33 Cooking Ideas That Some People Are Unaware Are Myths

If, at some point in your life, you’ve believed any of these cooking myths, then you’re not alone. It’s a very natural thing. People tend to believe information that they’re exposed to on a constant basis. To put it simply, the more often we hear something, the more likely we are to think that it’s true.

This is known as the illusory truth effect, and it’s how misinformation spreads. We can fall victim to the effects of repetition even if we’re highly educated and self-aware. This is because we’re exposed to so much information in our day-to-day lives that we need to simplify the way we make decisions. The more often we come across certain claims, the more familiar we become with them, meaning we’re more inclined to see them as valid.

Avoiding the illusory truth effect comes down to having the time and energy to dig a little deeper. That means doing research, even about claims that we think are completely true. It helps to have a more nuanced position.

The general rule of thumb is that if you keep hearing the same claims over and over again, you may want to be slightly skeptical about them. We’ve seen this sort of misinformation in the food industry before.

For example, last century, we saw lots of bad science and outright misinformation about all fats supposedly being bad for our health. As a result, many people started replacing the energy from fats with sugars. Fat-free foods are not automatically ‘healthier.’

Similarly, sugar isn’t somehow a purely evil supervillain, either. However, many people do eat too much sugar, which can lead to health problems down the line. We all need to avoid excess and embrace moderation in our diets. Too much of anything can be bad for us, whether that’s sugar, bad fats, or caffeine.