There are a few mistakes that professional chefs almost never make. Of course, they were trained in their field but, this almost always puts the edge on their cooking, making you feel the master of their art. Simple techniques that they have downpacked can make the world of a difference to basic meals you’re already preparing in your kitchen. (Relax, we’re not trying to change your granny’s sweet bread recipe here.) They’re just minor adjustments that almost every home cook can benefit from. Here are a few of the most common mistakes chefs never make. Fix these and maybe the pros won’t have anything on your cooking.
#1 Seasoning Food Improperly
When you’re trying to impersonate Salt Bae, it’s easy to either under- or over-season your food. Not only can it be difficult to get the balance right but sometimes, you just aren’t sure whether your food needs salt or not. A good rule of thumb is to season in layers. This basically means that you season every major ingredient you add to your dish or you season your pot every time something is added to it. This way, each component is seasoned and the dish comprehensively tastes adequately seasoned. You risk over- or under-salting if you season at the end of the cooking process—additionally, an overly dominant salt flavour can appear, muddling all the other beautiful flavours you developed previously.
When cooking pasta (even if it’s macaroni for your macaroni pie), always salt the water that the pasta is boiled in. Some chefs suggest adding enough salt to make the water taste like seawater. You don’t have to be that drastic with the seasoning, but definitely add more than just a pinch. Try adding 1 to 2 tablespoons of salt for every 5 to 6 quarts of water. Not only does it prevent the pasta from getting that dreaded slimy texture, but it also seasons the pasta itself.
#2 Measuring Flour By Volume
Measuring flour by volume is often overlooked, but it’s a key step in baking. This is especially because most recipe books call for cups—and let’s face it, it’s way easier to dig your cup measures into your flour than go through the trouble of weighing. Weighing however, is crucial to the results of your baked product. This is because measuring flour via cups usually means that the cup will be tightly packed with a lot more flour than what is actually required. For reference, 1 cup of flour is 125 grams but if you use a cup measure to scoop your flour (even if it’s properly leveled at the top) you’re most likely going to get about 150 grams of flour—that’s a whole 25 grams of extra flour! Not only is this a waste of an ingredient but it also causes your cakes and cookies to be dry, crumbly and well, not its full potential.
#3 Cooking Meat Straight Out of the Refrigerator
Most persons take their meat straight out of the fridge, season and cook it—or, they season, refrigerate and then cook—whichever way, the meat is usually cooked when it’s still cold. This is a big NO in the culinary world. For steak and chicken, it’s usually best to leave the meat out for about 10 minutes (depending on the size of the meat, this can range anywhere from 10 to 90 minutes) for it to reach room temperature. This prevents the shock of a high temperature throughout the meat, which usually results in uneven cooking (burnt on the outside, undercooked on the inside), lack of consistent browning and crust on the meat and toughness.
#4 Adding Oil to a Pan Too Soon
This usually happens if you’re in a rush or really just don’t have the patience. Our advice? Learn to be patient and stop trying to save time with this step. Not only does cold oil cause your proteins to stick to the pan but, it prevents that gorgeous, golden-brown sear from forming—and we all know that’s where the yummiest bits hide. How do you know if you’ve added in your oil and ingredients too soon? No sizzle, no crust, no browning and well, no flavour. Leave your pan on medium high-heat for a few minutes (once it’s not smoking, you’re safe) and then add in your oil. BUT WAIT, you have to allow your oil to heat up as well—and only then can you add in your vegetables or proteins.
#5 Not resting meat
Everyone gets excited when their meat finally comes off the heat. You smell the salty savouriness and stare at the glossy, juicy tops before diving in. This is one of the biggest mistakes you can make as it will surely ruin a perfectly good piece of meat. Cutting into your meat immediately after it’s finished cooking squeezes the juices out of the meat and leaves you with a wet plate and dry piece of meat. Let your chicken, steak and lamb sit for 5 to 10 minutes so the juices can redistribute around the meat. For bigger pieces of meat like whole chickens or pot roasts, let the meat rest for 20 to 30 minutes. Tent with a piece of foil to keep the meat warm. You’ll get to savour juicy pieces of meat instead of wasting it on your plate.
#6 Overcrowding a pan
Food contains a lot of water and when you try to sauté too much of one ingredient in a pan, they release that moisture and begin to steam—this is not where Flavour Town is at. When sautéing, you want your vegetables to be slightly crisp, brown and seared; not soggy and mushy.
Even worse, that brown crisp that everyone craves on their meat will appear more like a murky, grey coat. Try sautéing your vegetables and meat in batches—yes, it may take a bit longer but, it’s worth it. Understandably, this usually happens when you’re in a hurry and can’t be bothered but, if that’s the case, split your vegetable or meat batches up and use two pans.
#7 Not Using Enough Water When Boiling Pasta
To put it simply, unless you’re cooking for one or a really small amount for two, you almost always need a pretty big pot when boiling pasta. Having too little water in your pot causes the starches in the pasta to make the water thick and as a result, the pasta becomes gummy and stick to each other. Additionally, when the pasta is initially added to the water, because there is such a small amount of it (water), the temperature lowers significantly and thus, cooks the pasta slowly. This in turn makes the pasta very mushy and not the much coveted al dente. Err on the side of caution; you can’t ever cook pasta in too much water. We suggest anywhere from 4 to 6 quarts (unless you’re cooking for a village).
#8 Cutting Meat The Wrong Way
Yes, there is such a thing as cutting meat the wrong way. Cutting against the grain of your meat not only tenderises it but allows for a more friendly mouth-feel. Cutting along the grain however, is a sure way to completely obliterate your meat. The grain of the meat are the lines on your meat or the direction that the meat tears naturally, this is usually the direction in which the muscle fibres of the meat were formed. You always want to cut the opposite rather than parallel to the grain otherwise, you’ll end up with a stringy, tough piece of meat that could have been saved if you just cut in the correct direction.
#9 Substituting Dried for Fresh Herbs
Substituting dried for fresh herbs is doable but not always successful. It’s usually difficult to always find or have on hand a specific type of fresh herb. If you do plan on substituting dried herbs then, choose wisely. It can usually be successfully done in soups, sauces and when seasoning meats. It’s not recommended that you do it where the textural element and freshness of the herb is crucial such as dips, salads or sautés. Also, keep in mind that dried herbs (because they are dried) are intense and concentrated in flavour, meaning that way less of dried herbs are needed than fresh herbs. If swapping, use one third the amount called for fresh herbs.
#10 Boiling not Simmering
A simmer and a boil aren’t the same thing. Simply, a boil is when your water frequently bubbles while a simmer is a more tame, seldom small bubble. The latter also occurs at a much lower temperature. When a recipe calls for a dish to be simmered you definitely need to turn your heat down in order to ensure that a simmer and not a boil occurs. A few things can go wrong if you disobey this instruction. For one, your sauce or soup can become very thick, very fast—then, you have to go through the trouble of adjusting the consistency and the seasoning. Secondly, the higher temperature causes whatever proteins or vegetables are in the pot to cook very quickly, risking overcooked, dry or mushy protein. So, do yourself a favour and pay attention to your pot and heat source dial.