10 Kitchen Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Not Tasting As You Go

When putting together a meal, it’s always necessary to taste it along the way. This can allow you to notice any obvious inconsistencies in your dish and remedy them. Realize that recipes are estimates of ingredient amounts and cooking times.

Not Reading The Cooking Instructions First

We’re sure you’ve done this at least once in the past. You start at step one and feel like you’re on a roll. That is until you realize that the recipe split one ingredient into multiple parts, and you put all of it in your mixture on the first step. Or, you discover that you need to simmer a mixture of ingredients for hours before using them. Take the time to read the instructions first.

Making Unwise Substitutes

If you made the last mistake, you might find yourself in a pinch of missing an ingredient or two. While googling can reveal some common substitutes, they’re all going to change the mixture and may turn out too gummy or dense. Instead, make sure you have all the ingredients before getting started.

Boiling Instead Of Simmering

Whether you’re trying to rush your dish along or you turned up the heat too high, boiling can destroy a dish that is meant to be simmered. This can lead to a tough, dry, and cloudy dish.

Over-Softening Butter

It’s easy to forget to set some butter sticks on the counter about 30 minutes prior to putting your meal together. In a pinch, you may try to soften your butter in the microwave. This will result in the batter spreading too much or your cakes becoming too dense. If you forget to set your butter out, cut it up into smaller portions so that it will soften much quicker.

Slicing Meat With The Grain

When it comes to meat, you want to get tender pieces for your eaters. This is accomplished by slicing your meat against the grain. Slicing with the grain results in overly chewy meat.

Underbaking

In an attempt to avoid overcooking baked goods, you may be tempted to undercook them. However, undercooking results in gummy and pallid baked goods. To avoid underbaking your food, check on it every few minutes until it reaches the point of looking done.

Not Using A Meat Thermometer

A meat thermometer is a must-have tool for your kitchen. Without it, you risk overcooking or undercooking your meat. Looks can be very deceiving with meat, so do yourself a favor and use a meat thermometer to ensure you get the right internal temperature every time.

Not Resting Meat

When you finish cooking your meat, you’ll want to give it time to rest. This way, the juices stay inside of it. If you try to slice the meat before it’s had time to rest, you’ll lose all of those tasty juices.

Not Shocking Vegetables

After you’ve cooked your vegetables to their desired temperature, you’ll need to shock them. This process works by plunging them into ice water or rinsing them in cold water. This stops the cooking process. Without shocking your vegetables, they’ll end up mushy.

Originally published on  jasonsheasby.net