People often talk about the best cooking practices but sometimes, the tastiest dishes on the tables come from the most creative kitchens.
So, interested in switching things up, Redditor u/Suspicious-Account-9 asked other platform users, "What is one cooking 'rule' that you choose to always ignore?"
From measuring spices to crowding the pan, turns out, many home chefs have developed their own ways of going about the stove.
However, I think it's worth mentioning that this thread isn't meant to teach anyone as much as it serves as a reminder to never stop questioning what and how you are preparing. Experimentation is part of the game and what works for others won't automatically fit your taste buds as well.
With that said, continue scrolling to check out the most popular replies to u/Suspicious-Account-9's question!
#1
I eat raw cookie dough, cake batter, etc., because while I understand that salmonella is a risk, it's a pretty small one and I am willing to live dangerously when cookie dough is involved.
Image credits: reddit
#2
I rinse mushrooms. That whole "wipe them gently with a paper towel" bulls**t is bulls**t. Take 2-3 mushrooms, hold them under lukewarm running water and roll them around between your hands, then set them on a rack to drain off any water. They scrub themselves.
Image credits: ZweitenMal
#3
The amount of garlic or vanilla
Image credits: the_littlestdragon
#4
Cooking with olive oil.I really don't see the point. It cost a lot more and it has such a low smoke point, it's way too easy to burn your oil and then everything tastes weird.
I use vegetable oil for cooking. I keep a bottle of very nice olive oil to drizzle on top of things to finish them after they are cooked or to make the marinade, but i don't cook with it.
Image credits: Robotick1
#5
White wine only in fish and chicken dishes
Image credits: UnoriginalUse
#6
The "No tomatoes or anything acidic in cast iron" rule. My CI dutch oven is just fine after years of bolognese and other tomatoes dishes and while I don't drink wine I certainly cook with it.Also ever since I tried cooking rice like pasta I've never liked it back.
Image credits: satchel_of_ribs
#7
Measuring basically anything not associated with baking. I juust keep seasoning until the spirit of my great grandmother says "Enough, child."Made a successful career of it!
Image credits: NaughtyCheffie
#8
Cutting large lettuce leaves for a salad instead of tearing them
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#9
I know risotto looks better when made with white wine but try a mushroom risotto with red wine and elevate it to something richer and more satisfying
Image credits: bluecoastblue
#10
Searing meat when I make pot roast in an instant pot/crockpot.I have done it and not done it enough times and it’s not a noticeable enough flavor for me to bother with anymore. I’m content with how it tastes.
Image credits: SleepyBear3366911
#11
Don't mix seafood and cheese.
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#12
Steak must be undercooked, so says all the hype…. I will eat mine how I like. Sometimes pink in the middle, sometimes cooked right through but never raw/rare.
Image credits: Old_Dingo69
#13
I don’t add one egg, beat, then add the other egg(s) when baking. All the eggs and vanilla get tossed in there at once.
Image credits: AnaDion94
#14
I never rinse canned beans
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#15
Use a fresh spoon for tasting each time.
Image credits: NoseBrilliant4453
#16
The serving size and MY serving size are not the same.
Image credits: EduardoElMalo
#17
Frozen pizza:Preheat the oven...
If I'm eating frozen pizza it's because I'm too busy/lazy to eat real food that evening.
Turn on the oven, unwrap the pizza, "OK google set timer for (recommended time +4 minutes)"
#18
‘Soften onions for five minutes’ man they always need longer if u want them browned and soft- also add garlic much later than they suggest.#19
I defrost my chicken on the counter instead of the fridge, 30 years I've been doing this, still fine#20
When making a sauce with a roux, as long as the roux is hot and liquid is really cold, I add the liquid all at once with no fear of a lumpy sauce.Learned it from Chef John from Food Wishes.
Image credits: drumgirlr
#21
"one clove of garlic"#22
I don't throw pasta at a wall to see if it sticks. Seems like a waste to me. I just eat it to see of its ready.#23
I never bother to sift flour. I haven’t had a sifter in over 40 years.
Image credits: solarmama
#24
I don't mise en place everything, only the first few ingredients, or anything that will take a lot of time. I don't like standing around watching things cook, I'd rather stay busy the whole time.
Image credits: ZweitenMal
#25
Unsalted butter for baking. I’m not buying 2 different kinds of butter, salted in everything
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#26
“Add a 1/8 teaspoon.” I’m sorry but a 1/8 tsp isn’t going to do anything.
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#27
I always double the spices when using a recipe. They don’t know me!
Image credits: Apprehensive_Zone281
#28
Minced garlic (the stuff in jars) is NOT blasphemy! It's handy and tasty when used properly.Lots of great take-out places use minced garlic in their dishes, so if you're trying to recreate a favourite dish, it could be the secret ingredient you're missing.
I still use fresh garlic often, but I've gotten off my high horse about the other stuff.
Image credits: iaskjeeves
#29
I add a little oil to nonstick pans. Things just cook better.#30
I make the food how I like it rather than how it's "supposed to be made". I also don't care how another person eats food. If my pal is over and wants a steak charred to a crisp, then enjoy that brick, my friend. Want to slather it in ketchup? Who am I to tell you no? Eat food how you like it rather than how others tell you to eat it.#31
I always cook the pasta way longer that package directions, Al Dente be damned!#32
I crowd the pan when I make bacon and nothing bad ever happens.
