Top 10 Cooking Mistakes Everyone Makes
#10: Over-Flipping Meat
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Whether you’re grilling steaks outdoors or cooking a hamburger on the stove, you need to resist the urge to constantly flip your meat over. We understand the incentive; you want to make sure your meat is cooked through. But constant flipping ruins your chances of creating a good sear and achieving the delicious flavor you’re seeking. Some flipping is fine, but if you want to make sure your meat is cooked through, flip it once and then use a meat thermometer to check its temperature. This way, you can save some energy and enjoy a great meal.
#9: Cooking Cold Meat
Refrigerating meat is important for keeping it fresh and free of unwanted guests. But once you take it out of the fridge, you need to wait up to a half hour before cooking it. Why? because it needs to reach room temperature, which is essential for getting your meat to cook evenly. Put your meat in the sink before you start cooking it. It’s a small action that makes a big difference in terms of overall taste. Whether cooking beef, chicken, pork, or something else, you need to give your meat some time to warm up.
#8: Boiling, Not Simmering
Making soup? Turn down the stove. Don’t turn it off, because you need it to stay nice and warm. But don’t have it going at a rolling boil for an hour or more. If a recipe calls for simmering, don’t treat that as a fancy word for “boil.” If you do, you risk overcooking your meal and the ingredients in it. Give yourself plenty of time to ensure you can achieve a great simmer. Pressed for time? Get a slow cooker and simmer ingredients inside while you’re away at work. When you come home, you’ll be greeted by a fragrant and delicious meal.
#7: Not Using Oven Thermometer
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You’re making a cake or another dessert, and you’ve measured everything exactly. But when you take it out of the oven, it’s completely wrong. Your oven was set to the right temperature, so is there something wrong with the recipe? It’s actually probably an issue with your oven. While ovens are set to and will display certain temperatures, their actual temperatures are a few degrees off. For some meals, this isn’t a huge issue, but for precise recipes like cakes, a few degrees can make all the difference. Purchase an oven thermometer so you know exactly how hot your oven is or isn’t.
#6: Using the Wrong Cooking Oil
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If a recipe calls for a specific cooking oil, such as olive or sesame oil, don’t think that you can just swap one for another. An oil’s smoke point is how susceptible it is to burning. Since olive oil has a low smoke point, it’s not the best choice for high-heating cooking, such as making a stir-fry. Use the oil the recipe calls for and pay attention to keep it from burning. Stock your pantry up with all of the necessary cooking oils. That way, you’ll be ready for just about anything when it comes to cooking.
#5: Overcrowding Pan
Making a dish with a lot of ingredients? Don’t try to fit them all in one pan. There’s only so much room, and the more space that’s taken up, the harder it’ll be for things to cook properly. Be realistic about how much you can comfortably fit in a pan. If necessary, put some ingredients in a separate pan or just wait for the previous ingredients to finish cooking. Otherwise, your ingredients could end up steamed when you want them to be seared. When it comes to cooking, the more the merrier. But that also applies to space.
#4: Not Resting Meat
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Once a beautiful piece of meat has finished cooking, you’re probably eager to cut right into it. Wait at least a few minutes first, because slicing too early can have serious consequences. Your meat needs to rest in order for the juices to flow through. Otherwise, your meat will end up dry and disappointing instead of juicy and delicious. Check to see how long to rest before slicing. Steak only needs about five minutes to rest, while a roast turkey can need up to 30. This is just another important example of why patience is key when cooking.
#3: Cooking in a Cold Pan
Do you have a tendency to pour oil in your pan as soon as you turn the stove on? While there might be heat coming from the burner, it’s not going to reach your pan that quickly. Your pan needs to be demonstrably hot before you start cooking. If you’re not getting a sizzle, you’re not getting a proper cooking experience. After turning the pan on, wait a few minutes for it to probably heat up. Use the back of your hand to help you feel heat without risking a burn. Once ready, you can put your ingredients in, without overcrowding the pan of course.
#2: Ignoring the Recipe
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A recipe isn’t just a suggestion. The person who created the meal you want to make did so using certain ingredients a certain way. If you use different methods, you’re going to yield a different meal. While some recipes are flexible and will offer substitution suggestions, others are far more rigid. Before trying a recipe, read it over and make sure you have everything you need to make it, including all of the proper cooking equipment. It’s always better to plan things out and get them right than to rush through things and get them wrong.
#1: Not Tasting Food While Cooking
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Nervous about how a big meal turned out? You’ll feel a lot more relaxed if you just taste your food as you cook it. That way, if there are any issues, you can fix them then instead of after it’s too late. Among the biggest issues you can catch are seasoning issues. Taste as you go to see if things are over-seasoned or under-seasoned. If you’re serving this meal to others, make sure you’re washing your spoon thoroughly after each tasting to prevent germ transfer. If you don’t taste your food while making it, it could be a recipe for disaster.
