16 Cooking Habits That Might Be Ruining Your Meals Without You Knowing

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I know you have probably been there: you follow a recipe to the letter, and the dish doesn’t quite match the picture in your head. What we don’t realize is that some seemingly innocent habits can actually undermine flavor, texture and the enjoyment of a meal. Often it’s skipping some key steps or overloading ingredients, but those small changes in technique can make a world of difference.

If you’re a seasoned chef or a beginner looking to learn some new recipes, it’s always a good idea to take a step back and review some common cooking habits. You might be surprised to learn that a few simple changes can make your meals tastier and more satisfying.

Not Preheating Your Pan

We all want to skip the wait and start tossing ingredients into a pan while it’s heating but starting with a cold pan can lead to food that’s soggy or not cooked evenly. Let the pan warm up a couple of minutes. This extra step is important because it makes sure food sizzles on touch, keeping moisture in and giving you that wonderful golden brown finish.

Overcrowding the Pan

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Steaming is not the way to go for many dishes, and cramming too much into a pan all at once can turn crisping into steaming. Ingredients that are crowded release steam and it gets trapped and it’s hard to get that good sear. Keep things crispy and delicious by cooking in smaller batches or in a bigger pan.

Ignoring the Recipe’s Rest Time

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When a recipe tells you to let the meat rest or the sauce settle, it’s not being polite, it’s preserving flavor. Resting meat after cooking helps keep juices inside instead of on your plate. As well, allowing baked goods to rest for a few minutes can help keep their shape and make them taste better.

Using Too Much Heat

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There’s a time and a place for high heat, but if you’re always turning up the stove, you might wind up with food that’s charred on the outside and raw on the inside. It’s generally best to cook homemade dishes at a moderate temperature so flavours can develop at a slow pace. Watch the heat level and keep it away from scorching.

Cutting Ingredients Too Unevenly

The size of your ingredients can make a difference in cooking time and consistency, even though it may seem trivial. When large and small pieces cook at different rates, the results don’t turn out even. Take a little time to cut vegetables and proteins into similar sizes to avoid half baked or overcooked bites.

Adding Salt Too Late

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Adding salt on time enhances the flavors of your ingredients, but salt added late often tastes too sharp or overpowering. When cooking soups or sauces, sprinkle salt gradually as you go and taste. Your palate and any other person enjoying the meal will thank you.

Stirring the Food Too Much

Constant stirring may make you feel like you are being attentive to the meal you are cooking, but sometimes less is more. Sautéed vegetables become mushy and the crust on seared meats can be ruined if over stirred. Allow the food to set for a while to get a little bit of texture and flavor out of it.

Using Low-Quality Ingredients

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Cooking is one case where quality does matter. Overly processed ingredients are cheap, but cheap ingredients usually don’t have much flavor or texture, making the final product less than stellar. Even a simple recipe can be fine tuned using fresh produce, good quality oils and seasonings.

Skipping the Taste Test

When you taste as you cook, it helps you adjust seasoning and make corrections as you go before it’s too late. Don’t leave it until the very end to add the salt or sugar to your soup or sauce. If you sample a little as you cook, you’ll be sure to have each dish balanced and flavored.

Cooking With the Same Cooking Oil

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The same oil isn’t necessarily the best for all recipes, as different oils have different smoke points and flavors. For salad dressings and low heat cooking, olive oil is fabulous but not so much when it comes to higher heat cooking. For high heat cooking, try oils such as avocado or grapeseed, and for baking, coconut oil.

Throwing All at Once

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When you add the ingredients gradually, It helps in developing the flavors of the ingredients in the meal and not over crowding the pan. Dumping everything in, all at once, can cause uneven cooking. Instead, put in ingredients one at a time, starting from those that will take longer to cook first. Everything has a moment to shine this way.

Neglecting Fresh Herbs

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Dried herbs are great to have, but they can’t compare to fresh herbs when it comes to brightness in a dish. A little fresh basil, parsley, or cilantro at the end makes all the difference between a good meal and a great one. Always add fresh herbs if they’re available (you get that burst of flavor!).

Forgetting to Pat Dry

If you’re cooking meat, tofu, or even veggies, excess moisture can get in the way of browning. Patting items dry with a paper towel before cooking helps them sear nicely instead of steaming. This little effort can add texture and add flavor to many dishes.

The Wrong Pan for the Job

While it may seem convenient to use a nonstick pan for everything, it’s not always the best choice. The nonstick surfaces don’t brown foods as well as stainless steel or cast iron. It’s like picking the right tool for the job — use nonstick for eggs and delicate items, and cast iron or stainless steel for a good sear.

Leaving Spices to Gather Dust

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Spices are one of those things that lose potency over time, if your seasonings have been sitting around for years, it’s time for an upgrade. Fresh spices can add flavoring depth to a dish, but old ones can’t. If you’re buying in bulk, try buying in smaller quantities and replacing them every so often to keep the flavors fresh.

Using Dull Knives

A blunt knife makes prep work harder and can damage ingredients. It will cut, but it will crush instead of slice and will take out the excess moisture and change the texture, so you won’t get the same results as a sharp knife. A cooking tip: it’s easier and more precise when you slice, dice and chop if you keep your knives sharp.

Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.