Of course, at the start, we learned from the people we trust and know and we also used tried-and-tested recipes. Over the years, we have developed our own techniques with cooking skills, time-saving hacks, and our own flavor profiles.
Sometimes, though, in our intent to make cooking convenient for us, we perform cooking faux pas that must never be done. Take this for example.
Adding sauce to the pasta, instead of adding pasta to the sauce
Going for flavor and texture should have you adding al dente pasta to a pot of simmering sauce. Mix it there instead of plopping and pouring on a plate. That helps the pasta and sauce to combine more effectively.
Let’s look at more cooking habits we need to stop and what to do instead. Continue reading!
Cooking pasta in a small pot
Use a larger pot so pasta doesn’t clump and stick together. It needs room to move around in. There’s also no need to add oil to the pasta water, since that’s counterproductive. Just make sure to stir the pasta often, especially at the start of cooking.
Toast the nuts and seeds on a stovetop using a cast-iron skillet or even in a sheet pan in the oven. That only takes about 15 minutes. The nuts will release more flavor and become even crunchier.
When a recipe says to cook or bake at a set temperature, the oven should be at that temperature. Fully preheat an oven before putting food in. Use an oven thermometer if you can for more accurate readings.
No, oiling up the grates won’t prevent food from sticking to the grill. The oil will smoke and carbonize at smoking point, which gives a nasty aftertaste. Brush the food with oil instead.
Using cold or melted butter when the recipe calls for room temperature
Butter shouldn’t be cold or melted. It should be at room temperature the way it’s called for since it should be solid but soft enough to be whipped. That allows it to cream with sugar.
If you don’t have the patience or time then warm up a bowl and place it over the butter. Cut it in pieces while making sure there is no contact between the butter and the sides of the bowl. Wait a few minutes until the butter is soft and you’re good to go.
Salt is an essential ingredient since it works as a flavor enhancer. It underlines and balances the sweetness so don’t forget that pinch of salt the recipe calls for when baking.
Frosting a warm cake is a recipe for a disaster. Buttercream or frosting will start to melt, and the cake will be crumblier, making it difficult to achieve a smooth result. Wait for the cake to be cold. The wait is worth it.
Opening the oven door when your cake is in there will let some cooler air in. That could stop the raising process, preventing the cake from achieving its full potential.
If you must look, flip on the interior oven light and peek through the clear window. Wait for the end of baking time, then open the door to check if the cake is done.
Baking is about precision and accuracy, so don’t leave half of the batter, or several floury bits, on the side of the bowl. Scrape the bowl properly and get all of the batter in there.
Not creaming the butter and sugar together long enough
Creaming these 2 together adds air to your dough. When it comes to baking, air equals lightness, so when a recipe says to “cream the sugar and butter together until light and fluffy,” it doesn’t mean for a minute. This process is pretty long and should not be skipped or rushed.
To check if the butter and sugar are creamed, rub some between your fingers. It should be smooth.
Prepping the cake pan after making the batter, instead of before
Once the cake batter is ready, it has to go into the oven quickly so the leavening agents can do their job properly. Prep your pan and preheat your oven beforehand so you don’t waste any time.
Not using the “fluff, sprinkle, and scrape” method
Remember, baking is a science. Scooping flour out of the bag with a measuring cup isn’t ideal since that tends to pack the flour too much, so you’re getting more than needed.
Use a fork to fluff the flour and let it breathe a little. Scoop it out using a big spoon and fill the cup a spoonful at a time. Don’t press down but use the back of a knife to level the top of the cup. That will make it even.
There are different recipes for pie dough but the foolproof one is the 3-2-1 secret: 3 parts flour, 2 parts fat, 1 part ice-cold water. For example, 12 ounces of flour means 8 ounces of butter or butter-shortening mix and 4 ounces of water. That should make great pies.
Meat should rest for 10–20 minutes cooking to allow internal juices to redistribute. That makes for a super juicy steak or roast. Immediately cutting into it will have the juices pool and run out. They should be reabsorbed by the meat first. Wait a bit before digging in.
Listening to the meat in the pan, judging the color of the juices, or using a thumb to check the doneness of a steak aren’t accurate ways of telling if meat is cooked.
The best and most accurate way is to use an instant-read thermometer. That tells you the level of its doneness.
Those precious brown bits stuck at the bottom of a pan after cooking are culinary gold. Use wine, tomato sauce, lemon juice, chicken broth, or even water to deglaze a pan and get a delicious, flavor-packed sauce for your meal.
Prepping ingredients ahead of time is key to less stress in the kitchen. Chopping and dicing isn’t really exciting, but mastering the art of mise en place separates rookies from the chefs.
Measure out the quantities, chop what needs to be chopped, and organize each ingredient in their own space. Everything just flows from there.
It’s so easy to get all excited and distracted in the kitchen, rushing into the recipe only to discover that you’ve missed a key part. Read the recipe all the way through to save hours of work.
Leaving warm food out at room temperature for a long time will have it developing bacteria. But placing hot food immediately in the fridge can raise the temperature of the fridge and put other food at risk.
Refrigerate warm-but-not-hot food in small, air-tight containers then leave room next to them to let air circulate and cool the food down faster.
