The tastiest food is undoubtedly home cooked. When we're cooking at home, we use clean and natural products. Often though, we make mistakes that are capable of ruining all our hard work. Here are the biggest mistakes people usually make in the kitchen:
You're not tasting it
Cooking is not an exact science and everything can have an influence during the heat treatment process of the foods. This is why it's a good idea to often taste what you're preparing, so that you know it's exactly what you were going for. No one's perfect to the point where they can determine everything just by eyeballing it.
You're not waiting long enough for the pan to heat up
You're not going to braise the onions to a golden color if you put them with the oil directly into the cold pan. First, put it on the stove to heat up a little, then warm up the oil a little and only then add the onions.
You're not familiar with your oven
If the recipe calls for baking at 480°F (250 °C), it's understandable that you'd set your oven to exactly that. But ovens tend to vary a lot from one another, so it's best to familiarize yourself with your oven. To be 100% sure of the temperature, use a thermometer.
You can't wait
If the recipe says that the dish needs to boil, this is not the same as simmering. Cooking requires a whole lot of patience; if you have none then it may be best not to even start.
You're cutting the meat haphazardly
Before you cut up the meat, it's best to inspect it well. To avoid tough pieces, always cut against the muscle fibers.
You're cooking everything at once
Yes, it's a lot easier to throw everything in 1 pan but the end result is always beyond deplorable. Food releases moisture during cooking and if there's not enough room for all of the ingredients, in the end half of them will be soft and sauteed and the others - burned. Different ingredients require different cooking times and it's important to keep those in mind.
You're not thawing and not melting
Products can be thawed immediately before cooking but the taste is nothing like what you would get if you leave them at room temperature for a few hours. Same thing with butter - instead of melting it on the stove it's a lot better to cut it into small pieces and leave it at room temperature.
You don't know how to prepare vegetables
After they've spent the necessary 3-7 min. in boiling water, the vegetables continue to cook. This leads to them often becoming soft and mushy. To avoid this, either serve them right away or dip them in a bowl of ice cold water to "shock" them and keep them crunchy and appetizing.
