Ramsay really knows how to cook. Ramsay has managed restaurants and studied his craft and perfected his technique in the kitchen. He thereafter became an entert

Ramsay really knows how to cook. Ramsay has managed restaurants and studied his craft and perfected his technique in the kitchen. He thereafter became an entertainer to share his love of cuisine with others. So yes, his expertise does often take a backseat to the entertainment value of whatever he's doing. But I believe that this is part of the thesis of the article we're discussing here: that Ramsay's extensive expertise does not prevent him from conveying bad information. I would say that a lot of these examples fall under the category of "cargo culting". There is a lot of cargo culting in the culinary arts. Since a kitchen is basically a chemistry lab where biological miracles happen several times a day, no housewife or chef can be fully versed in the actual biochemical sciences that are governing what they do every day. There is so much "institutional knowledge" and "traditional know-how" that can't be written down or codified; it's merely handed on from one expert to the next. It's like Zen Buddhism, which has no formalized doctrine, but there's a lot of expertise to transmit from one master to the next! Therefore a lot of cargo-culting intervenes here. Everyone has their idea of how to make perfect hard-boiled eggs. Everyone wants to show you exactly how to season a cast-iron pan. Everyone has one weird trick that will make the perfect roasted vegetables. And I've found that nearly all these recipes online leave out vital information. If you don't already know how to cook, don't try learning by following online recipes. You'll fail bigtime. Also, any recipe on the side of a container, like the ones which come with your spice bottles or a box of yeast or something. They're omitting valuable expertise that only a seasoned chef will know. You'll always need to re-inject your experience when following someone else's instructions, because even if they intend to comprehensively explain the process, they'll always assume that you know how to get from Point A to Point B. Not everybody does. I don't know the motives for passing along bullshit like that "room temperature steak" tidbit. Perhaps it's just to honor the people who taught him how to do it. Perhaps it's better safe than sorry. But oftentimes it's just cargo culting -- they've done it before this way, it turned out great, don't mess with perfection, just keep following the ritual correctly.