cooking mistakes

at some point everyone has pulled slightly charred brownies out of the oven, way over grilled a steak, or let your sauce burn. It is something that happens to us all (even the paula dean or tom colicchio of the world). This is a great article that goes over the biggest mistakes and how to prevent them. For anyone serious about cooking or learning to cook this is a must!!

http://www.cookinglight.com/cooking-101/techniques/cooking-questions-tips-00400000064986/page41.html

some major highlights from the article:

• not tasting as you go. this is a big one because if you wait to taste when you're done there may be no recovering. if you taste after every step then its easier to figure out where you may have messed up
• not reading the entire recipe before you start. definitely guilty of this one!! If you know me I am very ADD so stopping to read all of the directions is a fundamental skill that I sometimes lack but I have ruined enough dishes to have learned from my mistakes and almost always read the recipe through multiple times now.
• boiling when you should be simmering. whatever you're cooking can come out burnt or tough or dry and those are not things you want associated with your cooking.
• they have a great comparison of how to soften butter
• overheating low-fat milk products. these products are great and usually taste about the same but I learned from this article that they shouldn't be heated as high as normal milk
• get to know your kitchen appliances. they recommend cooking toast in your oven to see which pieces are done, over done, uncooked etc
• directions for handling egg whites
• turning food too often. Being that I am so ADD I like to flip my food a lot to feel like Im doing something but apparently that's bad for it so I guess I need to work on that
• not getting the pan hot enough before you add food. this is a big one that once you correct you will absolutely notice the difference
• slice meat with not against the grain. I don't slice meat often but this is good to know!
• allow meat to rest after cooking. this allows the juices to set and distribute so the meat will be juicy and delicious
• dont rush caramelized onions. caramelized onions are a food that I love but still have not mastered cooking so still working on it.
• always allow meats to stand at room temp before cooking.
• poached eggs. I am determined to learn how to beautifully poach an egg so maybe this article has put me one step closer in that quest.
• to avoid burnt bacon-bake it!
• temperature is the difference between a beautiful hard boiled egg and a gross green one
• cook rice like pasta with a lot of water
  

So there are some kitchen basics to help you out! I know I learned a lot but will probably continue to make mistakes!! cooking is all about having fun so dont be afraid to admit when you have screwed up and start over (its not that big of a deal!!)