7 Common Cooking Mistakes

 
Sometimes we unknowingly create problems when cooking that can lead to a much-
anticipated dish becoming a big disappointment.
Healthy food hacks
by Cookist

Sometimes we unknowingly create problems when cooking that can

lead to a much-anticipated dish becoming a big disappointment.

Here are seven common cooking errors and how to fix them:

1. Not reading the recipe before cooking

It’s easy to grab the ingredients and

start cooking, but you should read
your recipe through from start to
finish before you gather the
ingredients. Most cooking mistakes
happen when a detail is overlooked,
such as adding cold butter instead of
butter at room temperature to a cake
batter – this small difference could
make your cake end up dry and
lumpy.

Next time:

• Read the recipe and look for things that you need to do before cooking (such as chopping
herbs) and things you can do while the food is cooking (getting the garnish ready). • Get all
your ingredients out and weighed before you start cooking, then you can simply add them
without the distraction of looking for them and measuring them when creating the recipe.
Make sure you have the correct sized cake tin or roasting pan before you start, or find an
equivalent that will work.
2. Overcrowding the pan

If you cover the entire hot surface of a pan

with food, it traps the heat and creates
steam. This will stop you getting the
browning you want, and you’ll end up with
a soggy mass.

Next time:

• Cook in small batches. Set the oven going

at a low temperature (around 200 F) and put
the cooked batch of food in it on an ovenproof plate while you cook the rest. • Use two
pans to spread the food more evenly.

3. Not preheating the pan and ending up with soggy food

You need to preheat your pan so that it’s

hot enough to seal the juices and brown the
food. A cold pan will also make food stick
to it, which creates problems when trying to
sauté anything.

Next time:

• Heat the pan on a high heat for a few

minutes before adding the cooking oil. You
can tell if the surface is hot enough by flicking a few drops of water on it – if they skitter
and evaporate quickly, the pan is hot enough to add the oil. When it shimmers and ripples,
add the meat or fish. For non-stick pans add the oil first before you turn on the heat to
prevent toxins being released from the empty hot pan.
4. Cooking pasta in a small pot and ending up with a
gummy mess

When you add food to boiling water, it

immediately lowers the water
temperature. If you add a lot of food to
a little water, it will stop boiling. This
changes the cooking process and can
make your pasta taste starchy.

If you try to blanch beans or basil in

water that isn’t hot enough, they can
turn brown, says Mike Sheerin, chef de
cuisine at Blackbird restaurant in
Chicago.

Next time:

Use a lot of water and a bigger pan. For a pound of pasta, use at least a five-quart pot filled
with fast boiling water.

5. Sautéing wet greens

Excess water on your greens

creates steam in the pan, leaving
veggies like spinach mushy and
unappetizing. Water on the
leaves will also make your hot
oil spit and splatter, which is
painful if you don’t get out of the
way quickly enough!

Next time:

• Use a salad spinner. Spin the

greens, pour out the water, toss
the greens then spin again. •
Wait until the pan is very hot before adding the greens. They only need sautéing for a
minute or two.
6. Using dried herbs in place of fresh ones and the food
ends up over-seasoned

If a recipe asks for a tablespoon of fresh

oregano, but you use dried, you will
overpower the dish with the flavor.
Oregano and tarragon (among others)
gain a more intense flavor when dried,
while basil and parsley lose much of
their strength once dried.

Next time:

• For fragrant dried herbs, use around a

third of the amount of fresh herbs that the recipe asks for. For extra-mild dried herbs, add a
little more. If you’re not sure what herb is fragrant or mild – if a recipe asks for a fresh herb
to be added at the start of cooking, it’s probably stronger once dried. If it asks you to add a
herb at the end of the cooking process, it’s likely mild once dried. • The best way to judge a
herb is to taste it and see how strong it is. If your dried herb has almost no flavor, it won’t
flavor your food – use plenty. • Try toasting your dried herbs in a pan for a minute or two to
wake up the flavor.

7. Frying food in oil that’s too cold

If the oil isn’t hot enough when the food

goes in, it will absorb a lot of oil and
become greasy and heavy. The oil needs to
be above 350 F for successful frying.

Next time:

Use safflower, peanut, grapeseed and

canola oils for frying, as they have a high
smoke point. Get the oil hot, and use a
deep frying thermometer to tell if the oil is
hot enough.

• Test the oil. Dip a small part of whatever you want to fry into it, and it should sizzle
immediately if the oil is ready. • Drop in a cube of bread, which should brown in around 10
seconds when the oil is hot enough. • If you make a mistake and put the food in too soon,
bring it back out straight away, let the oil heat properly and try again.