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Most of us would agree that we’ll take all the cooking tips we can get.
Whether you’re a novice or you’ve been creating dishes in the kitchen for a long time, we all have more to learn.
And we can always use more advice about what NOT to do.
What are some big NO-NOs that people should avoid while cooking?
AskReddit users shared their thoughts.
1. Don’t do that!
“Never pour spices directly into a steaming pot on the stove.
The spices will congeal in their containers from the moisture introduced.
Instead, put the spices in a separate side container then add to a steaming pot.”
2. Keep an eye on those.
“Glass cutting boards. Like seriously, just GTFO.
And in a similar vein, dangerously dull knives.
I’ve seen some real bludgeons in other people’s kitchens; no wonder they hate prep work.”
3. Don’t ruin it.
“Don’t let your baking powder get clumpy.
Tiny rocks of baking powder ruin anything you bake.”
4. Leave it be.
“Cranking the heat to reduce the cooking time will leave you with a burnt outside and an under-done inside.”
5. A no-no.
“Pasta should never, ever be rinsed for a warm dish.
The starch in the water is what helps the sauce adhere to your pasta.
The only time you should ever rinse your pasta is when you are going to use it in a cold dish like a pasta salad or when you are not going to use it immediately.”
6. Could get ugly.
“Do not mix hot cooking oil and cool sink water!
I saw a girl burn the hell out of herself because she didn’t listen to the Home Ec. teacher.
She threw her hot oil in a sink with some cool water running.
Boom! Sprayed hot oil all over her arm and neck. Let your oil cool folks.”
7. Fire!
“If a grease fire starts, don’t use water to try to put it out.
Salt, a baking sheet, or a dry towel might work if you don’t have a fire extinguisher.”
8. Protect your fingers.
“Don’t hold an object with your fingers extended when you’re cutting it.
You’re less likely to seriously cut your fingers if you curl your fingers like a claw.”
9. Use it the right way.
“Not seasoning ANYTHING.
There is a reason pretty much every recipe including candy and ice cream includes salt you morons.
Still, don’t overdo it either. Plenty of stuff is pre-loaded with heaps of salt.”
10. Use a carrot!
“Using sugar to take the edge off a highly acidic sauce.
Just put a carrot in it and let it absorb the acidity instead of covering it with a new flavor.”
11. Burger advice.
“Don’t press your burgers down as they’re cooking. You’re releasing all the juice. It’ll give you a dry burger.
There are such things as smash burgers, but I believe on those, you smash them at the beginning before the fat has a chance to melt so you’re not smashing the juice out.”
12. Good tips from a chef.
“Chef for 10 years, here’s some good things to keep in mind when cooking at home.
Clean as you go. It minimizes clutter and mess and makes everything easier.
Sharpen your knives, seriously, dull knives are dangerous as f**k.
Blenders are not just for smoothies, use them for sauces and your life will be changed.
Please stack your fridge appropriately so cross contamination doesn’t happen. Veggies and fruit on top, also eggs is fine, beef, fish, poultry. Chicken juice will contaminate raw veggies so quick.
You don’t need a fu**ing knife block. I’m a chef for a living, I butcher 10-20 ducks a week and I have 6 knives? Even that is just cause I’m very particular. Your average home chef needs 3 at most. A standard lengths chef knife, a paring knife, which most home chefs never use from what I’ve seen, and I medium size blade for veggies can be nice.
Label and date when you open stuff and keep it near the front. Keeping it near the front is most important as it helps encourage you to remember, “Ah yes, I have this kale that I should use” before you open something else.
Olive Oil can go bad, lots of people think it can’t, but it can.
Canned stuff isn’t the worst, just mix it with fresh stuff
Diversify what ingredients you’re using. Most Americans and Europeans cook with the same 20 things? Every time you go to the grocery store pick up a new ingredient and try it out! Beets? Amazing. Like mushrooms? Try oyster mushrooms instead of generic shiitakes. Like onions? Grab a leek. Seriously, CHANGE IT UP.
Wading in to more professional territory but try some Fermentation. Lots of great stuff out there but I’d recommend kimchi. If you wanna get serious buy the Noma Guide to Fermentation and actually read it. Best $30 you’ll ever spend.”
Do you have any expert cooking tips you can pass our way?
Please do it in the comments!
We’d love to hear from you!
