We tend to hold dearly onto every little tipple of cooking wisdom that came out of our mother’s and grandmother’s kitchen—whether it’s how to perfectly fry up chicken, crimp a pie crust, or make a tomato sandwich. These lessons often come from decades of experience, so who are we to question? However, even the mighty must fall every now and then.

While nothing could ever get in the way of making our family recipes just how it says on the passed-down recipe card, there is always room for a little tweaking when it comes to certain “wrong” or “outdated” cooking rules.

Here are 11 things our Southern mothers taught us about cooking that might actually be wrong—just don’t tell her that.

Not-Quite-Correct Cooking Tips

Adding Oil to Boiling Water for Pasta

What initially was touted as a way to keep noodles from sticking to each other when boiling is actually false and unnecessary. There’s no need to add oil to pasta water. In fact, it could cause noodles to be slick and the sauce not to adhere to them later. Just focus on having a large enough pot of water and stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

Never Using Soap on Cast Iron Skillets

Cooks for generations didn’t use soap on cast iron pans because the soaps were made with lye and vinegar, two ingredients that will absolutely strip the seasoning and can even damage the pan’s iron. However, that is generally no longer a concern. As needed, you can use a small amount of dish soap and a little bit of water, and either pop it on the stovetop or in the oven to make sure the skillet dries completely.

Not Washing Rice Before Cooking

We’d be hard-pressed to find many old-school Southern cooks who wanted to spend the time rinsing rice before cooking. In actuality, washing rice removes excess starch, dust, and debris to ultimately help the grains to be more separated and fluffy, rather than sticky. By washing white rice, the excess starch is washed off, as well as any oxidized rice bran oil coating the outside, which can add an unpleasant flavor to the cooked rice.

Using Margarine and Butter Interchangeably

We all know the familiar spread that constantly lived in grandma’s fridge. While butter and margarine, or oleo, have similar flavors and uses, they have different ingredients, which means they cannot be used as interchangeably as perhaps some cooks used to. The flavor could be affected, but particularly when making baked goods and desserts, margarine can affect the texture due to an excess of moisture and difference in ingredients. 

Twisting the Biscuit Cutter When Using

If you’re using a proper biscuit cutter, you’re already paying homage to the Southern cooks who came before you. Odds are, you might copy however your mother and grandmother did it at home. But make sure not to twist the cutter when it’s cutting the dough, because it actually seals off the sides and can affect the rise of your biscuits. Cut down, lift, and move on—no twisting!

Food Safety Fiascos

Leaving Leftovers Out on the Counter All Day For Snacking

It is a common occurrence in a Southern household for leftovers to be left out for snacking all day long, even if it was the bacon or sausage from breakfast. While we can respect the snack-friendly thinking, it can be very unsafe to consume meat or dairy products left out for more than two hours at room temperature—or worse, in the Southern heat!

Washing Chicken Before Cooking (Or Any Meat)

Some like to assert that you should rinse off chicken in the sink before cooking, but that does not accomplish anything but potentially spreading bacteria all over your sink. The same goes with any type of raw meat. Heating meat to a safe temperature is the best way to get rid of bacteria!   

Thawing Meat on the Counter or Under Hot Water

As much as we are all most likely guilty of thawing meat either right on the countertop or—gasp!—quickly under hot water, the only true safe way to thaw meat is slowly in the refrigerator. It brings down the temperature of frozen meat in a safe way without going too far in the other direction. It takes a bit longer, which is perhaps why your Southern grandma didn’t prefer it, but better safe than sorry!

Food Storage No-Nos

Storing Tomatoes In the Fridge

While there are many ways to store tomatoes that people prefer for different reasons, storing tomatoes in the fridge can lead to a mealy texture and taste that certainly does not make the most of your tomatoes. Instead, store at room temperature for best taste and results. The fridge might help tomatoes last longer—and cherry tomatoes tend to handle it better than most types—but it isn’t worth spoiling their natural deliciousness. 

Not Refrigerating Your Bacon Grease

Although many of us grew up with relatives who stored their bacon grease in a jar or can set on the counter or on the back of the stovetop, food safety experts don’t recommend storing it that way now. Instead, store bacon grease in the refrigerator, and it will stay good for up to three months.

Keeping Desserts with Cream Cheese Frosting on the Counter

There was once an era when anything belonged on grandma’s counter, from leftover sweet tea to desserts containing dairy to last night’s pepperoni pizza. Now, we’ve learned that it isn’t necessarily correct to eat just anything that’s been left on the countertop all day or night. The most sneaky category? Desserts covered in delicious cream cheese frosting—or something similarly dairy-filled.