While there is a truth that there are people who have innate cooking skills, learning your way around the kitchen may take some getting used to.
Either you are a professional chef or starting to learn how to cook, one common experience we all share is making mistakes around the kitchen. However, these common mistakes can easily be avoided, and here's how.
1. You do not read the recipe through.
This can quickly spell disaster while you are cooking. Most of the time, you will find yourself in chaos as you try to find an ingredient of a tool you need. Most people get the impression that they can simply follow the recipe as they go along, but that is not the case.
According to The Kitchn.com, the best thing you can do to address this is to read and study the whole recipe first. After that, you need to gather and organize everything that you need. This will allow you to follow the procedures smoothly and avoid confusion and cramming.
2. You fail to season the food as you go along.
Another common mistake is seasoning the food all at once. Putting all of the ingredients in a pan and seasoning all at once will possibly result in a dish you wouldn't want to eat. Also, this will leave you with a dish that's tasteless, dull, and unbalanced. According to Reader Digest, flavoring the food should be done in layers.
Read also: Is Your Diet Damaging Your Sleep Quality? Here are the Foods to Avoid
3. Cutting your meat before the vegetables.
This is a typical mistake that can result in serious health consequences. Compared to vegetables, meat can be a source of bacteria and cutting it before vegetables can cause cross-contamination. Remember to always have a separate cutting board for your vegetables and raw meat.
4. You forget to taste your food as you cook.
The essential part of the dish is the flavor, which is why we enjoy food. For someone unfamiliar with cooking, a common mistake is forgetting to check how the food you're cooking tastes like. Often, you are under the impression that you can do a taste test after the entire dish is cooked.
But as per the famous celebrity chef, Gordon Ramsey, tasting the dish as you are cooking will allow you to determine if you are following the recipe correctly. It will also allow you to make necessary corrections with the seasoning if the taste comes a bit off.
5. Forgetting to wash your hands frequently.
When you are in the kitchen, there are many things that you need to touch or come in contact with. While it is true that you need to wash your hands before you start cooking, a common mistake is not washing frequently enough while you are in the process of cooking.
As recommended by Deirdre Schlunegger, STOP Foodborne Illness CEO, you need to wash your hands multiple times throughout the cooking process to avoid any contamination that might occur due to touching too many items while you are cooking.
Related article: No-Fuss Recipes of 2020 That Even Beginners Can Master
