Some repeated ideas become facts. Especially with food. Outdated culinary techniques, grandma's cooking tips, and modern conspiracy theories could ruin your dinner plans. We're here to debunk some food myths.
Myths with some truth, like this one, are harder to debunk. Beta carotene in carrots promotes eye health. Carrots don't improve night vision or eyesight. This myth was a military strategy. During WWII, British propaganda claimed carrots improved pilots' eyesight to hide new radar technology. World believed it.
MSG is a contentious ingredient. MSG is a flavour enhancer used in Asian and Latin American cuisines. Chinese Restaurant Syndrome, coined in 1968, blamed Chinese restaurants and MSG for indigestion. MSG is naturally present in many foods, including Parmesan, so this claim lacks scientific backing. Substituting some of your salt for it could reduce sodium intake.
American cheese was invented in Switzerland in 1911 when Walter Gerber and Fritz Stettler heated Emmental cheese with sodium citrate. They were looking to extended the shelf life of the cheese and inadvertently created a smoother cheese. While Kraft wasn't the first to make processed cheese, he perfected it and made it what we know (and love) today.
Many cooking shows say to simmer wine to evaporate the alcohol. Alcohol evaporates slowly, according to several studies. Not all evaporates when cooking. This is something to be mindful of when cooking for children, people who are staying away from alcohol for health, ethical or personal reasons or even for anyone planning to drive afterwards.
We’ve been told cooking vegetables destroys the nutrients, but this isn’t always the case. Some vegetables, like broccoli, are healthier raw than cooked, according to studies. The simplest answer: eat your vegetables both ways and eat lots of them.
Long-cooked acidic ingredients in a cast iron pan release metallic molecules, imparting an unpleasant flavour and damaging the seasoning. However, a test conducted by America’s Test Kitchen determined as long as the food is cooked for less than 30 minutes, this won’t happen. Even better, people with an enamelled cast iron pan don’t have to worry at all.
It's hard to believe this myth spread, but we all know how dangerous misinformation is. Broccoli has one of the highest protein contents among vegetables, but you'd have to eat a lot more than steak. Broccoli is still healthy, and plant-based diets can provide protein.