12+ Cooking Mistakes That Can Change the Quality of Your Food

Sometimes small tricks can help us achieve unbelievable results. Knowing the basics of cooking isn’t always enough, and even the best chefs make mistakes when trying something new. While some believe we learn best from our own mistakes, it’s often wiser to learn from others’ experiences and outcomes before making bold decisions ourselves.

• To slice a tomato neatly, steer clear of the juicy center. Look for the small veins that separate the seeds from the flesh, and cut along them. This way, you'll get clean slices without the mess.

• "Adding all the ingredients at the same time. Please don't put tomatoes and beef into a pan at the same time... Beef can take 10 min to cook and tomatoes can take one minute.
  Similarly, don't always add all the spices at the start. When frying things, it might be better to put the spices on it once it's fried. Otherwise, you just burn the spices on it. Things like fresh herbs are usually put in just before the end of the cooking, too." Unknown author / Reddit

• "Don’t turn on any heat (except for perhaps preheating a grill or oven) until everything is chopped or otherwise prepared to go in. It might take a little more time to cook this way than flying by the seat of your pants trying to stir-fry and chop the next ingredient at the same time, but you’re going to end up with more consistent and balanced cooking if you plan it out first." HorribleTroll / Reddit

• Keep your cupcakes free of greasy bottoms with a simple trick. Place a few grains of rice beneath each cupcake liner before adding the batter. The rice absorbs excess oil, keeping the liners clean and the cupcakes perfect.

• "Not recognizing that salty ingredients cut down the amount of actual salt you need to add. My husband is a decent cook, but sometimes he'll use bacon or anchovies or fish sauce and still add what he considers the standard amount of salt, so it comes out way too salty." thedarlingbuttsofmay / Reddit

• "Crowding the pan. If you're frying, sautéing, etc., there needs to be room for the moisture in the food to escape, otherwise, it just gets steamed, and it won't brown." Unknown author / Reddit

• "Never add salt to scrambled eggs or an omelette until it's plated, otherwise the proteins will tighten up and 'wring' water out." zydisqwap / Reddit

• "You need to let the cake/cupcakes/ etc. COMPLETELY cool before you start decorating. The icing will melt otherwise." Akitiki / Reddit

• "Too much heat can burn meat on the outside but leave it raw on the inside. Take it easy with the heat and use a meat thermometer." stereoroid / Reddit

• "You cannot cook something in half the time by doubling the heat. If something is supposed to take X amount of time to cook at Y degrees... that is the amount of time and heat it needs to be cooked all the way through. If you try to rush it, you'll end up with food that's burned on the outside and raw on the inside." Dubalubawubwub / Reddit

• Don’t put all vegetables in the same water temperature—start underground ones like potatoes and carrots in cold water for even cooking, while aboveground veggies like broccoli and corn go straight into boiling water since they cook quickly.

• "Not letting oil get hot enough before frying something. The food soaks up the oil and totally ruins the taste if it isn’t hot enough. And conversely, having the oil too hot and burning the breading is common too." PutYourSeriousFaceOn / Reddit

• "Measuring dry ingredients -particularly flour - by scooping a measuring cup in and shaking it level. You get about twice as much flour as you need that way. If you don't want to measure by weight, spoon the flour gently into the cup: it should be fluffed up, if anything, not packed down. The exception is brown sugar, which you pack down because it got fluffed up a lot during processing." PuddleOfHamster / Reddit

Want to master your cooking skills? Check out our list of the 30 Best Cooking Shows! With tasty tips and easy techniques, these shows make cooking fun for everyone, no matter your skill level.