“Carrots will improve your eyesight.”
“Coffee will sober you up.”
These and many other food sayings have circulated around dinner tables and restaurant bars for decades. But is there actually any truth to them? Or are they just fake news invented to make us, say . . . choke down our helping of steamed carrots? It’s time we knew for sure.
I investigated some of the most popular myths out there in the food and cooking universe. Here are 11 that you definitely should stop believing—and why they’re complete lies.
1. You Shouldn’t Wash Mushrooms
You may have heard that mushrooms should never be washed, since they will quickly absorb any water they touch and become waterlogged, but this is absolutely false. As Harold McGee proved in his 1984 book The Curious Cook, mushrooms don’t absorb water any faster than any other piece of produce, so quickly rinsing under running water won’t hurt them at all.
A couple quick caveats: it’s wise to wait to wash the mushrooms until just before you plan to cook them, since the extra moisture can cause them to spoil faster after they’ve been washed. Also, if you’re planning to saute the mushrooms, I recommend patting them dry thoroughly before adding to the pan; otherwise they may spit!
2. You Shouldn’t Cook Tomatoes In Cast Iron
It’s a common belief that tomato products should never be cooked in cast iron because the high levels of acid in the tomatoes will strip away the metal, ruining the pan’s seasoning and contaminating the food. However, it’s completely fine to cook tomatoes or other acidic ingredients in cast iron for short periods of time. A quick burst of cherry tomato sauce that’s in and out of the pan in 15 minutes is totally fine. Just beware of simmering super-tomatoey sauces for longer than 30 minutes; at that point, you might start to notice issues.
3. Fresh Fruits & Vegetables Are Always Best
We might be tempted to assume that the best fruits and vegetables available are the ones sold to us as “fresh,” but that’s often completely false. Think about it: produce is at its best when it’s in season and has been picked at its ripest. But how many of the fruits and vegetables in the fresh produce section are actually in when we’re buying them? Not many. Much of the time, these “fresh” fruits and vegetables have actually been harvested thousands of miles from us when they were severely under ripe; when we buy them, they’re either still under ripe or they’ve been artificially ripened, a process that doesn’t result in a good product.
Frozen fruits and vegetables, on the other hand, are picked and frozen when they’re at their ripest and most flavorful and nutritious. The freezing process locks in both their flavor and nutrition, preserving it while they’re transported to us. Often these frozen products are actually a better option than their “fresh” counterparts.
4. Acidic Marinades Tenderize Meat
Many people (including some professional chefs!) believe that marinades will tenderize meat, but that isn’t true. The salt in the marinade will disperse throughout the meat, increasing moisture retention and resulting in juicier meat, but this is not the same as tenderization. And while the acid can begin to break down the meat fibers if it’s left sitting too long in the marinade, this is technically denaturing the proteins, not tenderizing them.
If you're looking to tenderize, mechanical tenderization (i.e. pounding) is the best way to go. Or if you're working with meat that's ground or in thin strips, a little baking soda can provide a little chemical tenderization—but that's different from what most people would consider a "marinade."
5. Coffee Sobers You Up
It’s a common misconception that coffee will sober up a drunk person. That’s definitely not the case. Sure, the stimulant properties of caffeine can counteract the depressant effects of alcohol, speeding up a person’s response time and making them appear more alert, but it doesn’t help their bodies metabolize and process the alcohol any faster. Basically they’re just a drunk person who is now also high on caffeine—hardly the definition of sober.
6. Egg Yolks Raise Your Cholesterol
At one time, it was commonly believed that egg yolks raise cholesterol, but that myth has been debunked. Recent studies show that our cholesterol levels are actually mostly impacted by the cholesterol our bodies manufacture in the liver, and this a response to how much saturated and trans-fats we consume. A large egg contains just 1.5 grams of saturated fat. A serving of ice cream? 14 grams. Clearly there are other foods to reconsider before eggs if you're worried about cholesterol.
7. Celery Is A Calorie-Negative Food
In this era of calorie-counting, whoever dreamed up calorie-negative food probably thought they hit a gold mine...but it doesn’t exactly track. The concept is based on the idea that if we burn more calories chewing and digesting a specific food than that food actually contains, we will end up consuming negative calories. But according to a recent study, chewing for a whole hour expends about 11 calories. Since two stalks of celery contain 15 calories—and we’re definitely not chewing them for a whole hour—there’s no way that math will add up.
8. Carrots Can Improve Your Eyesight
A vegetable that magically improves eyesight? Sign us up. Unfortunately this is not true either. Carrots contain beta carotene, a mineral which our body converts into Vitamin A. While vitamin A supports healthy vision—among other things—it doesn’t actually improve eyesight. Sorry but no amount of carrot smoothies will help you regain that 20:20 vision.
9. Alcohol Completely Cooks Off
If you thought the vodka in penne alla vodka was all gone by the time the dish got to the table, think again. While alcohol begins evaporating or “cooking off” as soon as it’s heated to 173 degrees Fahrenheit, it takes a lot longer to evaporate than you’d think. According to studies, as much as 60% of the initial amount of alcohol is still in the pan after 10 minutes of simmering. And regardless of how long you cook it, about 5% of the alcohol will always remain. The rum in that caramel sauce you’ve simmered for only five minutes? It’s mostly still there.
10. Sweet Potatoes Are Healthier Than Regular Potatoes
What does “healthier” even mean? Sweet potatoes may be full of vitamins and minerals, but white potatoes contain valuable potassium and Vitamin B that sweet potatoes aren’t particular high in. And since both contain nearly the same amount of carbs, protein, and calories per serving, it’s not like swapping sweet potatoes for regular potatoes will help you drop any pounds. According to experts, both can be part of a healthy diet. And if you’re debating the merits of sweet potato fries vs. regular french fries, just remember: they’re both fried.
11. “Beer Before Liquor, Never Been Sicker”
I’m almost positive this last myth came from the mind of someone who was currently very hungover. According to a 2019 study, the order in which we consume different types of alcohol has absolutely no impact on how badly we feel the next day. Starting out with beer before hitting the hard stuff might mean we end up drinking more beer than if we had started with shots in the first place, but if we’re talking about the same amounts of each alcohol in a different order, there’s absolutely no difference.
What other food myths do you want us to bust? Drop them here in the comments.
