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How much do you know about cooking? Can you poach the perfect egg? Could you craft a beautifully puffed soufflé? Or are you subsisting on more of a “cereal and frozen foods” diet?

Regardless of whether you came into this world holding a whisk or if you manage to burn your eggs every morning, unless you’re actually a professional, we could all stand to elevate our cooking skills. That’s why we’ve gone through some of the best tips chefs have shared on two Reddit threads of things amateurs keep doing wrong in the kitchen and the easiest ways to avoid common mistakes, so we can all impress our friends and family at our next dinner party. So tie on your aprons, preheat your ovens and take a bite out of this list of recommendations from the experts. Be sure to upvote your favorite culinary pointers, and then if you’re inspired to learn even more about cooking, check out Bored Panda’s last publication on the same topic right here.

#1

30 Common Cooking Mistakes That Amateurs Make That Annoy These Chefs All that brown stuff on your pan after you brown some meat or veggies? Use it! That's called fond - it's f*****g amazing and will make your sauces have way more depth. You can easily get it off the bottom of the pan with a little wine, which is called "deglazing."

actualemu , John Verive Report

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Hawkmoon
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Deglazing can be done with lots of things: vinegar, cream,... Some even use just water to get back only the taste of the "brown stuff". ;-)

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Everyone has a different relationship with cooking. Some view it as an artistic hobby or a way to connect with their heritage, while others see it as the bane of their existence. Learning how to cook can be a life-long journey for those who are passionate, but if you’re looking to just pick up the basics, you can start small and practice with the tips from this list. Even if being in the kitchen scares you and your fridge currently only holds takeout boxes, you have to admit that you enjoy eating delicious meals. So why not figure out how to make them yourself?

There are plenty of reasons to learn cooking basics, one of them being that safety is actually a concern in the kitchen. Boiling water, hot oil and sharp tools can lead to a host of injuries, so it’s important to understand exactly what you’re doing. It may seem like a no brainer, but learning how to properly use your knives (and knowing the purpose of each knife) can help you avoid turning a lovely dinner into a trip to the emergency room. It's actually safer to have freshly sharpened knives too, as you're more likely to cut yourself with a dull blade.

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#2

30 Common Cooking Mistakes That Amateurs Make That Annoy These Chefs Sharpen your knives. It's easier and actually safer. You are more likely to cut yourself with a dull knife than a sharp one. Learn how to properly and safely use your knives, and what each knife is even used for. It's game changing

Tapir_balls , cottonbro Report

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Andrew Burke
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And don't put your good cutting knives in the dishwasher. That dulls the edge as well supposedly.

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#3

30 Common Cooking Mistakes That Amateurs Make That Annoy These Chefs If I see one more person press down on a burger while it's on the grill, I'm flipping that grill over.

EDIT: To everyone saying "Smashburger", you know what kind of person I am talking about. The self-proclaimed BBQ grill king who loves to squish the burger and asks your temp but everyone gets a hockey puck. It happened this weekend and every single time, I want to flip their grill over.

EDIT 2: Since I'm getting criticism about the well done burger... changed "well done burger" to "hockey punk" to further emphasize my example.

anon , Zac Cain Report

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Joe Blowe
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When you squish the burger you are squeezing all of the juices out and the meat becomes drier

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There are various tips on this list about how to safely slice and dice your foods without losing a finger, but certain foods pose more risks than others. You're likely to be cautious when dicing an onion, but don't throw caution to the wind when you're making guacamole either. According to OSF HealthCare, avocado-related incidents send nearly 9,000 people to the hospital every year. This is because many of us hold the avocado in our palms when plunging the knife in to get the seed out.

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I must admit, I’m guilty of this method of avocado cutting, and I did it almost every morning for years while in the throes of an avocado toast addiction… But Dr. Ramsey Ellis told OSF HealthCare that it’s much safer to set the avocado on a flat surface, like a cutting board, when going to remove the pit. She also notes that, “There are a variety of special tools on the market that are between three and five dollars that allow you to safely cut and then stab the pit of an avocado and remove it, and that can prevent a lot of injury.” Purchasing a specialty tool for this purpose may seem unnecessary, but it would definitely be less expensive (and traumatic) than a trip to the emergency room.

