Common Cooking Mistakes

No one is perfect... especially when it comes to cooking. Just last night Mrs. Bear tried to create some "eggplant buns" for her low-carb dinner and it was a DISASTER. I also walked away from a roll I was defrosting for Mr. Bear in the toaster oven... only to discover the top of the roll was too close to the heat and much to my dismay, there was now a stinky black charred crust on the bun I was planning to use for Mr. Bear's cheeseburger.

Here are The 25 Most Common Cooking mistakes from Cooking Light. Check these out below, along with detailed explanations here, so you can be better prepared next time you enter the kitchen!

1. You don't taste as you go.
2. You don't read the entire recipe before you start cooking.
3. You make unwise substitutions in baking. 
4. You boil when you should simmer.
5. You overheat chocolate.
6. You oversoften butter.
7. You overheat low-fat milk products.
8. You don’t know your oven’s quirks and idiosyncrasies.
9. You're too casual about measuring ingredients.
10. You overcrowd the pan.
11. You mishandle egg whites.
12. You turn the food too often.
13. You don't get the pan hot enough before you add the food.
14. You slice meat with - instead of against - the grain.
15. You underbake cakes and breads.
16. You don't use a meat thermometer.
17. Meat gets no chance to rest after cooking.
18. You try to rush the cooking of carmelized onions.
19. You overwork lower-fat dough.
20. You neglect the nuts you are toasting.
21. You don't shock vegetables when they reach the desired temperature.
22. You put all the salt in the marinade or the breading.
23. You pop meat straight from the fridge into the oven or onto the grill.
24. You don't know when to abandon ship and start over.
25. You use inferior ingredients.

Now, I can tell you that I have made more than enough of these mistakes when cooking in the kitchen. I do a lot of research before I create a new dish - but sometimes it doesn't always work out because I forget something simple, like forgetting to put my veggies in a cold bath after they cook so they don't become mushy. Take note of those tips and some of my own - compiled from mistakes that I've made in the kitchen):

• Don't walk away from the broiler. Whether it's bread you are toasting, or cheese you are melting, the broiler can be a tricky guy. Sometimes he works quick - setting your ciabatta on fire in 2 min flat - and other times he takes a long time to warm up!
• Use a non-stick spray when cooking eggs in a new skillet - you never know if the non-stick label is telling the truth!
• If you are making instant pancakes (you know the kind where you just add water), pay attention to the directions on the package. Too much water equals runny yucky pancakes!
• If you are roasting eggplant in the oven - you MUST cut it thin. Thick eggplant takes forever to cook and it usually comes out mushy.
• Also, when you are roasting thin slices of eggplant in the oven, make sure you have applied a non-stick spray to the cookie sheet or the eggplant will stick.