How high will you score in this kitchen trivia? Answer these questions to find out the truth behind these kitchen myths!
Rinsing cooked pasta with water is essential
Rinsing cooked pasta under water actually removes the starch that helps to hold and absorb the thick and lucious sauce. Not only are you washing away the clinginess, the flavour of the pasta is also removed. Rinsing is acceptable if you're making a pasta salad, but should never be used when pairing with sauces.
Sharp knives are more likely to cut you
The only thing a dull knife will cut is your thumb. A dull knife is actually more dangerous than a sharper one. Sharp knives require less force to use, which means you're less likely to slip and lose control of the knife.
Tomatoes contain MSG
Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is the sodium salt of glutamic acid, a building block of all proteins. That's why you can find it occurring naturally in many foods such as seaweed, milk, mushrooms, meat, and many vegetables such as tomatoes.
Eating durian and drinking alcohol at the same time could possibly kill you
While there has been no scientific evidence that consuming durian and alcohol would be fatal, TCM beliefs state that combining these two items with warming properties might lead to an uncomfortable episode of heartburn and bloatedness. Still, we don't recommend that you try it.
Microwaving food strips it of its nutrients
Any type of cooking method can destroy vitamins and nutrients in food. The best cooking method for retaining nutrients is one that cooks quickly, while exposing food to heat in the smallest amount of time and liquid. Microwaving food is actually one of the best way to ensure that all the vitamins and minerals remain intact, as they require less heat and cooking time as compared to conventional methods.
Consuming MSG makes your hair fall out
While various factors such as genetics, ageing and stress can contribute to hair loss, there has been no scientific evidence to prove that MSG causes hair to drop. The components of MSG are glutamate, sodium and water – ingredients which occur naturally in many food such as cheese, mushrooms and tomatoes. MSG has also been safely used for more than a hundred years to balance the taste in soups, seasonings and other savoury food.
Eating carrots improves your vision
Carrots contain beta-Carotene, which is used by the body to produce vitamin A. Deficiencies in vitamin A is one of the leading causes of blindness in the developing world. Luckily, most Singaporeans obtain sufficient vitamin A from their diets to avoid this problem. However, unless you're deficient in Vitamin A, it's unlikely that munching on carrots will make your vision better. Once your body have enough beta-carotene in the body, it will no longer convert the substance to vitamin A to prevent accumulation of toxic levels of the substance. In fact, if a person eats too many carrots, his or her skin may turn a little orange.
Replacing salt with MSG reduces the sodium content in food
MSG contains about one-third of sodium found in table salt. A small pinch of MSG goes a long way in enhancing flavours, as it gives off a savoury umami taste that provides an added dimension to recipes. While sodium is essential for our body, too much can cause it to build up in the blood, resulting in increased blood pressure and other health risks.
As long as I pick up my food from the ground before three seconds, it is safe to eat
Ahh, the famous three-second rule. While it seems natural to pick up a piece of dropped food from the flour and give it a quick blow, it takes only a small fraction of a second for bacteria to contaminate your food.
Brown sugar is healthier than white sugar
While brown rice is better than white rice, and whole wheat bread is better than white bread, this is untrue for sugar. Brown sugar is actually refined white sugar with that has been added with molasses. While they contain slightly more minerals than white sugar thanks to the molasses, there are no real health benefit to using brown sugar. The only difference between these two types of sugar are its taste.
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Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is simply made of water, sodium and glutamate. Commonly found in many foods such as seaweed, cheese, mushrooms, and meat, glutamate is a natural ingredient that’s safe to eat.
Knorr Chicken Stock Cubes are made from real ingredients and are lower in sodium. In fact, the cubes are made from the stock of a four-hours-long-long boiled chicken. Gone are the days where you have to prepare labour intensive stocks – just pop a cube in and you’re ready to go!
This post is brought to you by Knorr.
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