Why You Shouldn’t Add Oil To Your Boiling Pasta Water

People have been cooking for at least 50,000 years, perfecting dishes from various regions. However, some cooking hacks may not be all they’re cracked up to be. Here are 20 failed cooking hacks including pasta dishes, chopping an onion, and deep-fried turkey.

1. Make Flavorful Pasta

Adding oil to boiling water, or boiled pasta, is a popular cooking hack, to prevent the pasta from sticking together or becoming gummy. However, adding oil to pasta prevents the sauce from sticking, making the dish bland, if not messy.

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2. Potatoes Absorb Salt

People suggest putting potatoes into overly salted dishes, as they purportedly soak up the salt. However, this cooking hack hasn’t proven effective. Moreover, in many cases, the potatoes break down changing the dish’s consistency and flavor.

3. Slowly Add Liquid

It’s said that you must add liquid to the roux slowly to avoid lumpiness. However, “hot roux, cold liquid, no lumps,” according to a professional chef. “It has never failed me. The only time I add slowly is if I am adding hot liquid to a roux.” One person concurred.

4. Creamer for Alfredo Pasta

Someone shared a story on Reddit. They explained their family used French vanilla creamer to make alfredo sauce. Unsurprisingly, it didn’t turn out well and they had to throw their pasta away. While regular half-and-half can make a delicious alfredo sauce, it’s not recommended to use milk alternatives or flavored and sweetened creamers.

5. Boiled Steak

Although searing steaks in alcohol is a popular technique, there’s a limit regarding how heavily to rely on the liquid flavor enhancer. Another Reddit user shared a bizarre tale in which their roommate attempted to “treat” them. However, things went differently than expected. “He ‘marinated’ three giant rib-eyes in Jameson whiskey. Literally, nothing else was in the ‘marinade.’ He then dumped the steaks and all the liquid into a flaming-hot cast-iron skillet.” They wrote. “My old roommate decided to treat me and our other roommate to a steak dinner. There was so much whiskey in the skillet that it essentially boiled the steaks. Well-done, boiled, whiskey-flavored steak. It was atrocious.”

6. Only Use the Expensive Stuff

Cooking with expensive alcohol is highly recommended but in some dishes, a cheap bottle of wine, whiskey, or sherry will work just as well to enhance the flavor of a dish.

7. Peeling Boiled Eggs

Peeling boiled eggs is often challenging and messy. As such, people have searched for an easier way to peel them. Sadly, tips like soaking them in salt water aren’t effective. Instead, “shatter the shell, and let the eggs sit in cold water for a few minutes,” explains one Redditor, who’s tried several methods and hacks for peeling a boiled egg.

8. Boiling Pasta

Some people swear by placing a wooden spoon over boiling water to prevent it from boiling over the sides of the pot. Although this does work up to a certain temperature, it won’t be long-lasting because hot water continues to expand and there’s no way to prevent science from happening in this case.

9. Coffee Mishap

Some swear by their French press for the perfect cup of coffee. Alternatively, some believe it takes far too much time and effort.

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10. Using a Food Processor

While a food processor is great for many dishes, it’s not ideal for piecrust, despite people claiming it’s a great cooking hack.

11. Butter or Mayo

Some prefer mayo on their grilled cheese and others prefer butter. However, many food experts agree the best grilled cheese is made using both.

 “Using butter instead of oil. Yeah, I get it, but I don’t want everything to be rich and fatty, and I don’t want to go through a stick of butter in a week.”

12. Butter or Oil

Butter is a heavier fat than most cooking oils so it’s not always the preferred choice. However, butter is creamier and richer. Therefore, many dishes call for either. However, a little of both will help you reach a happy medium, like creating a perfectly grilled cheese. Moreover, you’ll go through pounds of butter if that’s the only fat you use for your dishes.

13. Slow Cooker Meals

Some people think they can leave anything in a slow cooker and have a delicious meal ready when they get home. Sadly, this isn’t always the case. Rather slow cookers are ideal for making stews, soups, or shredded meats. However, they’re not likely to brown or sear any meats or vegetables.

14. Peeling Garlic

Peeling garlic can be a pain and numerous hacks claim to make it easier. However, smashing garlic is the only hack that almost always yields the desired results.

15. Chopping an Onion

There are several hacks regarding chopping an onion. Some are meant to make it less painful and others help you achieve perfectly diced or sliced onions. However, one source explains:

 “I feel like there’s a lot of fuzz around hacking your way into an onion. Like, yes, you can make horizontal cuts and shit like that, but for most applications, it’s unnecessary, and you’ll be able to achieve a fine cut simply by running your knife vertically through and then chopping thinly.”

16. Don’t Cry

Slicing onions is a mystery because people’s eyes often burn and water, preventing them from finishing the job.

Alternatively, keeping onions in the fridge is another cooking hack that works for some, to prevent tearing. Others have suggested placing a damp paper towel nearby. Both might be wives’ tales but it doesn’t hurt to try. After all, everyone’s experience differs.

17. Deep-Fried Turkey

For many, deep-fried turkey is a holiday must-have, and it has a perfectly crispy skin when done correctly. However, it’s a dangerous way to cook and can become costly due to the required peanut oil. Additionally, it doesn’t do much for the flavor of the turkey so its only real benefit may be the skin. Therefore, it’s an overrated cooking hack that might have more downsides than it’s worth.

18. Pasta Sauce with Water

Some people add a little pasta sauce to their boiling water to enhance the flavor of the noodles. Sadly, one Redditor described a head-scratching instance, when someone they knew used a questionable tactic to make pasta. “My friend’s former roommate, bless his heart, was not culinarily inclined. Put the jar of pasta sauce in with the boiling water and noodles.” They explained.

19. Don’t Clean Your Chicken

Some people believe that washing your chicken can prevent the risk of foo-borne illness. While this is partially true, it’s more likely to contaminate your sink and counters. However, one Redditor discovered one woman’s bizarre, if not dangerous, method of cleaning her chicken before cooking it.

“I saw a video of a woman washing her chicken in a sink with bleach and a few drops of Dawn dish soap. She said her mother and grandmother both cleaned their chicken this way.” They wrote.

20. Don’t Fry Eggs

Astoundingly, not everyone knows that you don’t fry eggs the same way you fry chicken.

For example: “I had a roommate who would deep-fry eggs. I walked into the kitchen, and there was a quart-sized pot of oil with a cracked egg undulating in it. I later asked her about it because it was weird, and also because maybe I didn’t know? No. She thought you fried an egg the way you fried a piece of chicken.” One Redditor explained.

Many cooking hacks, particularly regarding pasta, have steered us in the wrong direction. Luckily, food experts and people with first-hand experience can offer insight.

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