Everyone, even the chef, makes mistakes in the kitchen. Whether you are a professional or not, everyone makes mistakes when preparing meals. We have collected the most common mistakes in our article.
If you love to cook and cook, chances are you have made most of these mistakes at least once. In our article, you will learn how some mistakes lead to spoilage of the dish.
20. Improper use of oil
Experiment with oils other than Extra virgin olive oil. Olive oil is suitable for many dishes, but not all. If you are cooking at high temperatures, it is better to use a different oil, as extra virgin olive oil has a low smoke point - that is, it starts to burn at low temperatures.
19. Cooking meat outside room temperature
Let the meat rest before cooking. Meat at room temperature will cook more evenly than the meat you just removed from the refrigerator. It would be nice if you let the meat sit for about 30 minutes before you start cooking it so that all parts are cooked equally.
18. Using insufficient water for making pasta
Contrary to popular belief that you need to add olive oil to the water to keep the spaghetti from sticking together, it doesn't help. The right amount of water will help. How can you be sure that you are cooking your spaghetti with enough water? For every 100 g of spaghetti, there is one liter of water.
17. Using dried herbs instead of fresh herbs
Dried herbs are richer than fresh herbs. Dried herbs are stronger than fresh herbs and lend a richer flavor to dishes. Therefore, if you still have to use dried herbs, then dry them in the fresh air and add to the dish about a third of the norm that is suggested by the recipe, if you use very fragrant seasonings. For milder herbs with less intense aromas, more than a third can be added.
16. You don't taste food before serving
Make sure you enjoy what you cook yourself. Tasting the dish only when you sit down at the dinner table, surrounded by guests, is not the best option. You must make sure in advance that you like what you have prepared and that your guests will like it. Therefore, try the food while it is cooking, you will have time to make small adjustments, which will certainly benefit the dish.
15. Incorrect cutting of meat
The pieces should be cut against the grain, not lengthwise. Slicing meat along the grain seems logical, but these pieces are more difficult to chew. You will enjoy the meat better if you cut it against the grain.
14. Cooking the garlic too long
Add garlic last to the skillet. If garlic is the first thing you put in a skillet or pot, be aware that it will most likely burn out. Especially if you are going to cook a dish over high heat, put the garlic last.
13. Cooking large quantities of food in a pan at one time
Avoid completely covering the area of the pan. Yes, cooking everything in one container at once is effective. But you risk spoiling the dish in this way. When the entire surface of the pan is covered, the heat is trapped in, resulting in excess steam. The steam prevents the food from roasting, and as a result, the food no longer retains its juiciness and aroma.
12. Cooking an omelet too high
Too high a temperature will result in a dry omelette. If you want your omelet to be tasty and fluffy, make sure to simmer it. As soon as the omelet is ready, remove it from the stove, it will reach the desired condition by itself.
11. You turn food too often
Let the meat cook before turning it over. This is especially true for steaks. Cooking a steak at home is difficult, and if you still want to achieve the desired result, do not turn it over too early, let it brown. The less often you turn it over, the better.
10. You boil when you need to simmer
Simmering and simmering are not the same thing. Boil and boil are completely different concepts. If the recipe says that the bolognese sauce should be simmered, that means there should be one or two random bubbles on the surface of the sauce. Boiling involves many times more and more bubbles on the surface of the pan.
9. You don't read the whole recipe.
Make sure you know what to do before you start cooking. Regardless of whether this is your first time or the fifth, read the entire recipe so you can be sure you haven't forgotten anything. And do this in advance, before you go to the store. It will not be very pleasant if, before cooking, you find that some very important and irreplaceable ingredient is missing, or, for example, that some of the ingredients had to be marinated for several hours.
8. You are not using a meat thermometer.
A meat thermometer can't be wrong. Appearances can be deceiving. It happens that you take a steak out of the oven on time, and you realize that it has been ready for a long time. Do yourself a favor - get a meat thermometer and your meat will always be excellent.
7. You add too little or too much seasoning
To avoid undersalting or over-salting, try what you cook during cooking and think about how you add seasoning to the dish.
6. You do not preheat the pan before you start cooking in it.
Make sure the pan is hot before placing anything in it. Preheat the pan for a few minutes before starting to cook. Otherwise, the fish or meat will be raw and not fried.
5. You prevent cooked meat from rest before slicing
Have patience and let the cooked meat stand before slicing. When you cook meat, all its juices are concentrated in the center; after cooking, it takes time for the whole piece to be saturated with juice. The amount of time required depends on the size of the piece. For whole poultry, it takes 20-30 minutes, for breast or steak, five minutes is enough.
4. You haven't cooked hard-boiled eggs for enough time.
When cooking hard-boiled eggs, it all depends on the time. Someone does not like hard-boiled eggs, they are too heavy and dry, while others like soft and liquid ones. Therefore, before boiling eggs, decide what result you need. If you prefer soft, 6 minutes is enough for cooking, if hard, cook for 9 minutes.
3. Cutting vegetables with a bread knife
The bread knife is not for vegetables. The bread knife should only be used for slicing bread. For vegetables, use the chef's knife, it will give more control and control when cutting.
2. You do not dry the greens before frying them.
The greens must be dry. Remove water from herbs and vegetables (also mushrooms) before cooking them in a skillet. The water will generate excess steam and, as a result, you will not get the expected result and the vegetables will be raw.
1. You are not using an oven thermometer
You should always know what the temperature is in the oven. Unfortunately, not every stove is as reliable as we would like it to be, and the set temperature does not always correspond to reality. An oven thermometer will show the actual temperature and this will avoid recipe disturbances during cooking.
We recommend watching:
Video about 15 Gross Kitchen Mistakes from EAT IS SERVED