#4

30 Common Cooking Mistakes That Amateurs Make That Annoy These Chefs My pro chef and former chemist friend gave me an earful for putting my tomatoes in the fridge.

He explained how the cold temp. changes the chemical composition and makes them taste s**ttier.

I no longer put my tomatoes in the fridge and they are tastier.

GaryARefuge , Rodion Kutsaev Report

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Something
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is true. But also, if they're the regular grocery store tomatoes, they don't have much flavor to lose. They're bred for transportation, not for flavor.

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#5

30 Common Cooking Mistakes That Amateurs Make That Annoy These Chefs If your dish is 'missing something' chances are it is acidity. Now this doesn't apply to everything but I think a lot of people just don't think to add some lemon juice to a sauce or a stew for example and it can make all the difference. I always keep some fresh lemons at home because lemon juice in a bottle is usually just a chemical product.

surewhythehellnot_ , Pixabay Report

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#6

30 Common Cooking Mistakes That Amateurs Make That Annoy These Chefs Hello, I am the chef at a 5 diamond hotel in San Francisco. The biggest thing to learn when just starting to cook, is mise en place. "Everything in its place." This is ultimately to get food timings correct and precise, and for safety and control reasons. The second biggest thing to learn in the kitchen is safety. I once had a cook with 25 years experience get complacent and splashed hot oil on his face. Now we call him twoface. Cooking is a creative release when done outside of a professional kitchen, so take your time and don't hurt yourself. The third biggest thing to learn, and I tell all my cooks this everyday, is taste, season, taste. Taste your food, season it, and taste it again. Most people (whether they believe it or not) have the same taste thresholds, so what tastes good for you will taste good for someone else. Last thing I can add if you want to improve your cooking, is to cook more! Cook everyday, because practice makes perfect. Eat. Eat everywhere and anything.

chongkey , Rudy Issa Report

We tend to be worried about cuts and burns when cooking, but another common mishap that can lead to devastating effects is a kitchen fire. According to the National Fire Protection Agency, between 2014-2018, cooking incidents were the top cause of fires in American households. Most of them were small, limited to the toaster or oven and easily put out, but when they become unmanageable, these kitchen fires can turn fatal. Holidays are the most common times for these fires to happen, with Thanksgiving having 250% more than the average day in 2018, but even on a normal day, nearly 500 cooking fires are reported in the US. To stay safe in your kitchen, or backyard if you’re grilling, it’s important to always turn off equipment immediately when you’ve finished using it and use great caution when cooking with hot oil. Avoiding common cooking mistakes can help you eat more satisfying meals and even save your life.     

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#7

30 Common Cooking Mistakes That Amateurs Make That Annoy These Chefs Pastry Chef here. USE GODDAMN SCALES.
It's sO much easier and you won't lose count of how many cups of flour you've added
Plus measuring by volume with dry ingredients can be so inconsistent due to different scooping styles, a more aerated flour etc
Don't come running to me asking what happened with your baked goods when you've been measuring using cups

andromedanii , Lina Kivaka Report

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Judes
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1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Except when the recipe asks for cinnamon. Add more cinnamon (possibly with a little extra fluid if you're worried about it being too dry). Edit: not sure how my post attached itself to an unrelated post! But I'll just leave it here as cinnamon is always good.

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#8

30 Common Cooking Mistakes That Amateurs Make That Annoy These Chefs Learn techniques, not recipes.

DarkRyter , micheile dot com Report

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Colin L
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Absolutely this. I know people who focus so much on a recipe that they're incapable of anything outside it's scope.

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#9

30 Common Cooking Mistakes That Amateurs Make That Annoy These Chefs I know one mistake I used to make was to buy canned mushrooms and use those for recipes. The first time I used fresh mushrooms for something, I realized the dreadful error of my ways, and I haven't bought canned mushrooms since!

Always use fresh mushrooms, people!

