I really struggle when it comes to matters in the kitchen, for example, it takes me an hour to cook Minute Rice. 😀 With Thanksgiving around the corner, writer Hannah Whittenly, identifies five common mistakes we make in the kitchen. Fixing these mistakes will make your Thanksgiving dinner more special.
There are many mistakes most cooks do in the kitchen that they should stop doing. Correcting the mistakes allow you to:
- Make better food for your family or whoever you’re preparing the food for,
- Results in your equipment lasting longer, and
- Helps you to control food safety.
Here are five things you might be doing wrong and what you should start doing instead:
#1 – Using The Oven Thermometer
Food is best prepared when it’s cooked at the proper temperature. Yet, oven thermometers are notorious for being off by several degrees.
Before you cook another thing, try this test. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Take a pie pan and line it with foil.
Place two tablespoons of sugar in the pan. Then, place the pan in the oven.
Within 15 minutes, the sugar should have melted. If it melts faster than that, your oven temperature is too high.
If it doesn’t melt, raise the oven temperature until it does. The bottom line is you need to use an internal thermometer and monitor it carefully.
#2 – Using Dull Kitchen Knives
You need to sharpen your kitchen knives on a regular basis, but many people never do. Dull knives lead to accidents in the kitchen.
They also make it take longer to prepare a meal. Instead of using a dull knife, get a whetstone.
Soak the stone in water until there are no more bubbles. Remove the stone and lay it on a wet towel.
Grab the knife at about a 20-degree angle and pull it across the roughest side of the stone several times. Use your non-dominant hand to apply pressure to the top of the knife.
Then, turn the stone over and pull it across the smoother side. To help you, just check out some popular YouTube videos that can show you exactly what to do.
#3 – Pouring Grease Down the Sink
Hot oil may seem like a liquid that can just be washed down the drain with some hot running water. However, once the oil is cooled off it will harden and turn into a solid.
This will cause your pipes to clog up and force you to call a plumber like those at Rooter Pro Plumbing or whatever service you might use that specializes in unclogging pipes.
Instead, you should know most oil can be filtered and reused several times, which can also save you money.
Some people like to pour all of their leftover grease into a can or glass jar so they can either use it or let it build up before throwing it out in the trash.
#4 – Not Letting Food Rest
Few cooks realize cooked food needs to rest for a few minutes before eaten. Usually, we’re in a rush to just devour it and get on with the rest of our day.
However, this is a very important step not skip. When it comes to meat, resting the meat allows it to reabsorb its natural juices – making it tenderer.
With other foods, this step can also increase the flavor.
#5 – Crowding The Pan
Many cooks tend to fit too much food into the baking pan so they don’t have to use multiple pans. However, they don’t realize this makes it so steam can’t escape from their foods.
By having nowhere to escape to, the steam reabsorbs into the food and makes it soggy.
If this seems to be problem, make sure the food you’re cooking has room on each side.
Hopefully, you now know what you should do and not do while cooking so you can make sure your next meal is just perfect. If you have found these tips to be useful or have any more ideas to add, please leave a note in the Comment section. Thank you.
