6 Baking Myths You Need to Stop Believing

We’ve all been there: cracking open an egg, only to watch in horror as the sharp shell edge pierces the golden yolk. But the real trouble begins when a tiny amount of fat contaminates the pristine egg whites you’ve collected. Is it ruined? You’ve been told that any trace of fat will completely ruin your chances of achieving stiff peaks, so you’ve probably washed every utensil three times over. But don’t throw those egg whites away just yet.

The truth is, egg whites with a small amount of fat can still whip into soft, medium, and even stiff peaks. The larger your batch of egg whites, the more forgiving it becomes. In tests run by Serious Eats, a drop or two of yolk might lengthen your whipping time, but you’ll still get solid, stable results—just like a yolk-free batch. They’ve even tested rubbing oil on the mixing bowl to simulate an unwashed one and still ended up with soufflé-worthy outcomes.

Many cake and cookie recipes call for butter to be at room temperature, and some professionals stress this rule so much that you might feel like cancelling your baking plans entirely if you forget to set out your butter. But here’s the thing: the real key is that all your ingredients should be close to the same temperature.

Sure, room temperature butter works well, but so do all your other wet ingredients—eggs, milk, buttermilk, cream cheese, even frozen almond flour. The reason is simple: when everything is at a similar temperature, they emulsify more easily and you avoid the curdling that can happen when cold ingredients (like eggs or refrigerated chocolate chips) cause the butter to solidify. Even bakeries that don’t have soft butter on hand for hundreds of cookies don’t waste time waiting for it to soften. Instead, they use an electric mixer to emulsify cold butter by adding some of the sugar first. Start slow (or you’ll end up wearing it!), and as the sugar mixes into the cold butter, air pockets form, allowing you to work up to a fluffy consistency. Then just proceed with the rest of the recipe, adding wet ingredients gradually to ensure smooth incorporation.

The creaming method is one of the most popular techniques in American baking, especially for cakes and cookies. I remember baking my first batch of cookies with my mom using the recipe on the back of a Toll House chocolate chip bag, which, of course, uses the creaming method. If you’re blending butter or another fat with sugar, adding wet ingredients, and then incorporating dry ingredients, you’re following the creaming method. This method is often used for American-style cakes, helping to create tall, domed cakes that are sometimes a bit too mixed. However, there’s another technique to consider: the reverse-creaming method.

Although the reverse-creaming method isn’t “reversed” in a literal sense, it’s a different approach that’s especially great for cakes with a finer crumb and a smooth, even surface (perfect for decorators), all without compromising flavor or tenderness. According to Cook’s Illustrated, reverse-creaming starts by mixing the fat with the dry ingredients first, which coats the flour and helps prevent some flour proteins from hydrating. This reduces gluten formation and prevents over-mixing. As a result, fewer air bubbles are introduced compared to the traditional method, giving you a cake layer that’s flat and evenly browned without the usual dome.

While this method doesn’t create as much rise, it does produce a consistently fine crumb, which may be a game-changer for your cakes. That said, feel free to stick with the traditional method for other recipes where a little more lift is desired.

We all know that fresh baked goods are a treat. After all, who would choose a day-old cake over a fresh one? But here’s the catch: if you’ve ever had cake from a bakery, you’ve been eating ‘aged’ cake. And that’s actually a good thing!

Some baked goods, like croissants and doughnuts, are best the day they’re made, but many bakeries prepare their ingredients days, weeks, or even months in advance—depending on how the item is stored. Cake layers and frosting freeze beautifully, in fact, the end result will often be better if you use frozen cake components rather than trying to work with a fresh-baked cake. Fresh cakes are delicate; the fats haven’t fully solidified, and the structure is still fragile. When you trim, flip, or ice these layers, you run the risk of tearing or crumbling the cake.

Smaller bakeries, with less production, will at least refrigerate their cakes to set the fats, making the layers easier to handle. Larger bakeries freeze their cake layers for weeks or even months. Much like bread (since cake is essentially sweetened bread), the freezer acts like a time machine—cake layers thaw and pick up right where they left off. The added benefit is that the fats firm up, the structure sets, and the flavors develop even further. If you freeze cake layers at home—and I highly recommend you do—be sure to wrap them tightly and store them upside down. This flattens any dome that may have formed, minimizing waste when trimming. Or, you could try the reverse-creaming method we talked about earlier!

This myth has sparked many debates about bacteria and spoilage. Some people store butter in the fridge, leading to cold, hard butter and holes in their toast for generations. Others proudly leave a butter dish on the counter, ignoring any worries about spoilage. According to the USDA, butter can safely stay out of the fridge for up to two days. This could be more than enough time for most of us, depending on how quickly we go through softened butter.

For those of us who don't go through butter daily, there's the butter bell. Also known as a French butter keeper, this simple yet brilliant device lets you store butter at room temperature indefinitely—if used properly. The main concern with leaving butter out is the growth of bacteria and the process of oxidation, which can turn butter rancid. In a butter bell, an airtight seal is formed by submerging the top of the keeper in a small amount of clean water. This simple trick prevents both oxidation and bacterial growth, while giving you soft, spreadable butter with a touch of elegance.

While the idea of eating raw egg may not cross most people's minds daily, certain treats—like cake batter, brownie mix, and similar goodies—often come with that temptation. As delicious as these uncooked indulgences can be, the thought of potentially ingesting salmonella is usually enough to hold us back. Salmonella is a type of bacteria that can cause some unpleasant reactions in your body—think food poisoning.

That said, the chance of actually encountering salmonella from raw eggs is extremely low. According to the Egg Safety Center, only about one in 20,000 eggs carries the bacteria, which equates to an encounter roughly every 84 years. Additionally, raw eggs offer several nutritional benefits, including choline and antioxidants. Many favorite desserts rely on raw eggs to achieve those rich, creamy, and fluffy textures we adore, such as tiramisu or the meringue topping on lemon meringue pie. Even your go-to cocktail bar might be adding raw egg whites to your drink for that perfect foam. So, you can enjoy these treats with confidence.

If you’d still rather not roll the dice on your 84th birthday, you can opt for pasteurized eggs. Many stores offer pasteurized egg whites, and some sell whole pasteurized eggs. Alternatively, you can easily pasteurize eggs at home using this method from Sugar Geek Show.