# Cooking rules/advice you regularly disregard **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 10, 2008, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-rules-advice-you-regularly-disregard/436975 "2008-02-10T00:20:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2008, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-rules-advice-you-regularly-disregard/436975/61 "2008-02-12T00:13:16Z")
[QUOTE=jtgain] He is descendent from Italian immigrants and his grandfather originally settled in Chicago. He always says that his dogs come with “mustard, chili, and onions; I can add extra or leave some off.” [/QUOTE] OK, if he’s putting chili on his hot dog, he shouldn’t be saying anything about ketchup. Not that I have anything against chili on a hot dog, but if you’re going to be a purist about hot dogs and exclude ketchup from the list of acceptable condiments, chili’s got to go, too. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2008, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-rules-advice-you-regularly-disregard/436975/62 "2008-02-12T00:19:20Z")
[QUOTE=pulykamell] OK, if he’s putting chili on his hot dog, he shouldn’t be saying anything about ketchup. Not that I have anything against chili on a hot dog, but if you’re going to be a purist about hot dogs and exclude ketchup from the list of acceptable condiments, chili’s got to go, too. [/QUOTE] If you put chili on a hot dog, it becomes a chili dog. Which is a perfectly acceptable item of cuisine. There is no such thing as a “ketchup dog.” ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2008, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-rules-advice-you-regularly-disregard/436975/63 "2008-02-12T00:29:44Z")
[QUOTE=Thudlow Boink] If you put chili on a hot dog, it becomes a chili dog. Which is a perfectly acceptable item of cuisine. [/QUOTE] Well, it’s as acceptable as putting ketchup on a hot dog. You won’t see me eating either. (Well, you’ll _rarely_ see me eating either. It’s become a disturbing trend here in Chicago to find some hot dog stands interpret “everything on it” to include ketchup. I’ll eat these ketchup-tainted dogs, but I will not return to that hot dog stand. And when I’m in the Detroit area, I’ll have a Coney Dog, because that’s what they do in Detroit.) ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2008, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-rules-advice-you-regularly-disregard/436975/64 "2008-02-12T00:46:57Z")
Okay, I’m familiar with the chili debates, but this not putting ketchup on hot dogs is new to me. I thought Americans loved to squirt ketchup all over whatever they could, with hot dogs, hamburgers and French fries being the biggies. Who decided you weren’t supposed to? What are you allowed to put on a hot dog? Personally I don’t like ketchup so you won’t catch me doing it. But mustard, cheese, onions or maybe even sour kraut (I just pretend it’s a brat) are all fair game. ---
**Author:** ![flickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7bcc69/32.png) [@flickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flickster)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2008, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-rules-advice-you-regularly-disregard/436975/65 "2008-02-12T01:00:36Z")
I use ketchup occasionally as a recipe ingredient ( meatloaf, etc) but otherwise you would never find it in my house. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2008, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-rules-advice-you-regularly-disregard/436975/66 "2008-02-12T01:04:45Z")
[QUOTE=levdrakon] Okay, I’m familiar with the chili debates, but this not putting ketchup on hot dogs is new to me. I thought Americans loved to squirt ketchup all over whatever they could, with hot dogs, hamburgers and French fries being the biggies. Who decided you weren’t supposed to? [/QUOTE] [Why is there no ketchup on a properly made hot dog?](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_095.html) ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2008, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-rules-advice-you-regularly-disregard/436975/67 "2008-02-12T01:06:35Z")
[QUOTE=levdrakon] Okay, I’m familiar with the chili debates, but this not putting ketchup on hot dogs is new to me. [/QUOTE] Nothing new, but I suppose it depends where you live as to whether it’s a big deal or not. Here, in Chicago, it’s generally considered a culinary sin to put ketchup on the hot dog, but I don’t think most of us take it _that_ seriously–it’s just tradition, and every city needs a few to add to color of the place. [But even Dirty Harry hates people putting ketchup on their hot dogs.](http://youtube.com/watch?v=F5JIpT4GkyM) ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2008, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-rules-advice-you-regularly-disregard/436975/68 "2008-02-12T01:07:47Z")
