People In This Online Group Are Debunking 20 Ineffective Cooking Myths

Although there are some really good kitchen hacks that can raise the level of your cooking game, a few tricks just ruin things more. And sometimes, it’s difficult to figure out what hacks are actually effective.

#1 Using A Plastic Water Bottle To Separate Egg Yolks

Image source: Ok_Chapter8131, ebrunar

Using a plastic water bottle to separate egg yolks. And by extension, using any tool to separate yolks. Just use your hands.

#2 Using Mayo Instead Of Butter On A Grilled Cheese

Image source: waitthissucks, Joel Kramer

For me it’s people saying to use mayo instead of butter on their grilled cheese. Mayo just doesn’t provide the flavor or crunch I want. Butter is the way.

#3 Creating Frozen Slices Of Peanut Butter To Make PB&J Sandwiches easier

Image source: gazhole, Craig Murphy

It’s not really “cooking” but I saw one that made peanut butter sandwiches ‘easier’. It involved creating frozen slices of peanut butter between two small sheets of selophane, which could then be taken out of the freezer and put between bread, and would then melt creating a peanut butter sandwich.

I have no idea how that was less time and effort than just making them the normal way, and it doesn’t really extend the shelf life of peanut butter in any meaningful way, and with the added drawback that you can’t eat them right away since the peanut butter needs to melt.

Blew my mind for all the wrong reasons.

#4 Random Hummus Hacks

Image source: Rabaga5t, Whitney

Not that I hate them, but I’ve tried loads for hummus that don’t work.

Blend with ice, blend when chickpeas are hot, used dried/ canned chickpeas, cook them more, take all the skins off, blend the tahini and lemon juice on its own first, soak with baking soda, etc.

Just blend everything together, and make sure there’s enough liquid in the blender that it blends properly to get it smooth. Then add salt until it tastes really good.

#5 5-Minute Crafts Food Hacks

Image source: Educational-Fan-8475, Stephanie

Food hacks that show up on 5 Minutes Crafts

#6 Leveling Up Instant Ramen

Image source: HeyItsMau, Thirteen Of Clubs

“Level-up your instant ramen” by cooking an entire f*****g meal from scratch and then incorporating the noodles.

This isn’t a hack. This is just cooking.

#7 One-Sheet-Pan Dinner Recipes

Image source: mah_ree, Isha Zubeidi

My pet peeve is the ‘one sheet pan dinner’ recipe videos where they spread everything out on the pan, THEN add oil and seasonings AS UNEVENLY AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE and just shuffle around poorly with their hands.

just toss it all in a big bowl beforehand, goddamn.

#8 Any Hack That Appears On Tiktok

Image source: Lt_Forks, nordskovmedia.dk

Any hack that appears on TikTok gets an instant NO from me. I swear that place makes everything more complicated than it should be, or validates some people’s horrific food ideas.

Chopping board, chef’s knife, peeler, mixing bowl, frying pan, saucepan/stockpot- 90%+ of kitchen jobs can be solved with these. Good quality ones – you use them every day, so invest in them.

Source: ex-chef from a 2 Michelin star kitchen.

#9 Cutting Cake With Wine Glasses

Image source: BridgetteBane, theroseperiod

Those tiktok people who think cutting cake with a wineglass is somehow easier or convenient.

#10 Cooking Things In The Dishwasher

Image source: TheLadyEve, Joanna Bourne author

Cooking things in the dishwasher. That started in the 70s, now it’s a tik tok thing, but it’s always stupid.

#11 The Hole In The Center Of The Spaghetti Spoon Is A Single Serving

Image source: Ass2DRegMan, A Yee

That the hole in the center of the spaghetti spoon is a single serving. If I wanna eat a whole box I will.

#12 Premade Marinades

Image source: SueBeee, Eric Sonstroem

premade marinades almost always suck. My only exception to date is Soy Vay veri teriyaki.

#13 Slicing Mushrooms With An Egg Slicer

Image source: Haephestus, Cheryl

Somebody once told me to try using one of those wire egg-slicers to slice mushrooms. I gave it a shot and ruined my parents’ egg slicer. Would not recommend.

#14 Using Baking Soda When Cooking Shrimp

Image source: Citoyen_Riqueti, David Leo Veksler

Ok Kenji, I’ll concede brining shrimp in baking soda makes a difference, but this m**********r be putting baking soda in *everything*

#15 Putting Olive Oil In Pasta While It’s Boiling

Image source: the_nomads, Prem Sichanugrist

Putting olive oil in when the pasta is boiling so it doesn’t stick. Give that pasta a stir when you put it in the pot and once every few minutes and save your olive oil for salad dressing. If you don’t stir the pasta when you drop it in, no amount of olive oil will keep it from sticking anyway.

#16 Peeling Ginger With A Spoon

Image source: gustriandos, Kjokkenutstyr Net

Peeling ginger with a spoon. I just use a knife and square it off. I’m okay with losing a little bit of it if it means not grabbing a spoon and spending twice as much time prepping it.

Also, a new one I’ve seen is using a cooling rack to dice avocado, mango, egg, etc. whoever came up with that has either never cleaned a cooling rack or doesn’t own a knife.

Agree with the veggie scraps one.

#17 Using A Straw To De-Stem Strawberries

Image source: QQcumber, Fried Dough

Using a straw to de-stem strawberries by poking a hole through the bottom of the berry.

Just rip it off

#18 Useless Kitchen Gadgets

Image source: Match_Specialist, Chris Hoare

I hate any gadget that a decent knife and a modicum of coordination can replace. I cook multiple times most days but my wife couldn’t make a wish sandwich if you stacked to pieces of bread on a plate for her. So she always shows me videos of kitchen gadgets she thinks I need. 99 times out of a hundred you can do the same thing with a knife in less time and don’t have an extra hard to clean gadget.

#19 Breaking Eggs With One Hand

Image source: Snorlax_Sprinkles, Chris Chen 陳依勤

Breaking eggs with one hand. Get out of here with that black magic b******t

#20 Putting Cream In Risotto

Image source: NorthernAphid, Herry Lawford

Putting cream in risotto