Culinary Myths

Lifestyle Parenting, Household Affairs and Cuisine corner
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**Brown Sugar is better than White Sugar
**The brown sugar sold at grocery stores is actually white granulated sugar with added molasses. Yes, brown sugar contains minute amounts of minerals. But unless you eat a gigantic portion of brown sugar every day, the mineral content difference between brown sugar and white sugar is absolutely insignificant. The idea that brown and white sugar have big differences is another common nutrition myth

Please add yours.

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Re: Culinary Myths

I guess the brown sugar or ******* sugar is the raw form of white sugar...it definitely has a distinctive taste though...

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Re: Culinary Myths

I noticed the taste different if I am chewing it .. in fact, more than taste, its a texture difference. I never noticed any difference after I mix it in tea or coffee

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Re: Culinary Myths

Whole grains and whole wheat are not the same thing.

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Myth: Butter Spoils if Not Refrigerated

**False.* Butter does spoil, but much more slowly than fresh (unfermented) milk products, such as, well, milk. The reason? “Most butter contains added salt, which impedes the growth of spoilage bacteria,” says John Bruhn, a dairy-foods processing specialist at the University of California at Davis. Today’s salted butter, in normal usage, will rarely spoil, even if you leave it unrefrigerated all the time. Unsalted butter might spoil in about a week, but it contains enough natural salt to slow the growth of bacteria that cause spoiling. So you don’t have to worry if you forget to put the butter away after dinner.*

Myth: Boiled Green Veggies Lose All Nutrients

**False*. Yes, green beans stewed until they are gray beans may have lost many of their nutrients―mostly vitamins, which are water soluble, says chef and nutritionist Nancy Berkoff, R.D., a consultant with the Vegetarian Resource Group. But important minerals like iron and potassium don’t break down easily in water. “All vegetables, overcooked or not, are a good source of fiber, too,” says Berkoff. Your best bet: Steam them lightly to the desired consistency. *

Myth: Mushrooms Should Never Be Rinsed

**True and false.* Mushrooms are almost 90 percent water and very porous, so the key to washing them is to give them a shower, not a bath. “You can quickly rinse most mushrooms,” says Julie Petrovick of Modern Mushroom Farms, in Avondale, Pennsylvania. “Just don’t rinse to the point where they are soft.” Soaking mushrooms lets them absorb too much water; they’ll release excess liquid into your dish. For especially delicate varieties, such as oyster mushrooms, porcini, and chanterelles, stick to a special mushroom brush or a damp paper towel.*

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Really?! Ah, food network totally brain washed me into thinking it was a total no-no

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Re: Culinary Myths

searing a steak seals in juices

alcohol burns off when you cook

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Re: Culinary Myths

So, cooking alcohol doesn't burn away?

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Re: Culinary Myths

depends on quantity and how long you cook, eventually it will all burn off
however when you order food at a restaurant where alcohol has been used, usually its not cooked long enough to burn it off.

I had a post here ages ago which noted how long it takes alcohol to burn but cant find it now, so will try to find info again and post it here

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Re: Culinary Myths

here ya go

Does alcohol burn off in cooking?

The conventional wisdom accepted by just about everyone in the food world is that all the alcohol you add to a dish evaporates or dissipates during cooking. It’s wrong. In fact, you have to cook something for a good three hours to eradicate virtually all traces of alcohol. And some cooking methods are less effective at removing alcohol than just letting it stand out uncovered overnight.

A study conducted by the US Department of Agriculture’s Nutrient Data Laboratory calculated the percentage of alcohol remaining in a dish based on various cooking methods. The results are as follows:

Preparation Method Percent of Alcohol Retained
alcohol added to boiling liquid & removed from heat 85%
alcohol flamed 75%
no heat, stored overnight 70%
baked, 25 minutes, alcohol not stirred into mixture 45%
baked/simmered, alcohol stirred into mixture:
15 minutes
40%

30 minutes
35%

1 hour
25%

1.5 hours
20%

2 hours
10%

2.5 hours
5%

Now, it may be that the amount of alcohol in a dish is modest to start with, but the fact that some of the alcohol remains could be of significant concern to recovering alcoholics, parents, and others who have ethical or religious reasons for avoiding alcohol.

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I hope it's not true for the desi- brown sugar (known as Shakkar in Pak) because I guess it *is *unrefined form of sugar.

I noticed this too btw, bought store packed brown sugar and once added it to water and forgot to stir for a while. There was a layer of brown color on top and the sugar turned white.

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Dang, is that for real? I always thought that its true.

Are you talking about guR kee Shakar?

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Re: Culinary Myths

yes that one, gur wali.

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Re: Culinary Myths

Gur kee Shakar is also called Kachchee Shakar (raw sugar) .. so yes you are right, its not the same as brown sugar.