Things you do while cooking and aren't sure why.

[mockit]

I have this weird leaning slightly to the left when prepping, started it in my 2nd year of culinary school and have no idea why. Even 30 years on, I still do it, my wife thinks it hilarious

Got to watch out for this one! This is how people get new knees / hips lol.

 

[HolyDiverScallop]

I mean, tong clacking was ratified as an absolute pre-use requirement by the Council Of Rosle back in 1734.

The six-gun spinning of tongs is something I only do when grilling, for some reason. I'll stand there with a beer, spinning the tongs, contemplating everything and nothing.

 

[Taurahe]

Turn the heat

I used to do it, but now only if required - to break up the starch from boiling over.

 

[esoo]

Turn the heat

Doesn't always work.

 

[Taurahe]

Doesn't always work.

It does. No heat, no boil over.

 

[esoo]

It does. No heat, no boil over.

Well sure. I could just take it off the burner.

There is a heat point below which I feel that the texture of the pasta suffers. Wife simmers pasta sometimes and it's just weird.

 

[stringer]

It does. No heat, no boil over.

You have clearly never tried to boil pasta in a 50 gallon tilt braiser. Once it decides to boil there are no brakes. A little squirt bottle of oil to keep the foam down is indispensable. At home who cares.

 

[Jovidah]

I guess my weird habbits...
-I generally use alarm clocks counting up from 0 instead of counting down.
-I'm pedantic about using every last drop, shred and crumble of everything. 'Leave no flavor behind'...even when sometimes the juice really isn't worth the squeeze.
-Somehow I always manage to dirty far more pans and especially cooking utensils than I really should when making any given meal. It's so bad that at some point I seriously considered a second dishwasher even though I usually only cook for one or two...

 

[boomchakabowwow]

i wash and rewash my hands a million times.

 

[NickMinton]

I throw multiple rounds of veggie scraps into the backyard for wild deer.

They’re usually there after the first round gets thrown out.

Took my wife a minute to figure it out

 

[Jovidah]

i wash and rewash my hands a million times.

That's just a good habbit.

 

[daddy yo yo]

I throw multiple rounds of veggie scraps into the backyard for wild deer.

They’re usually there after the first round gets thrown out.

Took my wife a minute to figure it out

You should get yourself a crossbow…

 

[Delat]

I used to wonder why I would sauté onions and garlic before adding liquid for stuff like stews and curry. I mean, they're going to cook in the sauce anyway, right?

I finally saw a solid explanation - you get much higher heat in oil vs water, as water is limited by the boiling point of your altitude. So the sautéing breaks down the internal structure more effectively to release more flavor. Although these days I tend to prefer to brown them for more flavor, sometimes I do like a slightly crunchy onion in the dish.

 

[SwampDonkey]

I have an infinite supply of nitrile gloves from work, so I always keep a few boxes at home and use them whenever I'm breaking down or trimming raw proteins. Faster and easier than washing my hands a dozen times between touching all my knives and seasonings etc. Now I feel naked when I'm cooking in another kitchen without my gloves.

I also add a pat of butter to every rice dish. Learned it as a kid from a Persian grocery store/lunch counter and that's just "how you make rice" in my brain.

Lastly I will use an oyster knife to pop a beer bottle, even though the bottle opener sits right next to it in the drawer. Somehow easier to me.

 

[M1k3]

I have an infinite supply of nitrile gloves from work, so I always keep a few boxes at home and use them whenever I'm breaking down or trimming raw proteins. Faster and easier than washing my hands a dozen times between touching all my knives and seasonings etc. Now I feel naked when I'm cooking in another kitchen without my gloves.

 

[NickMinton]

I have an infinite supply of nitrile gloves from work, so I always keep a few boxes at home and use them whenever I'm breaking down or trimming raw proteins. Faster and easier than washing my hands a dozen times between touching all my knives and seasonings etc. Now I feel naked when I'm cooking in another kitchen without my gloves.

I also add a pat of butter to every rice dish. Learned it as a kid from a Persian grocery store/lunch counter and that's just "how you make rice" in my brain.

Lastly I will use an oyster knife to pop a beer bottle, even though the bottle opener sits right next to it in the drawer. Somehow easier to me.

Same here in the gloves. Also comes in handy for infants and diaper changes

 

[HolyDiverScallop]

No lie, I keep nitrile gloves in the car so I can eat gas station chicken without getting my hands greasy.

 

[SwampDonkey]

No lie, I keep nitrile gloves in the car so I can eat gas station chicken without getting my hands greasy.

I do this all the time in the work truck. Nothing worse than a greasy steering wheel. Or if I forget to bring a fork/chopsticks in the field, I'll put them on and eat my salad like a caveman

 

[Michi]

I keep forgetting to put on an apron. Inevitably, by the time I remember, I already have some tomato spatters or some such on my shirt, or I’ve subconsciously wiped my hand on my t-shirt…

 

[DoYoon Kim]

I only wash rice three times, because was told I'll lose all the nutrients.

Also I have to touch / squeeze everything I eat. I skip smelling for some reason.

 

[Jovidah]

I keep forgetting to put on an apron. Inevitably, by the time I remember, I already have some tomato spatters or some such on my shirt, or I’ve subconsciously wiped my hand on my t-shirt…

I actually wear them more often in the summer when it's hot. In the colder months I forget and my clothes get dirty without me really noticing. In hotter months hot fat splatters on my bare chest and I'm reminded I should be wearing an apron...
I never wipe on my shirt. When working in the hospital I picked up the bad habbit of wiping on my pants instead...

 

[Michi]

I only wash rice three times, because was told I'll lose all the nutrients.

You were told wrong.

 

[esoo]

For much of my life, I added oil to pasta water, until I finally found out that this not such a great idea.

I just found out about this (unverified)

 

[Vertigo]

No lie, I keep nitrile gloves in the car so I can eat gas station chicken without getting my hands greasy.

I've perfected demolishing a 4 piece while driving in rush hour traffic. I don't flip people off, I throw gnawed drumsticks at their car.

 

[aporigine]

I always read stuff like that, someone told me it's a sign of being a pervert ;-)

I'll try it and will report back

Scrodium chloride

 

[Michi]

I just found out about this (unverified)

Interesting! If adding oil to the rim of the pan indeed works, that keeps the oil away from the pasta and stops things boiling over.

But I still think it's a solution in search of a problem. In decades of cooking pasta, I don't think it ever boiled over on me. Just use a deep enough pot.

 

[Uncle Danny]

…or spend to sec. more on the food you are going to eat and just adjust the temperature.

 

[Jovidah]

...or add some dishsoap to it... apart from breaking the surface tension (which should probably stop it from overflowing), in case it does overflow it'll just clean your stove! Win-win!

 

[stringer]

Interesting! If adding oil to the rim of the pan indeed works, that keeps the oil away from the pasta and stops things boiling over.

But I still think it's a problem in search of a solution. In decades of cooking pasta, I don't think it ever boiled over on me. Just use a deep enough pot.

It's only a problem in a really large pot. Like steam jacketed kettles and tilt braisers. And when 50 gallons of water starts to boil over you will wish you had added a few drops of oil to the pot.

 

[benito]

There is a constant dialectic of shame + utility, playing out as the cleanliness + order of my work station degrades

shout out to Buddha, OCD.