Much is made these days about using sea salt in recipes, as if it is automatically better than regular salt, which is mined. Sorry, but this is not true. Fact is, all salt is sea salt–but some ended up underground after ancient seas dried up and the salt deposits were buried by geological processes. In contrast, sea salt is made by letting sea water evaporate in shallow ponds. So when a recipe specifies sea salt, take it with a grain of salt (sorry, couldn’t resist!) and use whatever you have on hand.

This is not to say that all salt–mined or sea–is the same. In some locations, the salt has, for various reasons, been infused with tiny amounts of other minerals that can change its color and perhaps its taste. For example, Himalayan pink salt is mined in the Himalayas and contains, according to the manufacturer, 84 additional minerals that make it a delicate pink color. Likewise, Malden sea salt, from England, is supposed to be unusually pure and comes in large, irregular flakes that give it different mouth feel.

Some fresh (not frozen) scallops you see in the store are as white as snow. Others are more of a pale tan/ivory color. Many people mistakenly think the whiteness means better quality. Actually, it is the reverse.

The snow white scallops are called “wet scallops” because they are soaked in a solution of water and sodium tripolyphosphate. This helps to preserve them and also causes them to absorb more water–and to turn pure white. As a result, the same amount of scallops will weigh more after soaking than before, and bring in more money.

The “dry” scallops are not soaked and hence keep their natural tan/ivory color.

This notion has been around since 1922 and many parents will swear that it is true. However, numerous scientific studies have shown it to be false. The few studies that seemed to support this idea have been discredited as having methodological flaws and/or alternative explanations of the results. The evidence that sugar intake is not linked to hyperactivity is rather substantial.

How and why did this notion originate? Two possible contributing factors may be:

• Situations where kids are likely to consume excess sugar, such as birthday parties, vacations, and holidays, are also when children’s excitement runs high and rules may be relaxed.
• Parents who believe the sugar-hyperactivity link may see hyperactivity when it does not really exist.

Hyperactivity aside, there are still reasons to limit your child’s sugar intake, such as weight and diabetes.

The simple fact is that you cannot make things like bacon, corned beef, lox, and ham without curing. The confusion arises because the US Government defines curing as treatment with synthetic nitrates/nitrites to inhibit bacterial growth, and that’s all. So food without those things is legally called “uncured.” But for centuries, curing has traditionally meant rubbing meat with salt, spices, and maybe sugar, or exposing it to a brine, and letting it sit for a while before cooking, and that’s still what’s done. So, in the store, “uncured” means simply “no synthetic nitrates/nitrites.”

But to complicate things, note that I specify “synthetic” nitrates/nitrites. If naturally derived nitrates/nitrites (usually from celery) are used, the meat can still be called uncured. Of course, the synthetic and natural chemicals are exactly the same, so this is just silly, but what can you do.

And if you are worried that nitrates/nitrites are bad for health, please see Avoid cured meats because of nitrates/nitrites.

Oh no, not by a long shot. Real vanilla extract is made by soaking vanilla beans in an alcohol solution until the flavor comes out, and it is unavoidably brown. The clear stuff may be made from seeds of the tonka tree, and while it may smell and taste like real vanilla it is not. And, it can contain coumarin, a blood thinner that may be dangerous for some folks. Or perhaps the clear vanilla “extract” contains synthetic vanillin which is made from paper pulp and coal tar. Best to stay with real vanilla extract, expensive as it may be.

It seems to be a common belief that once frozen meat has been thawed, freezing it again is unsafe. This is false. There may be some loss of quality and texture, but the refrozen meat will be perfectly safe. This is of course assuming you always follow the usual precautions regarding meat while the meat is thawed.

Nope, it’s just marketing. The small, torpedo-shaped carrots you see labeled as baby carrots are actually mature carrots that had some physical deformity, such as being crooked , and therefore could not be sold whole. Some marketing genius realized that these carrots could be mechanically trimmed down and the bad or ugly parts removed, with the remaining good part labeled “baby.” Now there’s nothing at all wrong with these carrots, except perhaps the inflated price–I use them all the time. Just be aware that you are not actually getting baby carrots.

In many markets you will find bags of “Carolina” rice. Don’t be fooled into thinking this is “Carolina Gold” rice. History, or perhaps legend, tells us that Carolina Gold rice came to South Carolina in 1685 when a ship traveling from Madagascar stopped in Charleston and paid for repairs with a bag of rice seeds. These seeds were the foundation of South Carolina’s 200 year history as the leading rice producer in the US. This rice’s taste and texture set it apart from other rice and it was in great demand. For various reasons, cultivation died out around the end of the 19th century. Today, a few specialty growers keep it going and sell to the public (yes, it is expensive!).

“Carolina” rice, on the other hand, is nothing more than a trademarked brand name. The rice is not the same strain as Carolina Gold and it can be grown anywhere – Texas, Arkansas, etc. It is perfectly fine rice but is not Carolina Gold and does not have the special taste and texture.

They are, to tell the truth, quite similar. But not the same. In most cases it does not make any practical difference. Navy beans are smaller yet take longer to cook than great northern beans. They feature in famous recipes such as Boston baked beans and Senate bean soup. But great northern beans taste pretty much the same. So don’t worry about which kind you have as long as you are aware of the cooking time difference.