TakingItOffHereBoss , micheile dot com Report

Aside from keeping you safe, improving your culinary skills can turn into a fun hobby. If you’re stuck in a rut making the same meals over and over again, as many of us are, branching out and trying a new recipe can be something to look forward to. Expanding your palette can also be exciting, as you may not be as familiar with the cuisines of other cultures. Do you know how to make authentic Mexican chilaquiles? Have you ever prepared Pad Thai from scratch? The more adventurous you become in the kitchen, the more likely you are to want to keep experimenting. One tip many chefs share is to learn techniques first, and then you’ll be well equipped to prepare any recipe. So to master some of the culinary basics, we consulted Oxo’s list of Basics of Home Cooking 101: 12 Skills and Techniques for Beginners.

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#10

30 Common Cooking Mistakes That Amateurs Make That Annoy These Chefs Keep your fingertips behind your knuckles, your knife in front of your knuckles, and keep your blade on the cutting board. Your fingers will thank you.

BAANG , Mike Jones Report

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Juan Ghote
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Plus cut slowly until your skill at cutting everything BUT your fingers improves.

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#11

30 Common Cooking Mistakes That Amateurs Make That Annoy These Chefs Not a pro, but wash your damn rice! It's easy and it makes the rice so much better.

Poopinanreadin , Matthew Lakeland Report

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pebs
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is absolutely not true when you prepare an italian "risotto".

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#12

30 Common Cooking Mistakes That Amateurs Make That Annoy These Chefs Any spices you have, do not store them in sunlight or over top of your goddamn stove. Heat and moisture are bad to just about anything. This kills the flavour.

RageMonster , Diana Polekhina Report

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Kayjunmoon
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Try grinding your own from scratch. I make up small batches for biscuits or for my curries.

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Basic knife skills are expected for any chef to know like the back of their hand, but they’re great for amateurs to understand as well so we can properly follow a recipe. When the instructions use lingo like “chiffonade”, don’t run away out of fear. Simply memorize what these terms mean (or Google them every time, we don’t judge!), so you can confidently prepare your meals without any added stress. Slicing calls for thin, flat pieces, while dicing requires small squares that resemble dice. Mincing is cutting foods even smaller than diced pieces, think minced garlic, and chopping is for larger chunks of foods like potatoes and carrots in a stew. Julienned vegetables are in long, thin strips, and to chiffonade is to “finely cut herbs or leafy vegetables”.  

#13

30 Common Cooking Mistakes That Amateurs Make That Annoy These Chefs Read the whole recipe before you touch anything including the directions. Then get all the ingredients together and measured before anything touches heat. Chop vegetables slice meat mix spices. Cooking is so much easier when you do the prep first and then just worry about what's in the pan when the heat is on. What do you think the kitchen does all afternoon between lunch and dinner service, get things together so the actual cooking is way faster and easier.

mousicle , Dan Gold Report

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Fat Harry
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

How much space do you have in your kitchen that you can prepare EVERYTHING in advance? I just don't have the room, so I'm used to preparing the next ingredient while the onion is sautéing.

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#14

30 Common Cooking Mistakes That Amateurs Make That Annoy These Chefs When baking - make sure your butter and eggs are all room temperature.

RageMonster , Felicity Tai Report

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Wendy Allott
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I think this should be clarified to say baking cakes. Pastry should always use chilled ingredients

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#15

30 Common Cooking Mistakes That Amateurs Make That Annoy These Chefs After you are done working with garlic, rub your hands along your stainless steel sink vigorously. This will remove to odour for the most part. Finish by washing hands you filthy animal.

RageMonster , Tijana Drndarski Report

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theswallowii
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Call me a barbaric if you want but I love smelling garlic on my fingers even after I thoroughly washed my hands after cooking! It means good and hard work done! ;-)

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While you’re at it memorizing cooking jargon, you might want to learn some terminology for your stovetop too. To sear something is to quickly brown the outside of a piece of meat on a high-temperature pan to keep the juices sealed in. Sautéing involves cooking food in a little bit of fat, like oil or butter, on high heat and moving it around the pan frequently. A stir-fry requires a little more fat than a sauté and is done at an even higher temperature. Then we have steaming, which is pretty self-explanatory, as it calls for placing a basket or colander over boiling water to allow only the steam to cook the veggies or seafood. 