Thudlow is right. Chili makes it a chili dog, which even my crazy friend agrees with. Ketchup? No way. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2008, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-rules-advice-you-regularly-disregard/436975/69 "2008-02-12T01:38:33Z")
[QUOTE=Barbarian] The house I’m buying comes with the bad boy on the [top right](http://www.royalranges.com/). The version with 4 burners and the raised griddle. Oh boy. [/QUOTE] :eek: A stove on steroids! ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2008, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-rules-advice-you-regularly-disregard/436975/70 "2008-02-12T06:40:50Z")
**levdrakon** , a proper Chicago-style hot dog has relish, onions, mustard, a pickle spear, tomato, celery salt and sport peppers. Putting ketchup on top of that delicious creation is like spitting in the hot dog guy’s face. I would no sooner ask him for ketchup than for a night with his mother. If you’re not doing the “Full Chicago”, though–that is, it’s just ketchup, or maybe just ketchup and relish–I don’t see the big deal. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2008, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-rules-advice-you-regularly-disregard/436975/71 "2008-02-12T14:54:04Z")
Down here in the South sometimes we make “slaw dogs”, which have cole slaw on them. It’s tasty. (I believe it makes people from other parts of the country gag.) ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2008, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-rules-advice-you-regularly-disregard/436975/72 "2008-02-12T16:46:29Z")
Instant mashed potatoes are authentic. [The Incas used to freeze-dry potatoes](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inca_cuisine#Food_preparation). Regular mashed potatoes take a lot longer than instant, and require more than one pot and one spoon, so they are less suitable for weeknight cooking. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2008, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-rules-advice-you-regularly-disregard/436975/73 "2008-02-12T16:53:45Z")
[QUOTE=Hostile Dialect] **levdrakon** , a proper Chicago-style hot dog has relish, onions, mustard, a pickle spear, tomato, celery salt and sport peppers. Putting ketchup on top of that delicious creation is like spitting in the hot dog guy’s face. I would no sooner ask him for ketchup than for a night with his mother. If you’re not doing the “Full Chicago”, though–that is, it’s just ketchup, or maybe just ketchup and relish–I don’t see the big deal. [/QUOTE] Most hot dog stands in Chicago – at least from my experience – don’t do a “full Chicago.” That’s more of a Vienna beef marketing thing, although variations on the “dragged through the garden” dog are common. I would say the average Chicago hot dog stand hot dog just comes with three ingredients: onions, mustard, relish. Sport peppers you have to ask for. Same with celery salt, if they’ve got it. And you’re pretty lucky if you find a stand with a poppy seed bun (which is also considered part of the “Chicago hot dog.”) Whether you eat your hot dog “full Chicago” or with the abbreviated list of ingredients I offered, or another way, ketchup is not an acceptable ingredient in the city. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2008, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-rules-advice-you-regularly-disregard/436975/74 "2008-02-12T17:01:07Z")
Not to further the hot dog hijack, but I will sometimes put a little ketchup in the chili (I tend toward Ruth’s, which isn’t really my favorite, but is readily available at just about all grocery stores around here plus comes in a re-sealable container). I also put in a little mustard. Then the dog gets dressed with two lines of mustard, chili, and slaw (also usually Ruth’s). I find this combination to be pretty common at the restaurants I’ve been to in the Carolinas, usually described as “all the way.” ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2008, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-rules-advice-you-regularly-disregard/436975/75 "2008-02-12T17:05:50Z")
Like Diogenes, I also thaw on the counter, and have been known to taste before cooking to check the marinade. I also eat very rare hamburgers and steaks. One thing I HATE is that I can’t really get served good, rare, burgers at restaurants anymore. I don’t really measure stuff - except for when I’m making something boxed (like potatoes - and don’t go all prissy on me - sometimes I just want some damn Au Gratin potatoes and don’t have the time to do 'em from scratch) or baking. Unless I’m making cookies or a cake or something along those lines, I don’t preheat. It angers my husband - it makes him think we’re subsidizing Nicor or something. I’ve TRIED to explain it to him - he won’t listen. ---
