheated pan or oven. When using a pan, you should ensure that the fat is hot before you add your ingredients. Meanwhile, if your oven isn't hot enough, it could ruin a cake or bake.
Rinsing chicken in water before cooking it doesn’t get rid of any nasties; in fact, splashing water might actually spread bacteria around your kitchen. Cooking meat thoroughly to an internal temperature of 74°C (165°F) will kill any bacteria present.
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Last updated by Natasha Lovell-Smith.