"old wives tales" news and stories

Most of us will say them out loud, but don't really know where they came from, or if they are even true: "The fridge smells? Let's stick a box of baking soda in there!" or "Too bad that cooking wine or liquor will cook away the alcohol."

The Kitchen Myths page has a number of these old wives' tales, and explains why many of them are false, pointing to references like On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee and the USDA databases. Some of the myths that are exposed:

• Does searing meat really sear in the juices?
• Do lobsters scream when you drop them into boiling water?
• Are gas stoves better than electric stoves?
• Can you really not fry in olive oil?
• Will keeping the avocado pit in the guacamole keep it from turning brown?

One of the most popular and long-lived old wives' tales is known as the "5-second rule". The "rule" stipulates that food that has fallen on the floor is still safe to eat if you pick it up within five seconds of it hitting the ground. It has been around for many, many years, propagating itself on school playgrounds across the country and possibly even the world. Variations exist, shortening the rule to 3 seconds or expanding it to 10, but the basic theory remains. Unfortunately, it isn't true, as the Sacramento Bee's Lisa Heyamoto found out.

While some people, from 3 to 93, will continue to believe in the truth of this tale, the reality is that most surfaces are covered with germs and bacteria and floors are no exception. Drier foods, like cookies or a bagel, are less likely to pick up unsavory particles than wetter foods, like meat and cheese. Of course, we are all coming into contact with bacteria every day, whether we're cleaning our counter with a kitchen sponge (bacteria breeding ground) or giving our pets a pat. There is very little that can be done to avoid all contact. Ms. Heyamoto reminds us not to believe that we're "safe" when we follow the rule, but that your comfort level with what your food comes into contact with is subjective. The kitchen floor? Sure. The sidewalk outside your office? Perhaps not.

You can't go wrong following the other food rule: "When in doubt, throw it out!"

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