**Author:** ![BlueKangaroo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3d9bf3/32.png) [@BlueKangaroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlueKangaroo)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2008, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-rules-advice-you-regularly-disregard/436975/76 "2008-02-12T17:32:09Z")
[QUOTE=Missy2U] Unless I’m making cookies or a cake or something along those lines, I don’t preheat. It angers my husband - it makes him think we’re subsidizing Nicor or something. I’ve TRIED to explain it to him - he won’t listen. [/QUOTE] Well, will you explain the logic to me, please? I don’t use the oven much for anything other than making cookies, cake, quick breads or what have you, but why not preheat for other items? And, just to keep the tabulations going, I didn’t know it wasn’t okay to wash mushrooms under running water either. I’ve always done that too. So I’m up to three things I don’t do. It makes me look like a person who’s confident in the kitchen, I suppose, but I’m really just unaware of all these rules. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2008, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-rules-advice-you-regularly-disregard/436975/77 "2008-02-12T17:39:26Z")
[QUOTE=Hostile Dialect] **levdrakon** , a proper Chicago-style hot dog has relish, onions, mustard, a pickle spear, tomato, celery salt and sport peppers. Putting ketchup on top of that delicious creation is like spitting in the hot dog guy’s face. I would no sooner ask him for ketchup than for a night with his mother. If you’re not doing the “Full Chicago”, though–that is, it’s just ketchup, or maybe just ketchup and relish–I don’t see the big deal. [/QUOTE] Relish? Ugh. Sweet pickle relish has got be just about my least favorite flavor in the world. Wanna see me go Dirty Harry? Try putting relish on my anything. 🙂 Everything else sounds okay though, except I’m having difficulty figuring out how a person would cram all that onto a hot dog. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2008, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-rules-advice-you-regularly-disregard/436975/78 "2008-02-12T17:44:52Z")
[QUOTE=Anne Neville] Instant mashed potatoes are authentic. [The Incas used to freeze-dry potatoes](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inca_cuisine#Food_preparation). Regular mashed potatoes take a lot longer than instant, and require more than one pot and one spoon, so they are less suitable for weeknight cooking. [/QUOTE] Regular mashed need only one pot. I will admit that there are more utensils used, and it does take longer. However, I can add more flavor to homemade mashed. I just don’t make mashed on weeknights. Instant were good when I was in college and newly out of college - same for mac and cheese. Not anymore, not in my house. ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2008, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-rules-advice-you-regularly-disregard/436975/79 "2008-02-12T18:14:14Z")
[QUOTE=BlueKangaroo] Well, will you explain the logic to me, please? I don’t use the oven much for anything other than making cookies, cake, quick breads or what have you, but why not preheat for other items? [/QUOTE] I don’t care either way personally, it’s a Missy’s husband-thing - he thinks that if I turn the oven on to preheat, it’s sitting there for 10 or 15 minutes with nothing in it and therefore **wasting gas!!!111one!!** I’ve TRIED to explain to him that if I do it HIS way and put the food in when the oven is first turned on, it just takes an additional 10 or 15 minutes to cook, using the same damn amount of gas. This is why I only bake once he’s gone to bed at night. It’s SO much easier. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2008, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-rules-advice-you-regularly-disregard/436975/80 "2008-02-12T18:23:55Z")
Well, for stuff like baking or making a pizza, preheating makes a HUGE difference with crust formation. If I bake a homemade pizza, I put the oven at the highest setting and preheat the pizza stone for 30 minutes, otherwise, the crust is not as light and crispy as I want it to be. When baking bread, you need the oven preheated for the same reason–the bread will not cook right and the crust will not form right if you stick it in a cold oven. Now, stuff like stews and the such, it really doesn’t matter, since you’re slow-cooking that stuff anyway. But for almost all bakery items I could think of, you need to put them into a hot oven to bake correctly. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-rules-advice-you-regularly-disregard/436975.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-rules-advice-you-regularly-disregard/436975.md?page=5)