Are there certain tips and tricks you've been using in the kitchen for years but aren't sure exactly why you do them or why they work (or don't)? We're taking a look into some of the most common kitchen myths that sometimes not only don't do what you think they will, but might even have the opposite effect.

Something that a majority of us do without question is add salt to water to "make it boil faster." In reality, this raises the boiling point of the water because saltwater has a higher boiling point — therefore, it takes longer for the water to boil.

You might also put oil in your pasta water while boiling in order to prevent noodles from sticking together. Beware that if you plan on adding sauce to your pasta, the oil residue will actually keep the sauce from sticking to the pasta.

Do you store your coffee in the freezer to make it last longer? Doing this will cause your coffee to go bad faster. Ground coffee is an absorbent food that will take in the moisture and odors of your freezer, which will change the taste to be not quite as appetizing.

Perhaps you have heard that you shouldn't cut meat on a wooden cutting board because the wood will collect bacteria from raw meat and contaminate anything else prepared on the board. In truth, as long as you sanitize the board properly, you don't have to worry about this. Along the same lines, with proper sanitation, there's no need to have separate cutting boards for meat and produce.

Have you tried keeping the pit of the avocado in your avocado or guacamole to prevent it from turning brown? It's not the pit that will keep your avocado fresh — it's a tight seal. Wrap your avocado or guacamole mixture bowl in plastic wrap with the plastic wrap touching the surface.

While we should keep our meats refrigerated, doing so right up until we cook them can lead to tough cooked meat. For tenderness, meat should be cooked at room temperature.

Expiration dates don't mean that you must immediately toss your food in that pullout waste container. Different foods last for varying lengths of time after the expiration date. The date also might be a "sell by" date rather than expiration. The first thing to do is smell your food. If it smells normal, you might double check online to see how long a certain item lasts past the expiration.

Some of us might think that produce doesn't need to be rinsed in the kitchen sink if we aren't eating the skin. However, pathogens can still find their way onto the part that you are eating, especially if you're cutting into the produce, since the knife goes from the exterior to interior.

Do you immediately put all of your produce in the crisper drawer of the fridge when you get home from the grocery store? For some produce, this is the way to go to keep it fresh for longer. On the other hand, some produce lasts longer at room temperature. One way to tell is based on where it is kept in the grocery store. For example, tomatoes should be kept at room temperature on your counter or kitchen cabinets.

Now that we've busted these myths, be prepared to have food that lasts longer and tastes better!

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