We've all heard of urban legends, those plausible sounding but false stories that circulate so widely on email and social media, such as the old lady who microwaved her cat or the Nieman-Marcus $250 cookie recipe. There are several web sites, such as Snopes, devoted to researching and exposing these fake stories (and verifying those that are true). The same sort of thing happens in the world of food and cooking–and this blog is my answer.
So, who am I and why do I write this blog. I am a retired medical school professor with a life-long interest in food and cooking. I would hear well-known chefs say things that just did not make sense to me based on my background in science. The same was true for writers and "influencers" making claims about health, nutrition, ingredients, techniques—claims that I did not believe. Because my own opinions are not enough, I started to research things, seeking out evidence from reputable science- and evidence-based sources. And it turns out that a lot of the accepted wisdom about food and cooking was just plain wrong.
How do I know these are myths? Why should you believe me over someone who says that something I call a myth is in fact true—particularly if that person is your Mom or a famous TV chef? I can’t answer that question for you, but I can say that all of the information on this page has been carefully researched. I do not claim that something is true or false just because I heard it somewhere or because it seems to “make sense.” I require that something be backed by a credible source and that it be in accord with accepted scientific knowledge. In most cases this is also in accord with my personal experience (although my personal experience is not, by itself, enough). I certainly do not claim to be infallible but I make a real effort to present accurate, verifiable information. Believe me, I have had several of my own long-held cooking beliefs demolished by this research!
To contact me leave a comment below. I cannot promise a response but I read all comments (honest!).