"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

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."

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

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

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

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

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."

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

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."

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."

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."

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."

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

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

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!"

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."

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."

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

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."

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

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."

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

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."

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)."

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."

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."

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