True Or False: Take Our Food Myth Quiz
Posted March 11, 2009 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Searing a steak seals in its juices.
Baking soda absorbs odours in your fridge.
And decaffeinated coffee still has caffeine in it.
Which of those statements is true? When it comes to separating food facts from food fiction, it’s not always easy to tell. You’ve probably heard a lot of other “old wives’ tales” in your kitchen sojourns. Are fresh vegetables more nutritious than the frozen kind? And do you really have to drink eight glasses of water a day?
Is there any validity to any of them? Here’s a look at some of the facts behind the age old questions from Chatelaine Magazine Associate Food Editor Victoria Walsh. If nothing else, they should be food for thought.
1) True or False: Lemon juice removes garlic odour off your fingers.
TRUE: But it’s not always the best option, especially if you have any little cuts. I usually rub my fingers against something stainless steel. It neutralizes the odour. Rub your fingers against your sink or against a stainless steel spoon.
2) True or False: A potato can make a soup less salty.
TRUE AND FALSE: Potatoes are not super absorbent. Adding one whole probably won’t make much of a difference. But adding more ingredients will help, even chopping up the potato and adding it – or any other vegetable for that matter – will dilute the soup, making it less salty.
3) True or False: Yogurt can quell a fiery curry.
TRUE: Most of the heat that occurs in a curry comes from chilies that are oil based. So a tall glass of water won’t break down the heat; it’ll just spread it around. It’s best to eat or drink something that has a bit of fat, like yogurt or milk. This will help dissipate the burning sensation.
4) True or False: You can make a substitute for buttermilk when you’re in a bind.
TRUE: Just add a teaspoon of lemon juice or white vinegar for each cup of milk you need. Let it stand for 5 or 10 minutes. The liquid amount stays about the same and the tangy flavour in buttermilk is still represented with this combo.
5) True or False: Baking soda absorbs odours in your fridge.
TRUE AND FALSE: Baking soda is not super absorbent. But it’s better than nothing so I suggest loading up on it since it’s so inexpensive.
6) True or False: Searing a steak seals in its juices.
FALSE: The moment your steak hits a hot pan the muscle fibres start to contract. This causes some of the natural juices to come out. We’ve all seen it happen when we add a steak to a pan. The real reason for searing meat is for flavour. When meat is cooked, its sugars and protein brown outside. This is important not for sealing in juices but because it creates a great flavour.
7) True or False: Decaf coffee has caffeine in it.
TRUE: It has a very small percentage – about 1-3 per cent. You won’t be likely to feel any effect unless you drink quite a few cups in a day.
8) True or False: All of the alcohol in wine, beer or a liqueur burns off when you cook or bake something with it.
FALSE: Alcohol does burn or bake away when it’s added to a dish or dessert but not all of it. The percentage depends on how long it’s cooked for. Up to 50 per cent of the alcohol can still remain.
What about those eight glasses of water a day or the frozen vs. fresh vegetable conundrum? To find the answers to those questions and more, use the links below.
The 8 food myths you always believed
