Bad cooking habits to avoid at all costs


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You’ve laid out the ingredients for a recipe you’ve been eager to try, you start reading through the steps and realize you’ve had to marinate the meat for at least two hours, or similar. There’s almost no chance you can improvise at this point, especially if you’re expecting guests or are not willing to eat hours later than planned. Before buying your ingredients, read the recipe steps not just the ingredients list and plan your time accordingly.




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Impatience is the root cause of many kitchen nightmares, especially when they involve oven temperatures and baking. It’s natural to want to watch your cakes rise, but every time you pop the door open, the oven cools down and takes time to get back up to temperature. It’s inefficient and extends the cooking time. It also means that a variety of bakes, from meringues to bread, may fail entirely.




Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.




Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.




Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.




Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.




Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.




Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.


Whether it’s adding salt to boiling water for pasta or pepper to a rich stove-top stew, sometimes we forget the importance of seasoning. Seasoning mostly refers to just salt and pepper as they’re both essential in balancing the dish, plus enhancing herbs and spices used in the recipe as well as other flavors. Note how many times cookery show contestants fail, purely because they didn’t season their dishes correctly.




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When we finally bust out the barbecue as the sun comes out, we often get a little over-excited and throw the meat on the grill while the coals are still kicking up massive flames. Cue meat – and vegetables – that are burnt on the outside and raw on the inside. Results will be much better if you wait for the flames to die down and cook using the hot coals.




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We often unintentionally forget to wash fruit, vegetables and salad leaves. But it’s good practice to wash everything, rinsing off any pesticides, bacteria and dirt, thus reducing our chances of getting ill. It also makes it much less likely that caterpillars and any other insects will accidentally end up in your salad.




Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.





Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.


Anyone who has catered for a vegetarian or vegan will find themselves, at some stage, eyeing up two identical wooden spoons trying to remember which was stirring the meat pan and which the vegetarian pan. Sometimes we’ll replace both and start again, other times we might look over our shoulder, check no one is looking and take that 50:50 chance. Just don’t.




Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.




Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.


For some reason this is rarely a problem when baking biscuits, but for other dishes we don’t always taste as we go. Without tasting a curry sauce, how do you know when it’s reached the heat level you like or whether a broth is seasoned enough? How about whether a sauce needs a little acidity or sweetness? You might get lucky when cooking familiar dishes you know by heart, but if you’re trying something new, it’s essential to taste as you go.




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It might be fine if you’re just cooking for yourself, but if cooking for others it’s simply unhygienic, especially during COVID-19. If you want to try the dish you’re making, use a teaspoon and don’t double-dip – wash it or put it away in the sink or the dishwasher as soon as it’s been in your mouth. Same goes for dipping your fingers in to taste food.




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We all have an array of herbs and spices that don’t always see the light of day, which means when they do come out they’re not always in great condition. If a spice mix comes out of the jar in a solid lump, throw it out. Use fresh flavorings when you can, especially herbs, chili and similar, and buy in small quantities for maximum flavor.




Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.




Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.


Non-stick pans really are amazing. They’re easier to cook with, serve from and clean – and a godsend for making dishes such as omelets and fish. They’re also exceptional if you want to cook healthier meals, using less fat like oil or butter. Yet there’s one very quick way to ruin them: metal utensils cut the non-stick layer so that it flakes off, quickly shortening the life of the pan. Get a few nylon, silicone and wooden spatulas, spoons and fish slices to have on hand every time you cook.




Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.




Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.


Back to our tendency towards impatience again. Searing a pork or lamb chop adds lots of flavor but it also tenses the meat. For the best results, remove your meat from the pan or the oven once cooked, loosely cover it with tin foil and let it rest for about 10 minutes. In that time the meat will relax and the juices will redistribute evenly. It will also prevent medium steaks from bleeding out on the plate when sliced.




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Blunt knives not only require more effort to achieve the same effect as a sharp knife but make it harder to cut as you intend. With a blunt knife, the more pressure you apply the more likely you are to injure yourself. Counter-intuitively a sharp knife is actually a safer knife as you have a lot more control and precision over the cuts you’re making.




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A lot of foods benefit from contact with the bottom of the pan for flavor and color. But constantly churning ingredients with a wooden spoon deprives them of that contact making it more likely you’ll end up with a shapeless mush. Let the ingredients fry and when ready, use the pan to mix them. This will take some time to master, but lift your pan at a slight angle, push it away and then bring back up in a circular motion to mix.




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It’s a mistake we all make, mostly because of our forgetfulness, but something we can easily fix. Taking steak and other raw meats from the fridge and putting it straight in the pan means the risk the meat will be overcooked on the outside and still raw in the middle is high. Instead, take your meat out of the fridge about half an hour, depending on its size, before cooking so it can come up to room temperature.




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Sure, it’s easier to have it uncovered, but butter absorbs smells so can pick up the taste of anything with a strong aroma that’s left in the fridge. To avoid this, refrigerate butter in its original packaging within a re-sealable plastic bag or use a butter dish with a cloche.




Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.




Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.


Sure, they might be going in the same pan, but you should have a separate chopping board for raw meat, so food doesn’t cross-contaminate. Raw or undercooked meat is one of the main causes of food poisoning and having different chopping boards and knives for vegetables and meat will reduce the risk. At the very least, be sure to give your cutting board and knives an extremely good clean after they touch raw meat.




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Do you know where your cat’s paws have been all day? Don’t let your cat, dog or any other animal walk on the table or kitchen surface and don’t let them lick produce or cooking utensil if you want to avoid picking up bacteria.




Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.




Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.


They might claim to be dishwasher safe but high temperatures and strong cleaning chemicals will start to wear down the non-stick coating on your pans and you’ll have to replace them much sooner than you’d like. Just stick to washing them by hand.




Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.




Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.


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