40 Common Cooking Mistakes To Avoid
Cooking is one of those skills that's basically integral to being a functional adult. While you don't need to be a Michelin Star chef in order to put food on the table, you do need to know some of the basics so you can feed yourself.
Of course, cooking can also be incredibly complicated, with countless pitfalls associated with cutting, chopping, boiling, and broiling — and these mistakes can create big messes. Whatever your skill level, you'll be well-equipped for success after reading some of our tips.
Preheating is more important than you think.
For simple convenience foods or more complicated dinners, it might be tempting to just program the correct temperature into the oven and then throw the food in — but failing to preheat carries some issues.
A lot of recipes rely on consistent heating from start to finish — in other words, the same temperature rather than one that rises from room temperature to cooking temperature. If you don't preheat, food might not have the right texture or could lose moisture.
Let your meals breathe.
When you're cooking a big meal — say, Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner — oven real estate is frequently at a premium. While this might be the case, don't give in to the temptation to cram your oven full of dishes to heat.
When you overcrowd a pan of food, it can prevent the food within from cooking properly. This is particularly true when it comes to sautéing or frying, as these two techniques rely on heat circulating through empty space. If you don't have enough room, just cook in batches.
Follow. The. Recipe.
Cooking can be something that you do by feeling rather than following a recipe — and if you're this good at it, more power to you. But for the rest of us, it's usually important to follow the recipe.
Skipping this crucial step and simply winging it might go well once or twice, but eventually will lead to disaster. Missed ingredients, mistimed steps, or general confusion can result when you don't closely follow the directions.
A knife for every task.
Most people have a well-equipped knife rack or knife block, full of knives of all shapes and descriptions. Believe it or not, each knife has been shaped in a certain way and is best used with certain tasks.
Using the wrong knife — or worse, a dull one — can damage and crush ingredients. It can also make it more difficult to chop, which in itself can be dangerous. It's worthwhile to invest in decent knives and use the proper knife for the proper task.
Mix, but not too much.
Mixing batter or dough can be a bit of a trial-and-error process, as it's tough for a recipe to convey the right consistency. In any event, try to mix stuff just as much as it needs to be mixed, and avoid overmixing.
Overmixing can create pockets of excess air, which in turn can create a tough, dense texture in baked goods. As a rule of thumb, you want to mix until things are combined, and then stop.
To everything there is a season.
Of course, you don't want your food to be over-seasoned, but you also don't want to under-season it either. Seasoning like salt enhances flavors, but cooks are sometimes hesitant to overdo it.
The best way to handle this is to simply sample your dish as you cook and gradually increase the seasoning as needed. Salt enhances flavors across the board, while ingredients like herbs and spices add some depth for your taste buds.
Preheat your pan, not just your oven.
One small nuance that's easy to overlook is that it's important to put your food not just into a properly preheated oven, but a properly preheated pan as well.
Putting food into a cold pan before cooking can lead to unevenness during the cooking process. Just let your pan preheat as your oven preheats, then add food to it once everything's nice and warm (just make sure to use oven mitts!).
Don't sleep on carryover cooking.
We're programmed to believe that food is finished cooking as soon as it's pulled out of the oven, but that isn't quite the case. Carryover cooking refers to the final part of the cooking process — the part where the food keeps cooking for a bit even after it's removed from heat.
For hot dishes, especially those containing meat, remove them from the oven just before they reach their desired doneness. Carryover cooking will take care of the rest.
Let it absorb.
Another common pitfall associated with removing food from heat is cutting into it too early, especially with meat. If you cut into a meat dish as soon as you remove it from the oven, it'll release the juices and result in dry meat.
The remedy to this one is incredibly simple: After removing your dish from the oven, just let it sit for a couple of minutes to let the juice redistribute.
To boil or to simmer?
When you boil, you bring liquids to a high temperature quickly, while simmering is a gentler method that applies less heat over a longer period of time. While they're similar, they shouldn't be conflated with one another.
Boiling something that should be simmered can have a negative effect, as it breaks down ingredients and causes crucial ingredients to evaporate away entirely. This can affect both the texture and flavor of the finished product.
Do your stir-fries dry.
We all know that you should wash your produce before cooking it, but that doesn't mean that it's a good idea to throw a bunch of wet veggies into your dish, particularly if that dish is stir-fry.
This is because the moisture released during the stir-frying process will essentially steam everything that's in the pan when you really want it to sear. Just dry your veggies after washing them, either with a towel or in a salad spinner.
Don't put things in cold.
We know that you shouldn't use a cold pan or oven, and should instead allow them to preheat. This is true of lots of ingredients as well, especially baking staples like butter and eggs.
If the ingredients you're using are too cold, it can make mixing difficult and result in a texture that's less than ideal. If you're able to plan ahead, just take these ingredients out of the fridge about half an hour before you plan on using them.
Pasta requires a delicate touch.
Pasta is tough to cook because so much of it relies on feel and personal preference — you can't simply set a temperature and time, you need to actually sample the firmness of the pasta.
