Kitchen Myths Busted

 Everyone has grown up with at least one kitchen myth. These could be old wives tales,family lore or just lies that somehow become truth. There are certain stories and suggestions that do have a base in science and truth .It's just hard to discern what's good to follow and what's not.

Regular contributor Julia Moskin wrote about this in todays' New York Times Wednesday Food section.Everyone has grown up with  all sorts of kitchen mysths. Some are grounded in reality like the old chestnut "Only eat seafood in miths that have an "r" in the." This comes out from when their was a lack of refrigeration and seafood could only keep during the colder months.Then there's the one that  has against washing mushrooms. This is a restaurant based myth that's actually a truth . Just rinse them off only when you ready to use them. There's also tbrown eggs that are healthier than white. An egg is an egg.The color has to do with the ehn's feather color , not if the brown eggs have more protein. She also explores the myth of not using soap on a cast iron pan. This comes from over a c entury ago when most household soaps contained lye which could erode the top layers.Some tales include wetting the pans. then scrubbing them burying in sand. You can just wash it with warm water.If there are stuck pieces like bacon or steak then add a few drops of dish detergent to clean it.

Other myths include that old chestnut pasta water should be salty as the ocean.Here Ms. Moskin tried out this , using salinity levels from one to the Pacific Ocean and Mediterenean Sea. She prefers a saltiness that's similar to chicken both. Anything too powerful, and the pasta loses its' flavor.What about washing rice until it runs clear before cooking.Years ago , rice did have to be washed to remove everything from chaff and dust to vermin! She also experimneted with this and it turns out washing the rice does nothing to it. Besides most rice is bought clean anyways. Then there's the fairy tale of having your ingredients prepared and your're cooking oil heated befiore starting to cook.Is this true?No. you can start the oil cooking and add the ingredients at the same time.I always do this and everything tastes just fine. I think it's adds to a dish, give such -proteins as mushroom, tofu and meat extra flavor.What about browning meat at the start of the cooking process  to seal in the juices. This is a falsity too. Brown only steaks and roasts. Stew meat doesn't;t need to be browned It can be cooked with other ingredients .The same applies to meats cooked for soups too. 

Myths abound everywhere. They're especially prevalent in the kitchen, Yet there's a lot of truth in these sayings. It does pay to experiment

One Handed Cooking Microplane Grating

 One thing about prepping and  cooking with one arm. It's hard. Yes , people have done it and still do it. Yet it's difficult. Luckily I found that I can use my simple micoplaner to create some different dishes.

I've gotten into fruit a lot in a way thanks to being prediabetic but also it's easy to eat to breakfast. I've been wanting an easy dessert. Why not combine good for you dark chocolate with it.

Yet what was an easy way to serve it? That's where the microplaner (that I bought at Stop and Shop years ago) came in. Chocolate is very easy to grate and it produces a dust that completely covers the strawberries, bananas and blueberries.It looks like cinnamon but  it's Lindt 90 % cacao. It works perfectly for this. It's just an easy meal ender or snack. Keep in mind that this file can also be used to create fluffy clouds of Parmesan for pastas. It could also be used for the Spanish treat pan di tomat for grating tomatoes to go with the toasted bread.

Yes, it;s hard to cook one handed or partially with two. Yet a micoplanet helps in prepping. It's a great tool to have in the kitchen.

The Newest Trend: Old Skillets

At one time or another home chefs hear the family lore about cast iron skillets.How sturdy they were, how they could could everything from eggs to cornbread. It leaves the modern cook, used to Teflon coated ones, with some envy. Luckily this American classic is coming back big time.

Julia Moskin wrote about them in today's New York York Times Food section. Many home chefs as well as professional ones are falling in love with this leftover from the 18th Century and with good reason. They are versatile and can be used to cook up everything from breakfast to dessert.Another reason is that cast iron is a better conductor of heat than the more modern stainless steel and aluminum.It keep the food cooked in it hotter long after the heat below has been turned off. Home chefs looking to buy one should be warned. Don't be lured by price. Yes, Wal-Mart offers one for only sixteen dollars - which is a true bargain but it's not that great. Opt for the more costly Finex ten inch skillet which sells for $165 or the pricier Borough  Furnace skillet at $250. For fifty dollars more home chefs can get the Field one.Home chefs should remember that the more expensive ones are made the same with old fashioned craftsmanship. From the 1700's on skillets were hand poured and polished . The end result was a thinner , lighter skillet with a smooth cooking surface, attributes that the modern ones such as the Wal-Mart Lodge one doesn't have.The new pans do come preseasoned, something that had to be done at home with earlier ones

Many home chefs have a problem with preseasoning and tempering, according to Ms. Moskin Each of the skillet makers have their own preferred system of cleaning and reseasoning.The advice is simple: treat the pan as a 19th Century cook would.Just simple cooking and cleaning will season it.Skillets had natural coatings formed by cooking with fat and bonding the fat molecules to the pan's surface.She recommends using the pan often for projects like shallow frying, cooking bacon or frying chicken.Afterwards, scrape the surface clean with a stiff brush, a bench scraper, a kind of chopper, or just salt. Rinse with very hot water and if needed a drop of soap. Put it back on the stove over a low heat until completely dry, This is what makes the patina.Keep in mind though that if the pan is unused for a long time , the coating will become sticky, rusty or even both, Store skillets in the cupboard or better yet the oven to protect them from dust. If there are a stack of them, then place paper towels between them.Cast iron will last decades if treated properly, and makes a great legacy gift for anyone

An old fashioned cast iron skillet is a modern kitchen must have. It can fry ,bake and saute along with lasting for decades. Forget all these Teflon coated pans. Get the real deal!