If youโre new to cooking, youโre likely making a lot of mistakes. Mistakes that could be costing you time. Mistakes that can put your tastebuds at risk.
But donโt despair! Lots of us make these mistakes since weโre not professionals. The good news is there are professional chefs who share their tips on the internet to help out us amateurs.
These tips will help keep you safe and will help you create the most delicious dishes. Cooking can be made a lot more fun and easier when you know what youโre doing. You might also want to share this with someone you know who needs help in the kitchen.
Here are 30 most common mistakes amateurs make in the kitchen, according to pro chefs:
1) Leaving Dishes in the Sink
Itโs best to clean your dishes as youโre cooking. Use the breaks in between waiting for things to cook. Otherwise, youโll have a ton of dishes to do later.
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2) Sift Dry Ingredients
Dry ingredients should always be sifted. Especially when youโre sifting powdered sugar for buttercream. This allows your dry ingredients to be thoroughly integrated instead of becoming clumpy.
3) Ditch Dull Knives
Go through your kitchen and pull out all your dull knives. Make sure to either sharpen them or get rid of them. A dull kitchen knife can be one of the most dangerous things in your kitchen.
4) How to Cream Butter
For the best tasting cookies and brownies, itโs best to beat your butter and sugar together until they become fluffy, rather than just combine them. Re-beat your mixture when you add in your eggs. Be sure not to over-mix when you add in flour. Just mix it enough so you canโt see any flour.
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5) Taste As You Cook
To make a good dish you need to taste the dish. So, itโs important to taste as you cook. This will allow you to keep control over the dishes flavor.
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6) Donโt Open the Oven
Try not to open the oven while youโre cooking. It can lower the temperature of your oven. That can make your cook time longer.
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7) Cut Slowly
Just because the pros can chop super fast doesnโt mean you can. You could hurt yourself. Start slow and build up speed over time.
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8) The Microwave
Microwaves are great for when youโre short on time. You can use it to make shortcuts, like melting butter. It will cut down on the time you spend over the hot stove.
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9) Follow the Baking Recipe
If you donโt know all the science behind baking, itโs best to stick to the recipe. This will ensure that you donโt screw it up. Youโll also want to make sure that youโre ingredients are fresh.
10) Let Your Cake Cool
It might be tempting to finish your cake or cupcakes with frosting once they come out of the oven, but thatโs not a good idea. You need to let it cool until itโs at least room temperature. Otherwise, that frosting will slide right off.
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11) Donโt Put Tomatoes in the Fridge
Keeping your tomatoes in the refrigerator can change their chemical composition. It affects the way they taste. It actually makes them lose their taste.
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12) Lemon
Is your dish still lacking in taste after youโve put salt in it? Toss in some lemon, lime, or any kind of vinegar (except white). The acidity will really punch up the flavor.
13) Let the Pan Heat Up
Do you let your food heat up in a cold pan? Not a good idea. Instead, let your pan heat up a little before placing your food inside.
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14) How to Stir the Pot
Apparently there are two ways to properly stir a pot. Make small circles and work your way from the outside moving inward. Or stir in a figure 8 motion. You should also stir upwards by angling your spoon so that youโre brining the part of the food thatโs closest to the heat source up toward the surface. This will help prevent burning and ensure that the pot it stirred faster and evenly.
15) Make It Room Temperature
If the recipe calls for something room temperature, make it room temperature. Especially when youโre using eggs. Room temperature eggs incorporate easier. Itโs also important when youโre making something with a high fat content. The coldness can make the fat coagulate and make your mixture lumpy.
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16) Donโt Press Down on Burgers
You should never press down on your burgers when you cook them. You want those juices to stay in the burger and make it flavorful. You donโt want to eat a dried out piece of meat.
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17) Preheat
You should always preheat your oven properly before placing your food inside. If you donโt properly preheat your oven to the right temperature, you can negatively affect the texture, timing, and appearance of your food. You donโt want flat/hard cookies or dense uneven cakes.
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18) Thermometer
If youโre new to cooking meat at different temperatures, you should use a thermometer. This way you wonโt have to guess when itโs ready. Youโll know when itโs ready.
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19) Ramen Water
Make sure you donโt put too much water when cooking Ramen. It can become too watery and cause the seasoning to lose flavor. You donโt want to be eating water noodles.
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20) Everything in Itโs Place
Youโll want to have everything in place before you start cooking. Your tools, your ingredients, and recipes. It will make cooking go a lot smoother.
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21) Donโt Overcrowd the Pan
You shouldnโt overcrowd your pan when you are pan-frying, pan-searing, or sauteing. It can create too much moisture in the pan and boil your food. It can also affect the flavor.
22) Over Seasoning
Amateurs can easily overseason their dishes. Itโs best to have no more than three to four flavors on one plate. You can also throw some aromatics in there.
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23) Jump, Not Stir
You donโt want to be stirring while youโre sautรฉing Instead you want to use a spatula or the pan itself to jump the food. The food needs to move around so it doesnโt steam.
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24) Use a Thermometer For Baking
What is the key to great baked goods? Using a thermometer for baking. You can grab one for like $10.
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25) Braising Liquid
You want to braise your meat, not boil it. To avoid this, make sure you donโt add too much liquid when you braise. You donโt want to submerge your meat in water or wine.
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26) Substitutions
Substituting an ingredient for another that tastes similar isnโt always a good idea. You should know the chemical properties of the ingredients before you start throwing them together. This way you wonโt seriously screw up the consistency or taste of your dish.
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27) Too Much Starch
Donโt add too much cornstarch or flour when thickening sauces. Add in small amounts. This way your sauce wonโt be grainy.
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28) Donโt Put Nice Cookware or Glassware in Dishwasher
Keep your fancy cookware and glassware out of the dishwasher. Itโs best to wash this stuff by hand. It could get banged up in the dishwasher.
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29) Donโt Throw Out Your Bacon Fat
Store your bacon fat in a sealed container instead of tossing it out. You can use it to cook with and flavor up other dishes. Who doesnโt want all their food to taste like bacon?
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30) Season All Ingredients
Donโt season your dish at the end when all your ingredients are combined. Instead, season all of your ingredients independently. So, season your onions as you toss them in the pan and the rest of the ingredients one by one.
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