Why do chefs in cooking shows not always seem to do things the "right" way? I've read some books about the science behind cooking, and I've watched videos of chefs like Gordon Ramsey and Jamie Oliver on YouTube. It seems like those famous chefs don't always do things the way I'd expect based on the books.

For example, books mention that for better browning of meat, you should dry the outer layer of your meat with paper towels. When I watch those videos, they never dry with paper towels the outer layer of the meat, but they apparently still get great results. Similarly, books say that adding salt to a bowl of mixed eggs helps them retain more moisture, while Gordon explicitly says you shouldn't salt your eggs because it breaks the yolk's formation and make it lose water.

Why might these kinds of discrepancies happen? Is it possible to get good results without doing everything exactly right, are celebrity chefs just not actually cooking well, or am I missing something?
I have a couple of observations:


"Different" doesn't always mean inferior.
"Best" from a science perspective, doesn't always mean most expedient in a restaurant or home kitchen.
Sometimes the results of the difference between "scientific" best practice, and alternate restaurant or home kitchen practice are not noticeable, unless you compare these results side by side.
There are lots of ways people learn how to cook, and many practices have been handed down through generations.  While science is, naturally, the basis of all cooking, it is only relatively recently that people have taken a "scientific" look at cooking and shared those practices widely.


So, you are probably hearing more about "best scientific practice" these days.  However, old understandings and practices are hard to give up. People typically use the practice they were taught, because it has worked for them.