WGY Mornings with Doug Goudie

WGY Mornings with Doug Goudie

The Capital Region's show for engaging conversations focused on the most important news stories of the day. Plus financial news, sports, lifestyle,...Full Bio

 

Cooking Mistakes We’re All Making

Everyone who’s spent time in the kitchen has created a disappointing dish before. It’s no fun to have your hard work turn into a flop, but it could be because of one of these common cooking mistakes. Here are the innocent errors most of us have made in the kitchen.


·         Mistake #1: You didn’t read the recipe through before you started cooking - Lots of us try to cut corners and rush by not fully reading the recipe, but it leads to lots of kitchen mishaps. Slow down and read, scanning for action words so you know what needs to be done before you start cooking.

·         Mistake #2: You overcrowded the pan - Covering the entire pan traps heat and creates steam, which is the enemy of browning. So use two pans or cook in batches instead.

·         Mistake #3: You cooked pasta in a small pot and ended up with a pile of gummy noodles - You want to have enough water that your spaghetti can really swim in there and not end up tasting starchy.

·         Mistake #4: You sautéed wet greens - That excess water on the leaves creates steam in a hot pan, so your spinach ends up stewed and mushy, not bright and tender. Avoid this mistake by using a salad spinner on those greens first.

·         Mistake #5: Using dried herbs in a recipe in place of fresh ones - Adding a tablespoon of dried oregano instead of the same amount of fresh seems like an easy fix, but you’ll end up with a heavily over-seasoned dinner. Some herbs lose their flavor when dried, others get more powerful, but as a general rule: if a recipe calls for a fresh herb to be added at the beginning of the cooking process, it is probably stronger when dried; if it’s called for at the end of the process, it is probably mild when dried.

·         Mistake #6: You fried food in oil that wasn’t hot enough - With pan frying and deep frying, food will absorb too much oil and get greasy and heavy if the oil isn’t 350-degrees or hotter.


Photo: Getty Images


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