Nobody likes overcooked, mushy pasta — and once pasta is soft, it's impossible to reverse the process. Cook it slightly al dente — firm and slightly chewy — for the best texture. This also helps protect against overcooking.
Dried herbs or fresh?
Herbs are a confusing ingredient because you'll find both dry and fresh versions of the same herb at the grocery store — but even though the contents are technically the same, they're not really interchangeable.
This is because dried herbs have concentrated flavors, while fresh herbs are more subtle (and, well, "fresh" tasting). Fresh herbs add a vibrant taste that tends to disappear when cooking for too long, so they should be added towards the end of the cooking cycle.
You need to knead better.
Kneading dough for bread can be a tricky proposition, and it all has to do with gluten — the part of wheat flour that adds stretch to bread. If you handle and knead the dough too much, it'll overwork the gluten and ruin its stretchy effect, resulting in tough, dense bread.
For light and flaky bread, you'll want to knead gently and only knead until the ingredients are combined. There's no need to keep massaging it endlessly.
Don't crank up the heat.
It might be tempting to turn temperatures all the way up, because hotter temperatures should result in faster cooking. While this is generally true, there's a lot of nuance here, as cranking heat too high at the beginning of the cooking process can lead to food that's scorched on the outside but uncooked on the inside.
For best results, start with moderate heat and increase it as needed. This gradual process is a better way to ensure that food is properly cooked.
A good cook tastes as they go.
One of the perks of cooking is the fact that you can basically be eating the whole time if you want to. As it turns out, this is more than just a perk — it's a necessity.
By tasting your dish as you go, you'll be able to dial in the right amount of seasoning or level of doneness. You can wait until the end of the process to have a taste if you'd like — but by this point, it's too late to go back and make any corrections.
Don't add nonstick to nonstick.
At this point, we're all used to using nonstick pans, and occasionally nonstick cooking spray. These both add a lot of convenience to the cooking process, but there's such a thing as too much non-stickiness.
Adding nonstick spray to a nonstick pan is not only redundant, it also creates a sticky residue that damages the nonstick surfaces over time. For nonstick pans, use a bit of oil or butter instead.
Baking soda and baking powder don't last forever.
It's hard to know if baking soda or baking powder has gone off without reading the expiration date, as they don't tend to give off too many signs. While they might seem immortal, they are not — and you should pay attention to those expiration dates.
This is because they lose their magical leavening properties as they expire. A recipe that relies on baking powder might fall flat because the powder no longer causes baked goods to rise as they should.
Know when it's garlic time.
Garlic is a miracle ingredient for savory dishes, so it makes sense to have garlic cloves on hand and apply them liberally to recipes. But don't be too eager, as adding garlic too early on in the cooking process is a mistake.
This is because overcooking garlic negates its savory properties and causes it to turn bitter. It's best utilized when added towards the end of sautéing, right before you add liquids and other ingredients.
Add flour little by little.
For baked goods that rely on flour, you don't want to use too much flour, as it can make them dense and dry. That said, it can be hard to avoid flour, particularly when you need a light dusting of the stuff when rolling out dough.
The best way to manage things is to use a very light dusting of flour when rolling out dough, and then make sure to brush off any excess before you throw it in the oven. Alternatively, roll dough in between sheets of parchment flavor and avoid rolling it in flour altogether.
Skim the fat.
Fat can be a tough component to juggle, as you don't want your finished dishes to have too much or too little. While it's a tricky balancing act, one thing that's easy to do is to remove fat that rises to the surface when making broths or sauces.
This layer of fat is easy to remove, but if it's left to simmer, it can affect the texture and flavor of the finished product. Just skim it off using a spoon of a fat separator.
Give pasta a quick bath.
Once pasta is cooked and you've strained out the water, it's done and ready to be served, right? Wrong. Ideally, pasta should be rinsed right after it's drained. This removes its starchy coating and makes it easier for your noodles to absorb sauce.
This tip doesn't apply when making cold pasta salad, but it's basically universal when it comes to any hot pasta dish.
Deglaze, deglaze, deglaze.
Deglazing a pan is something that we've all probably heard or read about, but it isn't necessarily clear what this actually means. It essentially refers to adding liquid like wine, broth, or water to a pan after sautéing or browning meat.
Doing this helps to lift up the caramelized bits (known as 'fond) from the pan. It not only cleans the pan, but helps ensure that this flavorful fond is incorporated into the dish that you're cooking.
Don't cook cold meat.
While there's nothing inherently wrong with throwing a frozen burger patty onto the grill, you'll likely want to take more care when it comes to higher-quality cuts of meat.
Cooking meat that's still cold tend to lead to uneven cooking and dried out, bland meat. This is easy to avoid, of course, by removing meat from the fridge and letting it come to room temperature before you start cooking.
Use the right amount of water for boiling.
While vegetables will boil just fine in a gigantic pot with lots of water, doing so will dilute their flavor, reduce nutrient retention, and just take longer in general.
For these situations, use just enough water to cover them in order to maintain their flavor and preserve those nutrients. Alternatively, you can just steam them and avoid this potential issue altogether.
