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13 votes
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What cooking techniques need more evidence?
There are many tips or techniques that are strongly recommended for cooking, but it's hard to know which are evidence based and which are just passed along because that's what people always do....
There are many tips or techniques that are strongly recommended for cooking, but it's hard to know which are evidence based and which are just passed along because that's what people always do.
Which are the tips that need more evidence?
Here are two that I struggle with, about stainless steel pans:
- Water drop test / leidenfrost
People say that if you get your pan hot enough to get the leidenfrost effect and then add the oil you'll have less problems with sticking. My problem with this is that it means the pan gets very very hot - much hotter than it needs to be for most uses. My other problem is they all say "Look, I'll cook eggs and they won't stick" and those videos either have a ton of cuts, or the eggs stick and you can see the person pushing with a spatula to get rid of the stick, or their "scrambled eggs" is really a chopped omelette.
- Heat the pan before adding oil. I don't understand this. Again, people say it helps prevent sticking, but they use some argument about "pores" which just feels hokey. I add cold oil to a cold pan and bring it up to temperature before adding food so the pan and oil are both at the right temperature, and food sticks and then releases, because that's how stainless pans work.
I'm aware I could be completely wrong here and that there may be a good evidence base for these, but they don't seem to work based on how I cook.
37 votes -
Consumer reports on high levels of sodium and heavy metals in Lunchables
26 votes -
Front-of-package protein labels on cereal create health halos
7 votes -
Elephant Apple - Elephants love this fruit and I do too
6 votes -
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in food packaging: Migration, toxicity, and management strategies
5 votes -
From ‘crookies’ to flavored versions: The French croissant reinvents itself to battle American snacks and attract Gen Z
21 votes -
Tastes like chicken? Think again—edible ants have distinctive flavor profiles.
16 votes -
Deadly morel mushroom outbreak highlights big gaps in fungi knowledge
20 votes -
The health impacts of red meat - reviewing a recent study and current recommendations
10 votes -
The plastic chemicals hiding in your food. Test results for bisphenols/phthalates.
14 votes -
Kenji's Vietnamese garlic noodles... with twenty cloves of garlic
41 votes -
Analysis of a common preservative used to kill pathogens in food shows that it also affects beneficial bacteria
19 votes -
Can a chef turn KFC into a completely different dish?
16 votes -
Food scientists at Finnish startup SuperGround have found a way to make chicken nuggets and fish cakes out of otherwise discarded bones and hard tissues
28 votes -
Tallow to margarine
11 votes -
What do you eat when you're sick?
From chicken noodle soup to congee, no matter what cuisine or culture, what do you eat when you're sick? Since everyone around me is getting ill, I'm looking to expand my "sick food" recipes for...
From chicken noodle soup to congee, no matter what cuisine or culture, what do you eat when you're sick? Since everyone around me is getting ill, I'm looking to expand my "sick food" recipes for drop off. Bonus points if it's easy on digestion and will keep in the fridge/freezer for awhile.
Chicken congee is my go to because it's simple and can easily be dressed up or down.
Thanks for all the replies! I love learning about different food (and beverages) so I hope you find something new to try yourselves.
26 votes -
I do not like this timeline, now I cannot even indulge in Smuckers blueberry syrup anymore!
27 votes -
Coffee connoisseurs have long believed that adding a little water to beans before grinding them makes a difference. A new study by researchers at the University of Oregon seems to confirm exactly why.
35 votes -
2021 U2 spy plane pilot tube food, US Air Force ration taste test MRE review
25 votes -
Steaks grown from human cells spark interest and outrage [2020]
43 votes -
99% of the world’s bananas are threatened by a fungus. To save them, scientists are turning to genetic modification.
24 votes -
Food that was eaten at the first Thanksgiving - American groundnut
17 votes -
Some ultra-processed foods are good for your health, WHO-backed study finds
27 votes -
A sweet solution: turning winery waste into jelly
16 votes -
The rise and fall of America's favorite junk foods | Rise and Fall
10 votes -
Can a chef turn a Subway sandwich into a completely different dish?
11 votes -
International research group published an analysis identifying ultra-processed food as addictive
17 votes -
Researchers uncover mechanism that may explain why some people can't stop binging on unhealthy foods
5 votes -
I’m a microbiologist and here is what (and where) I never eat
27 votes -
Red, juicy, heat resistant: The hunt for a climate-proof apple
9 votes -
Which food delivery app, in your opinion, is the best?
I'm downloading a lot of apps rn, and I'm wondering which food delivery app I should get/use. What would you recommend, and why?
11 votes -
Why is Popeyes so good?
I love fried chicken sandwiches. I have loads of fast food options as well as one off restaurants around me that offer fried chicken sandwiches, some that it is their claim to fame. It doesn’t...
I love fried chicken sandwiches. I have loads of fast food options as well as one off restaurants around me that offer fried chicken sandwiches, some that it is their claim to fame. It doesn’t seem to matter where I go in search of the best fried chicken sandwiches, or how much money I spend, Popeyes is always the best.
Two topics to start discussion:
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What is your favourite fried chicken place where you live? Bonus points if you live around Vancouver, BC, Canada and can introduce me to a new favourite chicken place.
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What does Popeyes do to get such consistency across all locations, and why the heck is it so good?
30 votes -
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More than twenty-year-old assumption about beer aroma disproved
12 votes -
Using 'spent' coffee and tea to boost shelf life and nutritional value of cakes
28 votes -
Many of today’s unhealthy foods were brought to you by Big Tobacco
20 votes -
You say tomato, these scientists say evolutionary mystery
6 votes -
The world’s first 3D-printed salmon is hitting store shelves
23 votes -
Traders in Bangladesh used lead chromate to enhance turmeric’s appearance. Then scientists and policymakers stepped in.