#16

30 Common Cooking Mistakes That Amateurs Make That Annoy These Chefs The vast majority of people think that the terms "icing" and "frosting" are interchangeable. This is not the case. Icing is made with sugar and liquid and is generally (there are a few exceptions, such as fondant) pour-able. Think pound cake and donuts. Frosting is made with sugar and fat, such as butter or shortening, and is generally fluffy and spreadable. Varieties of frosting include buttercream and cream cheese.

Frosting_or_Icing , Margaret Jaszowska Report

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Laura Ketteridge
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The words are used in different ways in different English speaking countries. Over here, 'icing' is the correct term for both, and 'frosting' is the word Americans use.

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#17

30 Common Cooking Mistakes That Amateurs Make That Annoy These Chefs Reuse the boiled water from a pasta pot. That starchy salty s**t is amazing as a sauce base, or a great sub for any other water needed in the recipe.

Filmsdude , Mor Shani Report

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Jupittance
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Dip out or catch a couple of cups of this water. Put a little bit of the water and the pasta back in the pot. Put some of the sauce on the pasta and heat it, adding this boiled starchy water to thicken. This will imbue the pasta with the sauce flavor.

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#18

30 Common Cooking Mistakes That Amateurs Make That Annoy These Chefs Don't overcrowd the pan.

reddit , Sigmund Report

Lisa Milbrand notes in her list of cooking tips on Oxo that knowing how to properly roast meats and vegetables can be a game changer in the kitchen as well. Roasting can be one of the easiest ways to prepare food, as you get some time to relax once it’s in the oven, and it can provide mouth watering results with the right combinations of oil and spices. Every food will have a slightly different cooking time, as root vegetables take much longer than asparagus for example, but Lisa reassures readers that, “No matter what vegetable you’re roasting, you’ll be able to tell when it’s ready by sticking a knife into the center of a piece. If the knife goes in easily and the edges of the vegetable are a nice golden brown, it’s done.” Personally, I think some nicely roasted and heavily sesasoned cauliflower and sweet potatoes have to be among the most delicious foods in the world.

#19

30 Common Cooking Mistakes That Amateurs Make That Annoy These Chefs Not drying your meat before you sear it.*

*Not a professional chef, but this advice is so basic, and so rarely followed, that it bears repeating.

varro-reatinus , Paul Hermann Report

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Joe Blowe
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If you dry it, marinades/seasonings/spices stick better and the meat cooks faster. Also let the meat sit before you cut into it

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#20

30 Common Cooking Mistakes That Amateurs Make That Annoy These Chefs Over sauteed garlic... Don't need to brown it, a minute in the pan with the onions is enough.

HighImSlane , Ayesha Firdaus Report

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Fat Harry
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

SO MANY RECIPES say "heat the onion and garlic". NO!! Cook the onion until it's translucent (or whatever) and then add the garlic for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Any longer and it'll burn and be bitter.

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#21

30 Common Cooking Mistakes That Amateurs Make That Annoy These Chefs Buy a Microplane, it makes the veggies and accent cheeses that you grate both look and feel better. Smaller pieces have less of a focus on texture and more of a focus on flavour. I.E - Grana Padano being grated onto a Caesar salad, or lemon grated into a lemon in salad dressing.

RageMonster , Didriks Report

Grains and pasta are also essentials to master when elevating your cooking game. They can be super simple, as the basic idea is boiling them in water, but a few tricks can go a long way. First, remember to rinse your grains like rice and quinoa before cooking them to remove excess starch and ensure they don’t turn too mushy. Always remember to add plenty of salt when boiling grains or pasta as well, and don’t try to squeeze anything into a pot that’s too small. You can also save a cup of your pasta water to use later in your sauce, as it will be full of salt and starch that will add the perfect touch to your final dish.

#22

30 Common Cooking Mistakes That Amateurs Make That Annoy These Chefs I would add when your baking follow the recipe exactly. When it says 1 teaspoon, it means 1 teaspoon. Not "ah that looks like a teaspoon." Baking requires exact prep work otherwise your finished product won't be right.

