10 COOKING MISTAKES EVERY CHEF MAKES
We all make mistakes, as to Kitchen mistakes, whether you’re just learning how to cook or you’ve been doing it for years; it’s inevitable that you’ll make your fair share of mistakes in the kitchen. Yes, even good cooks and seasoned pros make mistakes. It might be due to hastiness, a little laziness, or you simple are simply new to the kitchen. Here are some common kitchen mistakes we all make.
1. Using the wrong knife.
Before you take your knife out, think about what you’ll be using it for. Are you mincing something small, like garlic? Or, will you be working with something larger, like a whole chicken? You might love working with your paring knife, but it’s not an all-purpose tool and doesn’t work well when tackling large foods.
Follow this tip: Always use the right size knife for the job. Think of your chef’s knife as an all-purpose knife. In home kitchens, this is the tool to turn to when you’re cutting meat, slicing fruit and vegetables, and mincing herbs. Reach for a serrated bread knife
2. Using the wrong size cutting board.
You might be wondering, does this matter? Sure, those tiny cutting boards are cute, but aside from slicing a few berries or prepping a garnish for a drink, they’re not that useful. They give way for spillage over to the table, making your cooking environment dirty.
Follow this tip: Give yourself plenty of room to work, and make sure your cutting board is big enough for the job at hand. You’ll be a lot more comfortable slicing and chopping, plus it’s safer than cramming everything onto a too-tiny board.
3. Allowing yourself to work with a messy workspace.
It speaks badly of you as a chef if you work in a messy environment. Not only will you end up working less organized and less efficient when you have a messy workspace, but this puts you at higher risk for cross-contamination with your food.
Follow this tip: Endeavor to always clear your cooking environment before each cooking session. It allows you to work a lot more organized, and you’ll save time in the long run. Keeping a garbage bowl next to your cutting board and cleaning as you go are also huge helps.
4. Adding ingredients to a cold pan.
In most cases, it’s better to heat up your pan and then add oil and food. I see people add oil and food to a pan, and then turn on the stove it makes me cringe. Food should never touch a cold pan. Instead of getting a nice sear, the ingredients soak up the oil or butter, and are likely to stick to the pan.
Follow this tip: Make sure the pan and oil are hot before adding any ingredients to the pan. A hot pan is key to preventing your food from sticking, and for getting a good sear.
5. Cooking meat straight from the refrigerator.
It doesn’t matter if you’re cooking beef, pork, chicken, or fish, it should never go straight from the fridge to a hot oven or grill. The result is a good piece of meat that’s overcooked on the outside and undercooked, or even raw, at the center.
Follow this tip: Take meat and fish out of the refrigerator, and let it sit at room temperature for about 15–20 minutes cooking. Bringing the protein to room temperature will allow it to cook more evenly throughout.
6. Not resting meat after it’s cooked.
You’re hungry and you’re anxious to eat, but diving into that steak (roast chicken, pork tenderloin, or any other cut of meat) the second it comes out of the oven or pan is a grave mistake. As you cut into it, the juices will run across the cutting board or your plate.
Follow this tip: Whether you’re taking meat off the stove or grill, or out of the oven, let it sit at room temperature for at least five minutes (about 20 minutes for a whole chicken), so the juices have time to redistribute throughout the meat. Rather than see those juices spilled across the cutting board, your patience will be rewarded with a juicier, more delicious cut of meat. If you’re worried about meat getting cold, loosely tent it with a piece of foil.
7. Using less oil.
Using little oil when cooking might result in burning of food. You may be going the healthy way but using enough oil to cook is essential. So, make sure you use the required amount of oil or cut it down only a little bit. While you are sautéing, if you find mixing ingredients difficult, there is no harm in adding some more. Another common mistake is, not letting the oil heat well.
8. Frying wet vegetables in a pan full of hot oil
It’s a common mistake to dump the rinsed green goodies into your frying pan immediately after washing it. The moisture makes your stir-fry soggy, turning it into a stew instead of a crispy delight. On top of that, it’s well-known that water and hot oil don’t mix, and you wouldn’t want oil to splatter everywhere.
Before you go all Gordan Ramsay and start tossing in the pan, let the veggies dry at least a little in the strainer.
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9. You are using too little Salt
Unless and until you have been specifically asked to reduce your salt intake, you don’t need to cut it down from your diet. Salt does have a bad reputation when it comes to health, but what most people do not know is that low sodium intake can lead to fluid retention in the body. Besides, it can even cause a blockage in the small intestine, muscle twitching, diarrhoea, vomiting and heart failure. It can also affect your brain activity.
10. You are sprinkling salt on your food
Sprinkling salt on your food is another unhealthy habit. Most of us would be guilty of doing this some or the other time. Whenever we feel that our food is slightly bland we take the table salt and sprinkle some on our food. However, sprinkling uncooked salt can be an invitation to health problems. The extra salt that you add on your food does not get easily absorbed by the body, which leads to a spike in the systolic blood pressure levels.
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