Tag: Cooking myths

Despite common misunderstandings, authentic marinara sauce traditionally does not contain any meat. This simple, quick-cooking sauce relies on high-quality tomatoes, garlic, herbs, and olive oil for its rich flavor, making it naturally vegetarian and often vegan.

According to the official Maggi website, a standard 70g pack of their 2-Minute Masala Noodles contains approximately 299 calories. This figure, however, reflects the uncooked product, leading many to question if the act of cooking Maggi affects the calorie count. In reality, the boiling process itself does not alter the core calories, but the preparation method certainly can.

According to a 2019 study published in *CNET*, pressure-cooking broccoli can preserve up to 90% of its vitamin C, significantly more than boiling. This finding, among others, helps answer the common question: does pressure cooking cause nutrient loss? The truth is, most cooking methods cause some level of nutrient degradation, but pressure cooking's efficiency makes it one of the better choices for nutrient retention.

A dish can retain 5% of its initial alcohol content even after simmering for 2.5 hours, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This impacts the idea that heating wine eliminates all its calories. The question, does cooking down wine reduce calories, requires a nuanced understanding of the process.

While it's a common culinary assumption, the question of whether cooked tomato is more acidic than its raw counterpart is more complex than it appears. The perception of acidity and the actual pH level can tell two different stories, and understanding the science is key to great cooking.

According to ancient practices like Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine, warm food is considered beneficial for digestion and overall health. But beyond tradition, do you need a hot meal every day for optimal health? The answer is more nuanced than you might think.

According to research from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, it is impossible to cook out all the alcohol from a dish or drink through heating. Even after extended cooking times, a residual amount of alcohol will remain. This dispels the common misconception that heating an alcoholic beverage, such as mulled wine or a hot toddy, completely eliminates its ethanol content.

In 1968, a letter published in the *New England Journal of Medicine* sparked a decades-long fear of monosodium glutamate (MSG) that led to the myth of "MS in Chinese food". The letter detailed a "Chinese Restaurant Syndrome" that blamed the flavor enhancer, but the claims have since been thoroughly debunked by scientific research. The truth reveals a fascinating story of umami, cultural prejudice, and modern food science.

People in Mediterranean regions, where olive oil is a diet staple, often have lower rates of heart disease and successful aging, showing daily use is not harmful. The question, "Is cooking with olive oil every day bad for you?" often comes from misconceptions about its stability when heated.

The red liquid that seeps from a cooked steak is not blood, but a protein-rich fluid called myoglobin, a common misconception. So, is the red liquid in steak good for you? This liquid is not only safe but also offers nutritional benefits, making it an essential part of the steak's flavor and appeal.