Lorbmick , cottonbro Report

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Joe Blowe
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Cooking is an art, you can be creative. Baking is a science, you get creative and it is ruined

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#23

30 Common Cooking Mistakes That Amateurs Make That Annoy These Chefs Tossing pizza dough makes it extremely flat on the bottom and typically too much crust. Simply hold it with two hands like a wheel and rotate it :) Enjoy

280Gaming , Jason Jarrach Report

#24

30 Common Cooking Mistakes That Amateurs Make That Annoy These Chefs Put a damp napkin or towel underneath your cutting board to keep it stable. You can wail on whatever you want however hard you want with the peace of mind that your cutting board won't go flying off the counter along with your food and *sharp knife

ramen4sale , Marta Dzedyshko Report

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Fat Harry
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Why on earth would my cutting board go anywhere?? And if you're having to wail on anything to the extent that your chopping board goes AWOL your knife is not sharp enough. Don't force it, let the tool do the work.

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Lastly, Lisa mentions that stocking your kitchen properly can make a huge difference when you’re cooking as well. The most important knives to have are a chef’s knife, a serrated bread knife and a paring knife, but you don’t need much else for everyday purposes. Be sure you’ve got some decent containers for storing leftovers too, with a variety of sizes, so you can keep your food fresh and safely preserved. Then when it comes to cleaning supplies, do a bit of research on what is appropriate for the specific pans and dishes you own. Depending on the material, certain cleaners and brushes can do more harm than good, and not everything should be tossed in the dishwasher.  

#25

30 Common Cooking Mistakes That Amateurs Make That Annoy These Chefs The veggies in your sauces and stuff- cook that s**t first. Do not add raw onions to already simmering tomato sauce and expect it to taste good. Also, huge amounts of random spices make food taste bad. Learn what they are and where to use them.

B**chinIndika , Carlos Fernández Report

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John Topper
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This isn't really a helpful tip. They're basically saying to be a better cook learn more about cooking.

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#26

30 Common Cooking Mistakes That Amateurs Make That Annoy These Chefs Make sure you have good ingredients. That box of baking soda from 5 years ago is not going to work that well anymore.

freakykukki , Calum Lewis Report

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Ace
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Actually, baking soda is one of those things that will last for ever. Yeast will not.

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#27

30 Common Cooking Mistakes That Amateurs Make That Annoy These Chefs Don't cook meat straight out of the refrigerator. It cooks better and tastes better when it starts at room temperature, actually.

Stabfacenotback , Max Delsid Report

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Oerff On Tour
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And when finished cooking, wrap it up in tinfoil and let it rest for 10 minutes, if necessary in a warming oven set between 50°C and 70°C depending on the type of meat.

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While this list may seem overwhelming if you're a novice in the kitchen, even remembering a few of these skills and tips can go a long way. Cooking should be enjoyable and pleasurable, so don't stress yourself out. But I hope this helps you avoid some common errors in the future and inspires you to experiment with a new recipe instead of grabbing your usual takeout this weekend. Enjoy reading the rest of these pointers, and remember to upvote your favorite responses. Then let us know if you have any helpful tips you'd like to share with your fellow pandas in the comments down below. Bon appétit!

#28

30 Common Cooking Mistakes That Amateurs Make That Annoy These Chefs Beware of the densities of different types of salt, e.g. table salt is much denser than kosher salt because of how the grains pack together. It's easy to make something way too salty by not accounting for this.

phyllophyte , monicore Report

#29

30 Common Cooking Mistakes That Amateurs Make That Annoy These Chefs Don't just dump a load of salt and pepper into the mix at the last minute.

Season every single thing, the veg, the meat, the sauce. and if you're unsure of how much to use. just keep adding in small pinches and taste it.

Jafol8 , Josh Massey Report

#30

30 Common Cooking Mistakes That Amateurs Make That Annoy These Chefs Just being impatient in general.

Not waiting for pans to heat up,water to boil or preheating ovens.
Cutting into things to check if they are cooked after 5mins in the oven. You want to know if your roast is cooked? Get a meat thermometer. Seriously they cost less than $10

Thats my other big peeze... using the wrong equipment for the job. You dont dice chicken with a steak knife. You dont slice tomatoes with a steak knife. Steak knives are for cutting steaks on your plate. thats it. A fork is not a whisk, its a fork. A coffee cup is not a measuring cup. It may be 250ml but dont assume it. Dont drain your pot of pasta by tipping it into the sink holding the wooden spoon over the lip and try to stop pasta falling out. Just use a fricken colander.

