"I Know It's An Italian Sin, But It's How I Like My Pasta": People Are Fessing Up To The Food "Crimes" They're Knowingly Guilty Of

"I Know It's An Italian Sin, But It's How I Like My Pasta": People Are Fessing Up To The Food "Crimes" They're Knowingly Guilty Of

BuzzFeed01/25/2023

"I never brown my meat before making beef stew or recipes calling for ground beef. I use an Instant Pot and it does not make any difference in taste. And yes, I've tried it both ways."

When it comes to cooking, like in most things in life, there are certain "rules" that should, in theory, be followed. And like most things in life, plenty of those rules are often broken or disregarded. So Redditor u/timecoyote asked, "What's a cooking sin you won't even try to defend, yet you do it anyway?" Lots of home cooks chimed in, and here's what they said.

1. "I haven’t replaced several of the spices in my spice rack for years (seriously, who uses that much dill?). I’m sure they’re slightly less pungent now than they were when I first bought them, but it’s far too expensive to replace them regularly."

2. "I cut my onions unevenly on purpose because I like the taste of the mixture of darkly-browned ones, onions that have been sautéed until golden, and those that are barely sweated all together in the same dish."

Onions sautéing in a skillet.

3. "I only stir the risotto occasionally, not frequently — and definitely not constantly.

Making asparagus risotto.

4. "Unless I'm really trying to impress someone, I just use minced garlic from the jar."

Minced garlic in a bowl.

5. "If I'm feeling impatient — which is often — I will grossly overcrowd the pan, knowingly preventing any respectable browning from happening."

Cooking chicken stir-fry in skillet.

6. "I've used mayonnaise to make pasta dough because I ran out of eggs. In retrospect, it came out really great."

Homemade pasta noodles.

7. "I never make my own stock or broth. I just buy Better than Boullion, dashi, or kombu packets. It always comes out just as tasty."

Making a pot of chicken soup.

8. "I never measure seasonings. Half a teaspoon? How about two or three shakes? Or maybe more if I feel like it."

Adding spice mixture to salmon fillets.

9. "I don't use fresh tomatoes even if a recipe calls for it. I exclusively use canned. I simply cannot be bothered to deal with the mess that comes from chopping up fresh tomatoes."

Preparing fresh tomato sauce.

10. "I don’t mix together all the dry ingredients and wet ingredients in separate bowls when baking. I just throw everything together and mix it with an electric hand mixer."

A bowl of ingredients for baking.

11. "I buy pre-shredded cheese for almost every dish. For everyday burritos, eggs, tacos, etc. Just pass the bag of shreds. I guess cleaning the box grater isn't difficult, but I'm lazy."

Making a quesadilla with shredded cheese and veggies.

12. "Most of the time I don't preheat the oven. I just stick my food in there while it's cold and add ten minutes or so to the cooking time."

Fresh vegetables in oven.

13. "I thaw frozen chicken breast on the counter. No one in my house has gotten sick yet, so it works for me."

Chicken breast with string beans.

14. "I purposely over cook my eggs because I like them crispy and hard yolk is delicious to me."

Scrambled eggs in a frying pan with spatula.

15. "I make gnocchi using instant mashed potatoes. While I love rolling out individual gnocchi, I hate prepping potatoes. This method takes half the time and tastes great for a weeknight meal!"

Raw potato gnocchi.

16. "I use a cornstarch slurry instead of making a roux to thicken my food. It turns out smooth every time and takes minimal effort."

Chicken in mushroom sauce.

17. "I overcook pasta. Yes, al dente lovers, I know this is an Italian sin. But I prefer my pasta when it's super soft."

Cooking penne pasta.

18. "I prefer Miracle Whip over mayonnaise on my sandwiches. I grew up eating this stuff, so blame my upbringing."

Sandwich with mayonnaise.

19. "I use the hell out of the tubes of basil, garlic, or ginger paste that are sold in the produce fridge at my local grocery store (big fan of the Gourmet Garden brand). I only use the real deal when I'm really taking my time."

Shrimp curry in a bowl.

20. "I always buy canned spaghetti sauce and doctor it up with meat, veggies, and whatever I have. I never make sauce from scratch."

Spaghetti and meat sauce.

21. "If the recipe calls for a certain type of onion, I will not go out of my way to buy it. I always use whatever color onion I already have."

Frying onion on a pan with olive oil.

22. "I use Parmesan on all pasta dishes, including those containing fish. Where there is pasta, there belongs Parmesan cheese."

Penne with shrimp, broccoli, and cheese.

23. "I never brown my meat before making beef stew or recipes calling for ground beef. I use an Instant Pot and it does not make any difference in taste. And yes, I've tried it both ways."

Beef stew with potatoes, carrots and spices.

24. "I break spaghetti in half before putting it in the pot of boiling water. Then I cut it up even more on my plate before eating it."

Spaghetti wrapped around a fork.

25. "Kraft singles are the only type of cheese one should use for grilled cheese sandwiches (and of course, it should all be dunked in the required tomato soup on the side)."

Homemade grilled cheese sandwich.

26. "I buy pre-made pie crusts. I love cooking almost everything with well-sourced ingredients from scratch, but I cannot be forced to make a crust for a quiches or pies."

Pouring cream into a quiche.

27. "I use garlic in my carbonara. I don't care what traditional Italian chefs say — because it makes the dish taste so much better."

Spaghetti with carbonara sauce

What's a cooking "rule" you blatantly disregard in the kitchen? Tell us in the comments.