26 votes -
Petition: Bring back KFC potato wedges
29 votes -
What happened to DC food trucks?
15 votes -
No Meat Required - Alicia Kennedy’s new book explores the tensions and triumphs of leaving meat behind
21 votes -
Dangerous AI-generated mushroom foraging books are all over Amazon
36 votes -
‘Rebel canning’ is having a moment, whether or not it should
58 votes -
I have been forbidden from chewing since July 20. But in two days I can eat normally again! What should my first meal be!?
I had triple jaw surgery 6 months ago, but things went wrong around a wisdom tooth and one of the implants, so I had a revision last month. As a consequence of that, I have not been allowed to...
I had triple jaw surgery 6 months ago, but things went wrong around a wisdom tooth and one of the implants, so I had a revision last month. As a consequence of that, I have not been allowed to chew since my jawbone needed peace and quiet to grow back together.
The suffering is soon over, though. On August 17 I can eat normally again! I have had multiple dreams of eating and chewing things normally, and I have even had unquiet dreams/nightmares of eating but then remembering that I'm not allowed to eat.
For reference, I have eaten nothing but mashed potatoes, soups, overcooked pasta, yoghurts... for the past month. Last time around, my first solid meal was a cheeseburger from McDonald's but that was definitely not very satisfying. So please help! What should my first real meal in a month be!?
PS: my frustration is expertly expressed in this moment in this video. I WANNA CHEW!
44 votes -
The pork industry’s forced cannibalism, explained
48 votes -
Menu and decor 'reprehensible,' some Kitigan Zibi members say - ‘Indigenous fusion’ restaurant raises concerns about appropriation
29 votes -
Is this the protein plant of the future? New study finds ‘sweetness gene’ that makes lupins tastier
16 votes -
A list of commonly recommended cookery books
Here's a list of cookery books that are frequently recommended in various forums when people ask for good cookery books. These are not in any kind of order. Please add any books that I've missed!...
Here's a list of cookery books that are frequently recommended in various forums when people ask for good cookery books.
These are not in any kind of order. Please add any books that I've missed! I'm sure there are lots of great books that I haven't heard of. I wanted to link to a bookshop, but I got stuck with that so I used Wordery, unless they didn't have it in which case I link to Amazon. Some of these books have hardback and soft-cover versions, or newer editions, so go careful with the links because I just link to any version of the book. I have done no research at all into the authors or illustrators here, so if I've included people who are toxic arseholes please do let me know and I'll fix it. (This post is episode 2 of "DanBC goes down a rabbit hole and dumps the results onto Tildes").
Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking - Samin Nosrat and Wendy MacNaughton.
A review from Kitchn: 8 cooks on why "Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat" is such a special, unlikely, hit
A lot of people love this book. Beginners say it gave them a bit more confidence, and good home cooks say it helped elevate their cooking by giving them usable information.
How to Cook Everything - Mark Bittman.
How to Cook Everything - the basics - Mark Bittman. A review from ShelfAwareness.
A lot of people don't know how to cook, and have never cooked anything. Mark Bittman's books are often recommended to this group of people. And the books are excellent sources of information, and so they're useful to lots of people. They're very clear and easy to use.
Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking - Marcella Hazan.
A VERY SHORT, almost bullet point, review from FiveBooks And a longer review from LitHub
She wrote two books in the 1970s, and these were combined and updated in the 1990s for this book. These books are widely credited as introducing people outside Italy to "authentic" Italian cooking. LitHub review has already said everything that I'd want to say about this, but better than I could.
On Food and Cooking: The science and lore of the kitchen - Harold McGee.
This is a heavy duty book about the science of food. It's often described as the best single reference book for the science of food and cooking.
Food Lab: Better home cooking through science - J. Kenji López-Alt.
A review from Chemistry World
Surely everyone knows J. Kenji. He's really approachable. He give you science, but it's actionable and achievable.
In Bibi's Kitchen: The Recipes and Stories of Grandmothers from the Eight African Countries that Touch the Indian Ocean - Hawa Hassan, Julia Turshen.
A mini-review from Kitchn. So, I'm cheating here because I haven't seen this recommended by anyone but I wanted more books that are not Euro-US focussed. This book focuses on food from Eritrea, Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, South Africa, Madagascar, and Comoros
Each chapter starts with a short geo-political intro. You'll be familiar if you've ever read the CIA World Factbook. It then has a short interview with a grandmother, and then it gives some recipes.
Sauces: Classical and Contemporary Sauce Making - Wordery link - James Peterson.
A review from MostlyFood
"Don’t be put off by the size of this book. It’s true that it’s as big as a small piece of furniture but it’s as big as that for a good reason. There isn’t any padding in Sauces. It’s cover-to-cover solid information that will be welcomed by anyone wanting to perfect sauce-making. Nothing seems to be omitted or overlooked. Every imaginable sauce is described, including Asian Sauces which have been added since the publication of the first edition."
Lots of people like that "no padding" feature.
How to Eat: The pleasures and principles of good food - Nigella Lawson.
A review by Food 52
"Thinking back on the lifespan of this formative book, I can’t help but feel that it’s to the recipes in it, and of course to Lawson herself, that I owe much of my confidence in the kitchen today."
Lots of people just want to cook tasty food and they're not bothered by The Science. Lawson's books are excellent if you want great home cooking.
The Professional Chef - The Culinary Institute of America
There are lots of versions of this book. The current version will be expensive. The older version are usually very similar and will be much cheaper.
Home cooks often get into weird habits and that's fine - it's your kitchen, do what works for you. But if you want to get better in the kitchen by improving your techniques and skills this is the book for you.
25 votes -
Japanese man quits corporate job to learn to make tacos
21 votes