anon , Le Creuset Report

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Jess
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Maybe some people don't have the means to buy proper equipment and try their best with what they have. I've often cooked without having the right equipment and everything has turned out lovely. I worked in a small community kitchen for years and if someone was using something I needed then I improvised, fork as a whisk for scrambled eggs no problem, as long as the knife is sharp, ill cut whatever with it, Cant find the colander then gimme the big lid lol. Now big difference when baking then give me all the proper equipment lol

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Lizzie Lola
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Right? I was with him right till the end of the 1st paragraph. (Meat thermometers are kinda a technical sanitation thing, but no shade) But that escalated quickly! 👀👀 🙌🙌 Rock on with the community kitchen!

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Katrina Gibson
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Woah, this whole rant felt out of touch... there are ways to work around limitations... speaking about pasta and spoon to pour out the liquid reminded me when I was a kid, home alone because both my parents had jobs and I had no idea what else to use. At least I knew how to boil pasta and rice. Didn't know using a colander made a difference in taste (sarcastic tone). To this day I'll still use a spoon if I want. I have a colander now but sometimes I don't feel like washing it so I'll just use my trusty spoon or fork!

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Auntriarch
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Goodness me, something got out of the wrong side of the bed this morning. And I find the best knife for tomatoes is serrated, so if that is a steak knife in your kitchen, you have my blessing

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Zophra
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If you don't have the money for thesetool but still want to cook, improvisation should be commended and encouraged.

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Marcie V
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Most of this one just sounds judgmental of people doing the best they can with what they have.

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Joshua Moon
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'll do what I want. Was taught to beat my eggs with a fork from my grandmother. She raised 9 kids. I'll trust her judgement

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Fat Harry
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I think the poster is missing the point of a cup. Yes, a cup has a set size, but as long as you're using the same cup for everything (and you're cooking, not baking) it doesn't really matter how big the cup is.

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Celeste Grant
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In and deal works everybody would have all the right equipment but we don't live in that world; everybody doesn't even have enough to eat! Plus it doesn't change the taste in most cases. The wrong knife might make cutting trickier but no one is really going to notice unless you are cooking for someone like this OP! Let's normalise not having great big insta worthy kitchens full of everything you're ever going to need and instead know that most people have smaller kitchens and mismatched cookware yet still feed their families 3 times a day.

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R Dennis
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yeah no, I use a fork and I tip my pots. Not all the time, but sometimes I don't want to clean a colander or whisk.

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Well then
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Had this conversation with my cousin on Thanksgiving. She is a pampered chef consultant and just learning how to cook in her 50's. She thinks it's impossible to cook without all of these one use, specialized gadgets. I told her someone that knows how to cook could do it with a plastic knife, a bent fork, and one warped sauce pan if they had too.

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Kenny Kulbiski
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'll slice my tomato with the first sharp thing I run across. I'll beat my eggs with a fork because I can't tell the difference and a whisk is a pain in the a*s to wash. Damn prep snobs.

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Ozymandias73
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

IDK who this is, but hey...use what you have. Don't have something, improvise and make it work. Not every kitchen is going to have the "proper" cooking tools at all times. You do you.

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Piotr W
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That's just some snob crying who wants to use every expensive tool he got to his luxurious kitchen... "that's not what it's ment for!!" Go suck on an egg...

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Sue
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My ex made frozen french fries in the deep fryer. He put them in before he heated the oil. He refused to admit he didn't know any better & said that's how they did it in Missouri. However, we did find out that's how you get the fries translucent. I then deduced that the one little translucent fry that is sometimes in an order of fries is the "test" fry

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Sandra Givens
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Sheesh! Take a chill pill. I use a fork with tines my husband bent prying something to beat my eggs, works just fine. Also have a large serrated bread knife that works for slicing lots of stuff including tomatoes, and better than a wheel for pizza.

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Spittnimage
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I used to use a dinner plate to drain water because I didn't have a pan lid or colander 😎

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Zack Podany
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You will have to make due with what you can afford. That said, there are a few basics that will get you the furthest. If you told me I could only have 4 utensils, I'd pick my chef's knife, my paring knife, my flat bottom wok (frying pan works too), and my wooden stir fry spoon. Honestly, I don't even bother with exact measurements unless I'm baking and relying heavily on the chemistry.

