Cooking is an art, and to master it, there are all sorts of helpful tricks and tips that are passed down from one cook to the next.

Of course, the intention means well, but unfortunately, not all of this wisdom is always true. In most cases, they are sort of an urban legend that we all believe, and they sound really convincing. It’s time to separate fact from fiction and discover a whole new side to cooking.

5 Cooking Myths You’ve Probably Heard

1. Cooking burns off alcohol

While we have all been told that the heat cooks off the alcohol and leaves behind the liquid’s flavour, this isn’t the case. While the heat does lower the alcohol’s strength, it won’t just cook away. Of course, if you were to heat it for long enough the alcohol would eventually cook away.

2. Vinegar makes hard-boiled eggs easier to peel

We are often told that adding vinegar to the water when boiling eggs will make it easier to peel the shell off. The truth is, the water temperature will affect this. IF you place the eggs in boiling water from the get-go, it will be easier to peel.

3. Salt water boils quicker

While salt does raise the boiling point of water, it won’t boil any faster. The purpose of the salt used should be to season your food.

4. Rinse pasta to stop it from cooking

An ice bath can stop vegetables and eggs from cooking, but it doesn’t really work for pasta. Rinsing pasta damages the starchy coating that the sauce usually sticks to, so stop doing that.

5. Vegetables lose nutrients while cooking

Many people believe that veggies are best eaten raw as heating them breaks down the vitamins and minerals. In most cases, cooking doesn’t affect the nutrient content and makes the food easier to digest. Of course, if you boil water-soluble vitamins, it can reduce their nutritional content but not significantly.

6. Lard, or fat, is unhealthy

Many people are put off by the idea of consuming pig fat or “pork butter”. The truth is, it contains less cholesterol and saturated fat when compared to butter. It also contains no trans-fat. It’s also great for baking and makes the best tortillas and pie crust that you can enjoy eating while you play the Roulette Australia offers.

7. Sear meat to seal in juices

The opposite is true, by searing the meat you lose moisture, making the meat less juicy. Searing does, however, give the meat texture and creates a delicious crust. The only way to truly “seal” in the juices is to let your meat rest before cutting it.

8. Tenderise meat with marinade

This depends on the marinade that you’re using. If it has acidic ingredients, it will denature the proteins. Unfortunately, most marinades are unable to penetrate the surface of the meat. The marinade should be used to flavour your meat and keep it moist.

So, how many of these myths have guided your cooking style? The odds are that, like us, you have been following one of these well-intended rules down to a T. Now that you know the truth, it’s time to up your cooking game.