To excel in the kitchen takes more than just basic skills. It has to be said however, that even the best of cooks have made mistakes before.
If you’re looking to succeed in your new chef job, you’ll have to show that you know your stuff, and make no room for error.
From under-seasoning to mixing up your quantities, here are some of the most common cooking mistakes to avoid in the future.
You’re not tasting your food as you go along
When we try and cook a recipe for the first time, we often take the author or chef’s word as law. How often though have you followed a recipe measure for measure, only to be disappointed by a bland and flavourless dish?
Taste-testing throughout the cooking process allows you to make small adjustments that will ensure the dish is up to a satisfactory level of flavour. Even small discrepancies can affect the outcome of a dish, so to save yourself the aggravation in future, make sure you’re checking your food all the time!
You don’t let your pan heat up properly
It’s vital for a skillet to get hot enough to properly sear your ingredients. If not, your food will just simmer and lose valuable cooking juices in the process.
Rest your pan on the heat and test it’s hot enough by dropping some water in – it should evaporate and sizzle almost immediately. Only add your cooking oil once the pan is hot enough!
Another key tip is to not overcrowd your pan either – if there’s not enough space for the moisture that food releases to evaporate, it’s likely your ingredients will end up looking soggy and insipid.
You’re using the wrong oil
Different oils have different properties and perform better in various temperatures. Certain cooking oils have certain smoke points that suit different temperatures. Use olive oil and butter for low temperatures, peanut oil and ghee for any dishes requiring searing heat, or coconut oil for anything in between.
You’re measuring fresh and dried herbs in the same way
The flavours of dried herbs are often far more concentrated and rich than those of fresh herbs. To keep your flavour balances right, use double the amount of fresh herbs as dried (ore half the amount dried as fresh if you’re converting the other way) to keep the flavour intensities of your dishes balanced.
You’re turning your meat too often
To get the perfect chargrilled pattern and a great sear, you should really only be turning your meat once on the grill.
Doing so too much can result in improperly cooked meat.
You’re either over or under seasoning your food
Another reason to taste your food as you go, over and under-seasoning can really be the make or break of your dishes!
Too much salt and pepper and a dish is ruined with no chance of repair, but not enough and the flavours won’t shine.
For more cooking tips, take a look at this section of our blog.