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Nathan Sell
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My grandfather was head cook in the kitchen of a large maternity hospital. When I was a kid, he showed my to whisk the two eggs I wanted for breakfast with a fork. It's fast and easy, and washing a fork is easier that washing a whisk. Today I have four whisks of varying sizes, but I still use a fork to whisk my eggs and they still come out fluffy and delicious!

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Pursuing Peonies
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Does this person know that literal chefs use forks as a whisk all of the time?

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Zane Paul
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I am extremely minimalist when it comes to my kitchen because I hate having anything on the counter tops or digging through drawers or trying to maneuver specific things out of a cabinet without knocking over five things. As a kid I always lived with kitchens like this, twenty pans, 4 colanders, 8 pots, about thirty spatulas made from every material you can think of, 100 forks and spoons, coffee pots, toasters, microwave, electric can opener and five manual ones, 3 blenders and 2 immersion blenders, eight pizza cutters, four rolling pins.... I couldn't stand it. Now that I'm an adult, I have absolutely nothing on my counter besides a dish rack, a spice rack, and a wooden box where I keep my 3 most used spatulas. In my drawers, I have one whisk, one knife sharpener, one rolling pin. I have one colander. I have two cast iron pans which I use for 99% of my cooking, and I have one regular steel pan, one four quart pot, and one stock pot. In my silverware drawer I have 5 forks and 5 spoons

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Bob Cakin
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Downvoted this one for the elitism. I generally just don't have money to spare for the proper equipment. A lot of people in the US don't since most adults are living paycheck to paycheck. We have bills to pay, no affordable healthcare, rising rent costs, general inflation, car maintenance costs, no guaranteed PTO, no benefits for contract workers, etc. ... so excuse me if I use a fork as a whisk, the wrong knife, or whatever sometimes. I kinda don't have any money to buy them.

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Brenda
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When I had my first apartment, I had a cheap set of 3 knives I used for everything. No cutting board, used a plate. No colander, held a lid while draining. Meat thermometer? Whisk? Didn't have & couldn't afford.

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Hydro Keychain
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

A fork is the perfect tool for preparing eggs for an omelet, not a whisk.

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Raimei Ai
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My oven sucks so much that I can't preheat it...it smells of death... And I have cleaned the hell out of this thing... Many times... I also need to keep it about 25°F lower than what it says and about 5-10 mins less depending on the recommended cook time...I hate my oven...

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Allan Breum
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

After having worked for close 20 years in the culinary world, I can say unequivocally; Use whatever equipment you bloody well want. As long as you get a good result, go ham. I had a girl at my job use the cleaver for EVERY cutting job. And she was damn good with that knife. OP is being pedantic.

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Amy Stone-Chandler
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You do NOT need ANY fancy equipment to cook/bake. You really don't. Majority of these items are to make things easier on the cook. Nonsense

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April Morris
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yes, use a colander and do not pour the water down the drain because the starches can build up in pipes (especially in older houses) and cause blockages.

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JustCallMeAcorn
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Some people can't buy all this. Don't forget about that. Things can be used apart from their intended use. As long as the job gets done I think it's fine.

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Marilyn Ransberry
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It is very difficult to find a meat thermometer that works and lasts.

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Lisa H
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Just to add: increasing the heat is almost never a good idea. If you're pan searing, then yes, high heat is what you want, but a lot of things need to take their time in order to cook properly. Caramelized onions, for example take a while because they need to. Low temp is what you want for that, also when something needs to simmer. My ex ALWAYS cooked every g0ddamn thing on high heat on the stove and it drove me crazy. "So it cooks faster", no, idiot, it'll burn on the outside and be undercooked in the middle, or dried out, or any number of unfavorable outcomes. Be patient! If a recipe says to cook on medium heat, cook it on medium heat. Sure, some stoves are temperamental, especially at higher altitudes, so adjust to whatever is your stove's equivalent of medium heat. Again, be patient!

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Paul Beebe
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ohhhh... this is a pet peeve.... watching folks use tiny knives to chop a whole load of stuff. I'm done and cleaned and put my knives away before they're 1/4 of the way into the task...

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