25 Food Crimes People Commit Despite Knowing Better

With so many different opinions on the right way of cooking it feels like we have been doing everything wrong up to now. From the simplest dishes to more complicated recipes, folks have their own way of preparing things to make their lives simpler even if the greater online population may disagree.

Recently, a Reddit thread on r/Cooking gained popularity when folks started confessing these little cooking sins they shamelessly commit even though they know it would get them publicly crucified to admit so unless done anonymously like below.

More info: Reddit

#1 I break my spaghetti in half like a mf champion and never regretted doing so

#2 Using a teaspoon to scoop out some spices, then putting it back into the drawer because it was spotless.

#3 I don’t dice onions the proper way (keeping the root end attached). I cut off both ends, slice one way, then the other. I know it’s supposedly easier, but I don’t like doing it that way.

#4 I sometime use store bought chicken stock or bouillon cubes. I know! I’m sorry!! It’s just… sometimes my stuff is still frozen!!

#5 When I bake I don’t weigh anything, and just scoop up the flour in the measuring cup. I know it packs down, but whatever. My cookies always come out great anyway.

#6 I let my meat defrost on the counter, and if I pay enough attention I´’ll put it in the fridge when its defrosted, but sometimes I totally forget about it and it comes to room temp. My family is still alive.

#7 I’ll put ketchup on hotdogs and brats. I don’t care what others think. I like it.

#8 I do a lot of ribs in my smoker, and I usually do ’em until they fall off the bone. Spare me all the mumbo jumbo about how the 3-2-1 method is c**p, or that “fall off the bone” ribs are overcooked, that’s how my wife likes them, I don’t mind them tender like that either, and that’s just the way I’m doing them, if you don’t like it, buy your own smoker.

#9 Sometimes, I salt the water before it is boiling.

#10 I don’t do “mise en place”. It’s more like a mess in place, but as long as the food turns out good, I’m okay with that lol

#11 I scrape the bowl like I’m held at gunpoint. Those heathens on Food Network and their half a**ed wasteful scraping make my blood boil. I’m sorry we can’t all live in the Hamptons and be so rushed that we throw away half the brownie batter Ina, you selfish b+<£.

#12 I rinse my mushrooms. Ain’t nobody got time for carefully wiping off the soil.

#13 My cast iron is seasoned properly so it gets a quick hand wash with soap and rinsed and then dried completely. It will get touch up seasoning when needed. The hysteria is so unnecessary.

#14 I remove shrimp tails before cooking. Apparently you’re not supposed to but the tails are disgusting

#15 I made homemade jambalaya a bunch of times until I really had it down, then decided that except for special occasions, it’s generally not worth the effort to make from scratch. So these days I’m back to starting from a box of Zataran’s and doctoring it up.

#16 I make, and eat, raw cookie dough. With eggs. Best treat. Never been sick

#17 I use my chef’s knife for everything. All my other knives are just there to look pretty.

#18 I cook with butter more than oils. It tastes better. Not as healthy, but it’s worth it to me!

#19 I don’t curl my fingers when cutting things. I’ve been cooking for 50 years and have only cut myself a few times and usually not when slicing. I feel I get a better grip not curling.

#20 My secret ingredient is msg.

#21 I use salted butter and don’t add salt in baking recipes. My desserts/baked goods always end up perfectly, slightly salted.

#22 My chef mother taught me NEVER to cut lettuce, only to rip. Ripping the lettuce and then rinsing/washing was my job every night before dinner, and I loathed it. Now, I only cut my lettuce with a knife, I refuse to rip it lol

#23 To actually answer the question rather than dragging OP, I don’t care about making sure everything I’m chopping is the same size. Who the hell cares. I’m only cooking for my household, and it’s not like I’m hacking food apart like an animal, so everything still cooks in roughly the same amount of time. I also overcook pasta a little. I don’t like it al dente.

#24 Using dry measuring cups for liquids.

#25 You can cook rice on the stovetop just like you would in a rice cooker. No need to do it pasta style lol. You’d just need to adjust the water to rice ratio and let it go. I don’t taste as I cook. I just season with my eyes.

Shanilou Perera

Shanilou has always loved reading and learning about the world we live in. While she enjoys fictional books and stories just as much, since childhood she was especially fascinated by encyclopaedias and strangely enough, self-help books. As a kid, she spent most of her time consuming as much knowledge as she could get her hands on and could always be found at the library. Now, she still enjoys finding out about all the amazing things that surround us in our day-to-day lives and is blessed to be able to write about them to share with the whole world as a profession.