Look, nobody’s perfect. Even if you are expertly churning out the entire fancy recipes on a regular basis, and can whip up a perfect chocolate souffle with one hand tied behind your back, there’s still a good chance that you’re making some of these most grievous of kitchen mistakes.
I have compiled a list of the most common kitchen errors that many of us are making daily. And believe me, I’m guilty of more than one of them. Which ones would get you a place on the kitchen naughty list?
1. Not following recipes when baking
You may love to experiment with a pinch of this or a dash of that when cooking, but when it comes to baking, that recipe is more important than you may realize.
2. Not measuring dry ingredients properly
We already know that baking is science, and one thing I definitely remember from science class is the importance of measurements. That’s why, when you’re measuring ingredients for your favorite cake, pie, or cookies, it’s crucial that you use the proper tools, and use them correctly.
3. Not preheating pans
Ever dumped scrambled eggs into a cold pan and wonder why they took forever to cook, and stuck mercilessly to your pan? Just like you preheat your oven before popping in your dinner, you should also be preheating your stove top pans before cooking.
4. Not using enough salt
Yes, we all know the health police don’t want us to consume too much sodium. But, the truth is, 75 percent of the sodium we get in a day is not from food we’re making at home, but rather from the foods we’re eating that are processed, or from a restaurant. Time reports that the salt added in typical home cooking only accounts for five or six percent of the sodium we consume.
5. Using an old non-stick pan
You’ve no doubt heard by now of the danger of Teflon-coated, non-stick pans causing dangerous fumes at high heat. Chipped and scraped pans are even more likely to emit harmful fumes, not to mention transfer flakes of coating into your family’s meals. Even non-stick pan manufacturer, DuPont, recommends tossing a pan after just three to five years of usage.
6. Storing food the wrong way
Fresh basil will fare better when treated as a fresh flower — trim the stems and place in a glass with some water. Potatoes, garlic, and onions prefer dark, cool, well-ventilated areas, and coffee should be kept in a tightly-topped container in your pantry. And what about honey? Honey doesn’t spoil, so you can leave it out at room temperature so it doesn’t become too hard to pour.
7. Not letting meat rest
I get it… you’re hungry, and that rib-eye you’ve just lovingly grilled is filling your nostrils with its seductive aroma. Maybe you’ve been fantasizing about dinner for the past three hours, and waiting another 10 or so minutes feels like torture. But do you and your pricey steak a favor, and fight the temptation!
8. You overcrowd your pots and pans
I love the ease of one-pot cooking as much as the next person, but sometimes you just need to face the facts, and accept that the size of the pot or pan you’re using is too small for the job at hand. Ever tried to use a too-small pot to boil a pound of pasta, and wonder why your pasta turned out clumpy and improperly cooked? That pasta needed room to move, and you weren’t doing it any favors trying to cook it in that one-quart pot.
9. You don’t sharpen your knives
When a knife is sharp, it makes your job so much easier. You can work faster, and safer. You can achieve precision in your dices and minces that you wouldn’t be able to with a dull knife. And forget about carving meat. Carving meat with a dull knife turns into a hack job in seconds. So how often should you be sharpening your knives? Once every couple of weeks is the rule of thumb, and you should also be honing it with every use.
10. You’re pouring grease down your drain
If you’re going to kick just one habit on this list, you may want to make this the one. Pouring grease down your drain can cause major problems in your home’s plumbing system, but it can also have serious implications for the environment, and your community’s sewer and water systems.
11. You’re putting the wrong things in the dishwasher
It’s undoubtedly an amazing appliance, but there are, unfortunately, quite a few kitchen items that should never visit the inside of your dishwasher. Wooden utensils can get warped and cracked in a dishwasher’s high temps. Cast iron pots and pans will be robbed of their valuable, time-earned seasoning. Copper can be permanently discolored, and crystal can become cloudy. Check out our definitive set of guidelines to learn all the items that you just need to say no to when it comes to washing them in your dishwasher.
12. Using a dirty sponge
When is the last time you switched out that sponge? Longer than you can even remember? According to the cleaning experts at Angie’s List, you should aim to use that sponge no longer than one month, or about 30 overall uses. To keep your dish sponge fresh, consider popping it in the dishwasher, or cleaning your dish sponge with bleach and hot water.
13. Always using the same cutting board
OK, I admit it. I am 100 percent guilty of this kitchen crime. I use my same wooden cutting board for just about everything I do in the kitchen.
