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We all love to cook in our free time, don’t we? If you’re someone who enjoys the art of cooking, you must have your own set of tricks when it comes to making something new and interesting. But most of us end up making common mistakes that can be easily avoided with a little bit of knowledge and practice. In this blog post, we will talk about some common mistakes that most home cooks tend to make while trying their hand at cooking. Do read on and take note if you want to become a better cook from now onwards
Use the Right Utensils and Equipment
If you are a beginner cook, you might have heard people say “don’t use a spoon to stir the pot when making soup” but have no clue why. In fact, there are plenty of common cooking mistakes that you can avoid just by using the right utensils and equipment. The right equipment refers to the right cooking vessels, the right cutting boards, and the right cooking tools. The wrong cooking vessels can leave your food tasting awful or worse, unhealthy. Using the wrong cutting boards with different kinds of food can cause cross-contamination, which can lead to food poisoning. The wrong tools can also cause your food to taste awful. For example, using a wooden spoon for cooking with a non-stick pan can leave it tasting awful.
Don’t Over-season your food
Seasoning your food is a must, but over-seasoning your food can ruin a recipe with just one all-too-spicy dash. Seasoning is the process of adding flavor to food by adding spices, herbs, and other ingredients, but over-seasoning food can lead to adverse effects such as making your food taste bitter. You should be able to taste the food, but not the seasoning. The perfect balance of seasoning can make a simple dish taste like a gourmet feast. If you feel like you’ve added too much seasoning, don’t fret as a quick rinse in water can help remove excess seasoning. You can also add a small amount of butter once you’ve rinsed off excess seasoning, as butter can help remove extra salt from your food.
Don’t Rush While Cooking
When you’re hungry and eager to finish cooking, it can be tempting to rush through the process and set the timer for a shorter period than recommended. Cooking everything to the correct temperature can help prevent foodborne illnesses. If a food is undercooked, harmful bacteria can survive inside it, and if it’s overcooked, the bacteria can thrive in it and cause food poisoning. Exact cooking times can differ from one person to another, so you should follow the instructions on the recipe and use an accurate timer to prevent foodborne illnesses.
Let Food Sit Before Serving
Letting food sit before serving can be a helpful way to prevent foodborne illnesses, especially if you are serving meat. Some people like to eat their meat rare or even well done, but in a wrong way. If you are one of those people, you should know that letting your meat sit for a while after you have cooked it can help kill harmful bacteria and make your food safe to eat. The amount of time it takes for food to reach a safe temperature varies depending on the type of food. For example, a steak can take at least three to five minutes to reach a safe temperature, while chicken breast can take 10 to 15 minutes.
Always Keep Your Knives Sharp
Knives can get dull over time, and using an unskilled technique with a dull knife can result in a cut that is not only jagged and uneven but also dangerous. If you want to chop your food smoothly and without cutting yourself, you should make sure that you are using a sharp knife. If you notice that your knife is not as sharp as it used to be, it might be time to sharpen it. But don’t worry as you don’t have to go to a professional to get your knives sharpened. You can either use a whetstone or a pull-through sharpener. If you choose to use a whetstone, you should know that it can take a few minutes to sharpen a knife. A pull-through sharpener, on the other hand, is an electric knife sharpener that can work faster than a whetstone.
Cook Everything to the Proper Temperature
Cooking meat to the proper temperature can help prevent foodborne illnesses such as salmonella or E. coli. You can use a meat thermometer to ensure that your meat is cooked to the right temperature, and you can use a food thermometer to make sure that other foods are cooked properly as well. If you are cooking food that requires a certain temperature to be safe, you can use a food thermometer to check the temperature of the food in order to know if it’s safe to eat.
Conclusion
Now that you have read through this article, you should know that mistakes are a part of life and something that every cook makes. However, you can avoid making these common cooking mistakes by following the tips listed in this article. Now it’s your turn to become a better cook by avoiding these mistakes.
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