Image credits: myotherbannisabenn
#33
Not really a rule, but almost every damn recipe that calls for caramelizing onions lists the time necessary to perform that at like 5-10 min. Either these people don’t know what caramelizing means or they’re intentionally lying to people to make the recipe seem like it takes less time than it actually does.#34
I mostly follow recipes, except if I’m making chili. Then I just blindly dump all of the spices into a pot with all of the other ingredients. It always turns out great lol
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#35
The "proper" way to use Wasabi for sushi is to put the Wasabi on your sushi and dip that into soy sauce. I mix the Wasabi and soy sauce. Way easier to not accidentally start crying at the dinner table#36
Still flabbers my gasts that people rinse off the chicken.#37
That whole “how to properly cut an onion” business. I get that in a restaurant kitchen it minimizes waste but I’m just gonna lop off both ends and remove like 1 layer.#38
Beer/wine pairings. I know them, I understand them and I get it. However, at home, I believe that regardless of what the world says, to me, the very best beer/wine to go with meal X is whatever my personal favorite beer/wine happens to be. Does this drink "go" with this meal? Who cares? It's my favorite, of course, it does!!!#39
I've never deseeded a tomato or cucumber in my life.#40
"First, peel the potatoes ...."I never peel potatoes. We eat them mashed, fried, boiled, you name it. We have a potato peeler. It hasn't been used in 25 years.
#41
I never mix wet & dry separately when baking. It all goes together. I’m not dirtying another bowl.#42
I flip my steak as many times as I want
Image credits: FatherOfTheSevenSeas
#43
I never refrigerate my cookie dough before baking, it gets too hard to scoop easily.#44
I don't leave my scrambled eggs wet. I mean, I don't cook them until they are rubber or anything, but I want them dry not wet.#45
I salt straight into the pan. I’ve bought the same dollar salt can for decades, I know the flow rate!#46
I've been thawing meat on the counter for 30 years. None of that "leave it in the fridge overnight" bulls**t.
Image credits: big_bad_john
#47
Honestly store-bought stock is the stuff. Buck and a half and add some spices. Homemade is a pain in the ass. I get ppl to want their own stock. Not everyone has that kind of time and I respect both#48
Cooking risotto by adding the stock gradually. You can make a perfectly fine homemade risotto by putting the stock in all in one go. Just needs a few stirs not constant attention.
Image credits: hutchipoos
#49
spices that are "old". Not so much regular spices, but some blends I had acquired. When I feel they aren't as fresh, rather than throw them away I use them as additives to a salad dressing.#50
Not mine, but my wife's…Adding salt to a finished plated dish without tasting it first. Cringe every time.
#51
I don't chop cooked bacon. I'll cut it into tiny pieces and then fry it.#52
I don’t let bbq steak or pork rest. I want it hot, and any juices that run out on the plate I just sop up with the pieces of meat that I cut off.#53
Searing meat until there's a black crust on it. I don't like charcoal with my protein. I use a cast iron grill pan and using that adds plenty of flavor without causing a textural mess.#54
You‘re supposed to put a pinch of pepper into lots of dishes, yet I never do because I just hate it…#55
Vanilla.Whether the recipe calls for a vanilla pod, extract, flavour, or any other variety then I just give the mixture a good glug of vanilla extract. No measuring, no messing, just tasty cakes and cookies
#56
Don’t put pepper on a steak it will only burn#57
Jacques Pepin always said that mushrooms can be washed off without any loss of flavor. I agree.#58
I don't shallow fry my potato pancakes anymore and do them on non-stick. You don't need a cup of oil to enjoy fried garlicky taters.#59
Crack eggs on a flat surface. I find that every time I do it i get more shell pieces inside the egg. Also chefs talk about cross contamination and the need of doing it like that, just to realize that then they put their finger to open it and thus cross-contaminating the egg anyway.#60
I never, ever EVER boil, parboil, simmer, etc. bratwurst in beer or anything else. Not before cooking, not after cooking, never. They go out of the butcher paper straight onto the grill and straight from the grill into buns.#61
Sifting. I will only ever do it for cocoa powder and icing sugar. Hate it so much#62
I measure with my heart and not spoons or cups#63
I pretty much never take all of the ingredients out of the fridge half an hour early, so they'll be at room temperature. Not meat, not eggs, sometimes butter but not usually.#64
plenty of weeknight meals where I don't wash my rice first#65
I add some salt to my beans when soaking. They still get tender. I have a theory that the original reason people suggested not to do this was because it's easy to oversalt your beans since so much water cooks out in the process.I also don't toss the soaking liquid or skim the foam. Before anyone asks, I do rinse the beans thoroughly before soaking.
#66
I never brown ground beef in oil. I use a couple of ounces of water instead. The meat releases fat as it cooks, even the 96% beef. The meat gets browned with the fat it releases, and the water evaporates. Therefore, no need to add any extra fat.#67
Idk if it's a rule, really. I don't pre-soak my potatoes before boiling them.I also don't use milk in meatloaf (apparently, not using milk is abysmal to both my in-laws and my family).