A sharp knife is more efficient and safer to use since a dull knife will have you applying more pressure which can lead to slipping and cutting your fingers.
Hone your knife at least once a week. That keeps the blade straight without wearing it down, though it doesn’t sharpen it. Sharpen knives with a whetstone or a knife sharpener every few months or just bring it to a pro.
Don’t use olive oil for everything. Olive oil has a low smoke point (between 365°F and 420°F), so it’ll start smoking at high heat. Not always ideal so do a little research on the types of oil ideal for each recipe.
Try not to flip and move food around in the pan so much to check if it’s done. Patience is the key, letting food cook without disturbing the ingredients in the pan to develop better texture and flavor.
Certain cuts are great for slow-cooking, while others need high heat to be cooked quickly. Be sure to get the right cut of meat for your recipe and if in doubt, ask the butcher for tips.
There are several reasons why preheating a pan before adding ingredients is important. Searing a meat cut in a lukewarm pan will defeat the purpose of getting an even sear. And it could stick to the pan too.
A hot pan forces evaporation so adding veggies to a pan will help rid their moisture. If the pan isn’t hot enough, the moisture will remain, steaming the veggies instead.
Nonstick pans work well for eggs and even pancakes and crêpes. The problem is they can’t get as hot as other pans and their heat distribution isn’t always even. So for searing or hot cooking over time, forget the nonstick.
Salt is of course important for seasoning, but acid is the same when done right. A dish with a splash of lemon or vinegar is very savory. The acid helps add a subtle layer of depth and flavor.
Pasta water is filled with starch that binds the pasta and sauce together. It’s already salted so save 1/2 a cup of cooking water that you can then use in the sauce.
Pasta absorbs part of the water as it cooks, including the salt. If you’re wondering how much salt to add to the water, Italians will tell you it should be “as salty as the sea”. Watch videos on cooking pasta and see how much salt the pros use for the water.
A crowded pan makes for a soggy disaster. Fitting as many veggies as possible on one sheet tray will increase the moisture. The food may steam instead of brown. When roasting, pan-frying, sautéing, or pan-searing food, allow ingredients to breathe to get that golden brown.
When used correctly, spices enhance the flavor of recipes. Due to a lack of experience, some amateur chefs make substitutions. But they select spices that don’t go together.
Both flour and cornstarch work great to thicken things like stews, soups, and gravies. But some amateur cooks go overboard, ending up with a gummy substance. The proper way to thicken a dish is to add a small amount of flour or cornstarch at a time.
This should be a crime. After all, bacon fat is loaded with flavor. Rather than throw it out, chefs can use it to flavor side dishes, main dishes, and vegetables.
Without question, dishwashers are great. But that doesn’t mean that people should use them to clean everything. A mistake that some amateur chefs make … putting delicate dishes and China in the dishwasher.
Pressing on burgers cooked on a grill looks cool because it causes the flames to rise. But this also does something that’s not so cool. Whether cooked on a grill or in a skillet, this forces all the fat out of the meat, which is needed to make burgers juicy and delicious.
This is another mistake that amateur chefs make. Tomatoes should never go in the refrigerator. It changes their chemical composition, which alters their flavor.
Regardless of how often someone cooks, it pays to keep the kitchen organized. For one thing, this will make cooking easier. For another, it’ll make cooking more enjoyable.
One of the first things people learn in culinary school is to taste while cooking. Sampling food is the only way to determine if the recipe needs something. For instance, a dish might not be salty enough or perhaps it’s too salty.
For someone to become a great chef, they need to know the language. Here’s a prime example. If a recipe calls for the meat to be braised, that doesn’t mean boiling or sautéing it.
Using too much water is another mistake. For soups, stews, and even ramen noodles, there’s a reason a recipe calls for a specific amount of water. Using too much dilutes the flavors and changes the texture.
When a dish needs something to make it taste better, amateur chefs usually add more salt, pepper, or spices. But there’s another option. To enhance flavors, professional chefs depend on things like lemons, limes, oranges, vinegar, and wine.
Most people tend to stir their food in a circle. But the best way to make sure it is stirred and cooked evenly is to go for a figure eight or to make a flower pattern with the spoon continuously.
When following a recipe, most amateurs tend to throw all the ingredients together and mix. But that is the last thing you want to do. Make sure you read ahead to find out which ingredients are added when.
Overmixing ingredients, especially creamy ones, can make your food tough. This is no fun! Look up a guide on the perfect texture for whatever you’re making to make sure that you’re not overmixing.
This is especially true for mushrooms. Some cooks will use canned veggies but you’ll never see a chef do it. It is frowned upon in the kitchen and with good reason. The reason the food tastes so good is because they use quality ingredients.
Of course, at the start, we learned from the people we trust and know and we also used tried-and-tested recipes. Over the years, we have developed our own techniques with cooking skills, time-saving hacks, and our own flavor profiles.
Sometimes, though, in our intent to make cooking convenient for us, we perform cooking faux pas that must never be done. Take this for example.
Adding sauce to the pasta, instead of adding pasta to the sauce
Going for flavor and texture should have you adding al dente pasta to a pot of simmering sauce. Mix it there instead of plopping and pouring on a plate. That helps the pasta and sauce to combine more effectively.
Let’s look at more cooking habits we need to stop and what to do instead. Continue reading!
