How to Avoid Common Cooking Mistakes

Common Cooking Mistakes Can be Avoided

Even a seasoned cook sometimes needs a little refresher to correct a problem with cooking, seasoning, or using the wrong tool. Habits can be hard to break, but understanding the science and art of creative cuisine brings your cooking skills to a new level of proficiency. We've put together some tips on how you can avoid common cooking mistakes.

Use the Proper Tools

If your bratwurst or sausages are dry, you've probably speared them. Always use tongs to move or turn your meat to preserve the natural juices.
Use metal pans for baking things you want crispy or golden - cookies, meat loaf, brownies - anything you want to brown. Only use glass pans for things like casseroles.

Don't Burn Your Food

Every oven has peculiarities. Your oven's temperature may heat higher than what the read-out says. Use an oven thermometer to ensure you're using the correct temperature.
Avoid burning sauces by adding the thickener at the very end of cooking and simmer only until the sauce is your preferred consistency.
Bake bacon in the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes and you'll never have burnt bacon again.

Overcooking

Cook scrambled eggs on a low heat and remove while still moist.
Some items like custards and brownies should be removed from the oven or range before they are completely cooked. They'll continue to cook after they're removed from the heat.
Shock cooked veggies by dowsing them in cold water when they're done cooking to stop the cooking process. Your vegetables are tender-crisp without being mushy.

Undercooking

Using an accurate timer and meat thermometer ensures an entrée that's cooked to perfection.
Prevent undercooked pie crust by baking at a high temperature of 425-450 degrees Fahrenheit for 20-30 minutes and reducing the temperature to 350-375 degrees Fahrenheit for the remainder of the cooking time.

Seasoning

Two of the most common faux pas cooks make are over-seasoning and under-seasoning their dishes. One can render the dish inedible and the other makes you look like you're a real novice in the kitchen.

The solution to both problems is to taste as you go along. Don't assume a recipe's given amounts are always right and don't believe you're always correct with measuring your ingredients.
When you're salting water for cooking pasta or potatoes, don't just add a small amount of salt. The water should have a distinctly salty flavor. Otherwise, you haven't added enough salt to flavor the pasta properly.