10 Common Cooking Mistakes You’re Making That You Need To Stop ASAP & They Could Be The Reason Why Your Food Isn’t Tasting

WHEATHER you are just starting to cook or have been perfecting your culinary skills for many years, chances are you will make some mistakes.

Cooking is challenging and there are many things you can do often that you don’t realize you shouldn’t.

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So if you need a hand in the kitchen, or want to know what mistakes you’ve made over the years, listen up.

Here are some common cooking mistakes you’re making that you’ll want to stop as soon as possible.

You don’t prepare the ingredients ahead of time

When you start making a dish, it’s really important that you prepare all of your ingredients in advance.

Sure, chopping isn’t the most fun thing ever, but having everything prepped and ready to use before you pop the pan is a must.

This way, when you’re making a dish, you won’t have to stop to measure the ingredients, which means less stress and fewer mistakes.

You overcrowded the pan

A crowded pan is a recipe for disaster.

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While you may want to stack as many vegetables as possible on one tray, to avoid having to wash a lot, this is not a great idea.

If you’re baking or frying food, give your ingredients plenty of space.

That way, they can turn perfectly golden brown, instead of steaming.

You emphasize water

You may have heard of people salting their pasta water and wondering why they do it?

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Well, when you put pasta in boiling water, the pasta will absorb some of the water as it cooks.

If you don’t salt the water, the food will still be bland, so it’s important that you do so seasonally from the inside.

And don’t be shy about it – yes, we know that too much salt is bad for you, but most of the salt you add will be lost in the water, so you need to be generous.

You only season your food when it’s done cooking

Food seasoning is key.

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And a common mistake many people make is not only seasoning too little, but also adding more seasoning at the end of the cooking process.

To make sure your dish will taste good, add salt and pepper throughout the cooking process, not just at the end.

This way, the food will soak up the seasoning and really enhance the flavor.

You don’t preheat the pan

We should all be mindful to give our pans a few minutes to preheat, right?

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But let’s be honest, many of us don’t have the time or patience to wait for that.

However, this is a key cooking step and a common mistake.

A hot pan will help with forced evaporation and allow you to get the perfect fry for your dish.

You move food around too much while it’s cooking

Many of us will want to constantly monitor our food as it cooks and will find ourselves tempted to constantly stir it.

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But be patient.

It’s important to let your food cook without constantly stirring the ingredients in the pan.

This will allow a nice golden color to develop, which also adds texture and flavor.

You always use olive oil

Olive oil is a staple and one that many of us often default to when cooking.

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But it’s worth noting that you shouldn’t use olive oil for everything.

If you’re deep frying or the meat is wilting, it’s best to avoid using olive oil.

Instead, be sure to mix the oils you’re using – vegetable oil is good for high-heat sautéing and sunflower oil is good for cooking fish.

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When you cook noodles, you don’t retain water in the noodles.

If you’ve never heard of keeping some pasta water aside when cooking, listen up.

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The pasta water is full of starch – this will help bind the pasta and sauce together and make the sauce tougher, so it’s important to keep some aside.

It has also been salted, making it more flavorful than the base water.

So remember not to throw it all away when you’re eating pasta because it makes all the difference.

You don’t sharpen your knife

A sharp knife is more effective and safer to use than a dull knife.

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You may be worried about a sharp knife, but using a dull knife means you need to exert more force whenever you use it – which can lead to accidents.

Ideally, you should sharpen your knife every few months.

This will make it easier for you to cut things and cause less harm to yourself and your food.

You put hot food directly into the refrigerator

If you are someone who loves to eat leftovers and want to keep them in the fridge for the next day, chances are you’ve made a mistake.

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Is it dangerous to order hot food right away in the refrigerator as this can increase the temperature of the refrigerator and endanger other foods.

To avoid that, keep your food out of the fridge and wait a few hours before putting it in the fridge.

Also, put your hot but not hot food in air-tight containers and leave space next to them in the refrigerator, to cool them down faster.

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Meanwhile, I’m a chef and you cooked your coat potatoes all wrong… the right way to get crispy skin with no effort.

Also, you poached your eggs wrong… here’s how to get the perfect runny egg in just 40 seconds.

As well as this, You’ve Cooked All Your Scrambled Eggs Wrong… These 5 tips will give you the perfect sponge cake.