More Cooking From Scratch: 12 Mistakes People Make

Even if you’ve been cooking for many years now and are pretty good at it, there may be a few bad habits that you’ve been using without even realizing it, particularly when trying to cook from scratch. Maybe you’re always in a rush to get dinner for your family and take a few shortcuts along the way.

Those wrong decisions could make all the difference regarding your meals turning out how you had hoped. Keep reading to discover 12 common mistakes many cooks make when cooking from scratch and to see if you’ve been guilty of any of them. What is cooking from scratch?

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• Spatula
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More Cooking from Scratch Recipes:

• 3 Frugal Chili Recipes Made From Scratch
• How To Make Cream Cheese Mints From Scratch
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• How To Make Fresh Pasta From Scratch

More Cooking From Scratch: 12 Mistakes People Make

1. Adding Your Ingredients to a Cold Pan

One of the most common cooking mistakes is adding your ingredients to a cold pan or pot. Don’t be caught doing this! This is especially true when you’re cooking meat. If you’re trying to get a nice sear on your steak or chicken, you need to make sure that both your pan and cooking oil are hot before adding any food to it. Otherwise, your food could stick to the pan, and it won’t cook evenly. This is an important tip when cooking from scratch.

2. Seasoning Your Food Too Late

Another common cooking mistake is seasoning your food too late. This is especially true when cooking meat because you should never wait until it’s ready to be served. Seasoning your meat before cooking will help lock in the flavor during the cooking process and ensure it’s evenly distributed. Seasoning it after it’s cooked will only give the outside of your food a little flavor while the inside remains bland.

3. Not Preheating Your Oven

If you often forget to preheat the oven, you’re not alone. This is a cooking mistake that’s made all too often. However, it’s an important step that shouldn’t be skipped if you want your food to turn out right and be ready to eat on time. Preheating the oven to the specified oven temperature is a must whether baking cookies or cooking a roast.

4. Cooking Meat Straight from the Refrigerator

Meat should never be taken from the refrigerator and immediately placed on a stove or grill.  It needs to be brought closer to room temperature first. Otherwise, it won’t cook evenly. This is especially true for thick cuts of meat like steaks and chops. If you try cooking them straight from the fridge, the outside will be cooked while the inside could remain undercooked or raw. 20 Satisfying Meatless Taco Recipes

This could prove to be a real food safety issue, particularly with pork and poultry items and raw meat issues. While we’re talking oven temperature, you also need to make sure the meat has been cooked to the right temperature using a meat thermometer. That way you know possible bacteria is killed during the cooking process. The oven thermometer tells the temperature in the oven, but not what the interior of the meat temperature is.

5. Not Using Fresh Ingredients

When cooking from scratch, it’s essential to use the freshest ingredients whenever possible. This includes using fresh herbs, ripe fruits and vegetables, and unprocessed meats. Not only will your food taste better when you use fresh ingredients, but it will also be more nutritious. Fresh Cranberry Salad Recipe I’ve found over the years that my famous no-fail homemade bread always turned out great as long as the ingredients were fresh, particularly the yeast.

6. Not Letting Your Food Rest

If you’re cooking meat, it’s essential to let the meat rest after cooking. Do you know why that is? Allowing cooked meat to rest for several minutes allows the juices to redistribute and ensures that your meat is juicy and tender. If you cut into your meat right after cooking, all the juices will run out, and your meat could dry. Also, during the rest period, the meat continues cooking for a time, again, making sure it is cooked to the right temperature and tenderness.

7. Using the Wrong Knife

When cooking, knowing the right knife for the job is essential. Using a dull knife blade can make meal preparation much more complicated and even dangerous. A sharp knife, on the other hand, will make cooking easier and help you avoid accidents. If you’re cutting meat, a boning knife is your best option, while a chef’s knife is better for thicker cuts of meat. When preparing salads, a salad or lettuce knife is what you should be using to make meal prep the most efficient.

8. Preparing Food on a Messy Workspace  

Another cooking mistake that’s all too common is preparing food in a messy and dirty workspace. A cluttered countertop can make cooking more complex and even lead to accidents and contaminated food. When cooking, it’s essential to have a clean and organized workspace so you don’t have cross-contamination from one food group to another. This will help make cooking easier and ensure your food is safe, and you don’t get sick. 10 Cleaning Tips For The Minimalist

Some people prepare a salad with meat and veggies on the same work surface, like a cutting board, they used to cut up a chicken without considering cleaning the mess on the surface between the two chores. We all know chickens have salmonella or other bacteria that can make you sick. Don’t think that the cooking process will kill all those pesky microbes.

9. Not Tasting Your Food as You Cook

One of the most common mistakes people make when cooking is not tasting their food as they cook. This is a mistake because it’s impossible to know if your food is seasoned correctly or needs more salt or has too much salt, pepper, or other spices. The only way to know for sure is to taste your food as you cook and make adjustments as necessary. Be sure not to taste things that must be fully cooked for safety reasons.

10. Overcrowding the Pan

We’ve all been guilty of this next one at one point or another, but overcrowding a pan with food is another cooking no-no. Just like with you and me, your food needs to be able to breathe as it’s being cooked. When you overcrowd a pan, the food doesn’t have enough space to cook evenly and can become overcooked, undercooked, or even burnt.

It can also have the opposite effect on certain foods by adding too much moisture, leaving your food soggy and rather unappetizing. So, when cooking, give your food plenty of room to breathe in the pan.

11. Don’t Forget about Adding Acidity

Most people realize the importance of adding salt while cooking, but adding acidity to certain foods is often overlooked. Adding just a splash of vinegar or lemon juice to a dish can make all the difference between a good and a great meal. It can brighten the flavors and make a dish more well-rounded, leaving your family utterly impressed with your cooking.

12. Decorating a Cake Before It’s Cool

Last on my list of common cooking mistakes is decorating a cake or cupcake before they’ve had enough time to cool down. Sure, adding the frosting while the cake is still warm may be tempting, but resist the temptation! If you try to decorate a cake before it’s adequately cooled, the frosting will melt, and your cake will be ruined by the cake getting soggy, or the frosting will just run off the cake and onto the plate. So, take the extra few minutes to let your cake or cupcakes cool down completely before adding any frosting. Easy-To-Make Strawberry Cake Recipe

I freeze my cakes before frosting them. You may want to see how I make super moist cakes. Best Chocolate Cake Ever . I learned from my mom one trick to making a very moist cake is to freeze it before thawing it out and serving it. Give it a try; you’ll be amazed.

Scratch Cooking Tips:

• 10 Cooking from Scratch Tips
• How To Make Flour Tortillas From Scratch
• Cooking From Scratch 101

Final Word

These are some of the most common mistakes that people make when cooking from scratch in the kitchen. What cooking mistakes have you been making over the years that you’d be willing to share? I’d love to hear from you! May God Bless this world, Linda

Copyright Images: White Kitchen AdobeStock_199449771 by magdal3na, Woman Making Pasta AdobeStock_239444648 By Crystal Sing