Kitchens in most homes are likely to be a focal point for the entire family. For some, they are like an oasis away from everything. Since so much amount of our time is spent in cooking, many errors also take place in the kitchen area. I mean let's face it to err is human, right?
Every new cook goes through the same trials and errors. Everyone has experienced that dreadful moment in the kitchen. Regardless of the severity of the mistake, you ought to do the best you can to try to avoid these when possible. Here is our list of most common cooking mistakes and how to avoid them:
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Don't overstock: Many people do their entire grocery shopping at the start of the month and then stock the food till the month ends. This practice may be ok for some foods; however doing the same thing for fruits and vegetables is not a wise decision. Fruits and veggies start losing their precious vitamins and minerals after sometime. The wise thing would be to purchase them in small quantities at regular intervals.
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Not washing the food: It may seem unimportant as the food anyways cooks at high temperature but it really is vital that you wash your produce before cutting/cooking it. Bacteria can be transferred from the skin to the core when you slice through the outer skin.
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Over peeling the food: The skin of the fruits and vegetables contains a lot of antioxidants and fiber. Peeling most of it away reduces the nutrient value. So instead of peeling, just wash your fruits and vegetables well to maximize the benefits.
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Over salted food: This happens to almost everyone who enters the kitchen. It is a very common judgment error to add excess salt to your food. In such scenarios, add a potato slice to the preparation and let it become translucent. Potato, by nature, is salt absorbing and will reduce the salt content of your food.
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Over boiling the food: While boiling the food is a good practice to reduce the cooking time and to make sure its germ free, over boiling leads to an evaporation of valuable nutrients like Potassium, vitamin B and vitamin C. If boiling is necessary, make sure you use the broth for cooking as well.
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Over spiced food: After over salting of food, this might be the next common mistake. Adding a slice of raw potato may help but just a little. Adding hot water also helps.
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Too quick to cook garlic: Garlic health benefits and medicinal properties have long been known. Studies have proven its heart-healthy benefits and its role in prevention of cancer. But the way you use garlic in your cooking can have significant effect on it's healthful properties. Crush the garlic cloves and set them aside for 10 minutes before cooking. A recent study has shown that this enhances the formation of a healthy compound called allyl sulfur.
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Thin gravy: Sometimes excess of water causes your gravy or sauce to become very thin. Adding a mixture of corn flour and butter helps it to thicken it up a lot. Allowing the excess liquid to boil out also increases the consistency.
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Not Reading the Recipe completely: One of the most common mistakes newbie's make is to not read the recipe fully before starting in the kitchen. This leads to shortage or lack of ingredients, last minutes contingencies and a host of other problems. To avoid this, read the recipe first. Make sure you have all the necessary ingredients and then start your cooking.
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Not measuring the ingredients: One of the major reasons of cooking failures is due to the fact that people use human judgment for measuring the ingredients. If you are a Pro at cooking you certainly can but if not, use proper measuring cups and spoon when making your favorite dish.
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High flame: Many people think that by increasing the flame the food cooks faster. That's certainly not the case. It will only result in burnt food. The following clean up efforts are certainly overwhelming and cumbersome. Have some patience and let the food cook on a low flame. Especially meat otherwise it ends up burned on the outside, raw on the inside. If it is already burnt, add water and liquid fabric softener to the pot and let it stand. Later, scrub it out.
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Improper storage: Many of us think that everything can be stored equally. However, some food requires a specific storage condition for it to remain fresh. Using see-though a container to store milk is a NO-NO as exposure to sunlight reduces the vitamins in it. Storing bananas in the fridge will result them to blacken and lose their taste. Here is a complete guide on how to store fruits and vegetables so that they remain fresh.
Remember good cooks learn from the mistakes and find ways to correct them. Use the above tips to avoid/correct your mistake and eat healthy!