A meat thermometer is a worthwhile investment.
It might seem daunting, and perhaps a tad unnecessary, to use a meat thermometer — but if you want meat that's perfectly cooked, it's pretty much a necessity.
The thermometer will help you dial in the proper temperature and level of doneness while allowing for meat to continue cooking after it's removed from the heat. Guessing the level of doneness works well for some cooks, but a meat thermometer takes the guesswork out of things.
Salt the water, but not too much.
One of the fun chef flourishes of cooking a pot of pasta entails adding a pinch of salt, and then maybe a second pinch of salt. While this is fun to do and adds much-needed flavor, it's important to not overdo it.
Adding too much salt to the pot can make pasta basically inedible, so it's something to do with tact. Try to add about a tablespoon of salt per every four to six quarts of water. If you taste the water, it should be salty, but not overwhelmingly so.
Let your dough rest.
We all need to take a breather from time to time, so why not extend this same nicety to the dough? For recipes that rely on gluten to add stretch and yeast to make the dough rise — stuff like bread and pizza dough — it's important to let the dough rest.
This gives it time for the gluten and yeast to work their magic. If you skip this step, you'll likely get tough, chewy bread.
Scrape the bowl.
If you're mixing ingredients for any kind of dough or baked good, it's unavoidable to have some of the batter or dough creep up the sides of the bowl.
It's important to periodically scrape this wayward batter back into the bowl. Otherwise, some ingredients will be left out of the mix and not incorporated properly, and your recipe will be worse as a result.
Go against the grain.
While going with the grain is a hallmark of a relaxed person, you absolutely want to go against the grain when it comes to cutting meat. If you slice with the grain, cuts of meat will be tough and chewy.
Slicing against the grain — in other words, against the direction of the muscle fibers within the meat — will break up the tough fibers and result in a more tender, appetizing cut of meat.
Baked goods need to chill for a bit.
It's so tempting to eat a cookie or treat straight off the pan when it's pulled out of the oven — but true chefs know that these baked goods need to cool for a bit before they can be enjoyed.
We all know this because we're all guilty of it, but rushing to eat baked goods before they've properly cooled can cause them to crumble and fall apart. There's also the risk of burnt fingers.
Know how to measure flour.
It seems like measuring flour is a simple process — just dunk a measuring cup into a bag of flour and level out the top, right? As it turns out, this method is less than ideal because it causes flour to pack down, making for inaccurate measurements.
This method is a little more time-consuming, but it's worth it: Just use a spoon to add flour to a measuring cup, then level it off with a knife. This flour will be more loosely packed.
Don't overcook fish.
Fish can be a difficult dish to cook, as it's delicate and cooks quickly — and that's to say nothing of the subtle variations entailed in cooking different types of fish.
As a rule of thumb, never use high heat to cook fish. It'll scorch the exterior while leaving the inside raw or dried out. Just cook it on medium heat and keep a close eye on it. A quick sear can help matters as well.
There's such a thing as too many ingredients.
There's a whole world of delicious ingredients out there, but there's a good reason for us not throwing every ingredient into every recipe. It's because overcomplicating recipes and adding more and more ingredients can overwhelm the dish and create some weird flavor profiles.
Instead, stick to the recipe and let its main components do the heavy lifting. There's nothing wrong with some light improvisation, but don't overdo it.
You might need an altitude adjustment.
Believe it or not, your height above (or below) sea level has a big impact on your cooking. Water boils at lower temperatures at higher altitudes — and those living in particularly mountainous regions will need to adjust their cooking times as a result.
It doesn't take long to figure out how long things take to boil or cook at your specific altitude, but it's important to take this variable under advisement.
Season in layers, not at the same time.
Most recipes have at least a few types of seasoning in them, but that doesn't mean that you should dump salt, pepper, herbs, and spices all in at the same time as it can result in inconsistent flavor.
Instead, add your seasoning at different stages of the cooking process. Dried herbs can be added early, while fresh herbs should go in at the end.
Get to know your oven.
Every oven seems to have a mind of its own, so it's good to know how your particular oven likes to operate. Most ovens develop hot and cold spots over time, and it's helpful to know where these are.
To alleviate this, try rotating dishes as they cook for even distribution of flavor. Cooking a pizza is a good way to see at a glance where your oven is particularly hot.
Clean your grill.
Grillmasters might claim that a dirty grill adds extra flavor to meat, but this is really just an excuse for not putting the work in to properly clean your grill.
A dirty grill does indeed lead to more flavor, but probably not the kinds of flavors you really want to be tasting. It can also cause food to stick to the grate. Always preheat your grill and scrub it thoroughly with a wire grill brush.
Don't peek!
After you've carefully crafted a recipe and thrown it in the oven, it's only natural to want to observe the cooking process. But if you're going to do this, try to do so without opening the oven door or lifting the lid.
Doing either of these things will allow heat to escape, throwing cooking times out of wack and potentially messing up your whole dish. Resist the temptation to peek constantly and instead only do so if it's truly necessary.