40 Common Cooking Mistakes You May Be Making And How To Fix Them

11. Prepping ingredients as you cook

If you want to save time and end up with a tastier meal, you should definitely have all your ingredients measured out and prepped before you start the cooking process, not during. The French even have a phrase for this, “mise-en-place,” which translates to, “putting in place.” “You should get into the habit of prepping every single ingredient from start to finish before you start cooking anything,” says Ramsey. This way if the recipe calls for adding minced garlic right after the broccoli, you have the garlic ready and minced. Spending time to have to mince the garlic mid-step may actually end up ruining the recipe.

12. Forgetting to read the entire recipe first

You’d be surprised by the number of people that start cooking before reading the entire recipe from start to finish beforehand, but you should always read it through at least once before even turning on the stove. You’ll not only see the needed ingredients, but you’ll also be able to make sure that you have all of the necessary tools. There’s nothing worse than being mid-recipe only to realize you’re out of garlic.

13. Storing meats on the top shelf of your fridge

“If you don’t want to eat it straight out of the fridge, like raw chicken, it goes on the bottom of the refrigerator,” says Ramsey. The reason for this is very straightforward: storing meats on the bottom ensures that if it drips, it won’t get the nasty juices all over your RTE foods. Consider storing fruits and vegetables at the top, dairy, and prepared items in the middle, and raw meats, fish, and hazardous foods at the bottom to make the best use of your fridge.

14. Never cleaning your fridge

When is the last time you gave your fridge a good deep cleaning? Yeah, probably never, which is understandable because many people don’t think of their fridge as part of their daily cleaning ritual. Technically, you should be cleaning your fridge weekly, but if you find this daunting, try giving it a deep clean at least once a month, and, of course, wipe up spills immediately as they happen. This way you’ll prevent bacteria from spreading, which can lead to cross-contamination.

15. Leaving fruits and veggies on the counter vs. fridge

It’s totally up to you and whether you prefer to enjoy your apples at room temperature or chilled, when it comes to counter vs. fridge. Most produce should be kept at a temperature that you probably don’t have access to, which is around 55 degrees—warmer than your fridge, but colder than your kitchen, thus fridge or counter is your choice. The refrigerator will increase the shelf life of just about every fruit and vegetable, but it also takes away some of the flavors, so if you plan on eating your produce right away, leave it out on the counter because it’ll taste better, but if you want to save it for a few days, you should place it in the fridge.

16. Buying produce in bulk

This goes back to the counter vs. fridge dilemma. Your produce will taste better if left out on your counter and eaten right away, but right away is the key issue here. Now if you buy your produce in bulk, you’ll most likely have to put some of it in the fridge to increase the shelf life, which in turn will leave your produce less tasty. Solution? Instead of your weekly grocery haul, consider making two to three smaller trips per week. Yes, going to the grocery more times may be a pain, but you’ll be eating fresher and yummier foods.

17. Not tasting foods

“You should be tasting at every step of the process,” urges Ramsey. “The people who say that you should not taste your food until it’s done are without a doubt wrong and I don’t think you’d find a professional chef in the world who would tell you not to taste.” Tasting your foods as you go is extremely important as it’s the only way to know that you’re correctly following the recipe. Ramsey recommends tasting after each major ingredient change. Obviously, don’t try raw meats, but if it’s safely edible, taste while cooking. “If you’re not tasting as you go, there’s no way to know what you’re putting on there,” he adds.

18. Seasoning all at once

“Season in layers,” says Ramsey. This means if the recipe calls for seasoned chicken, followed by seasoned onions, followed by seasoned peppers, you season each item individually. You wouldn’t want to put all the ingredients in a pan and then season all at once, as the flavors may turn out a bit off. For instance, the food at the top may be too seasoned, while the food at the bottom not seasoned enough.

19. Overcrowding the pan

Chef Ramsey heard a colleague say this phrase to one of his classes and thought it described how full your pan should be perfect. “When you’re putting food in a pan, you want it to be like an elevator. You want everyone to get it, but nobody touching,” they said. So you can put enough food in a pan that the bottom is fully coated, but each individual piece of food should have its own space to ensure it cooks evenly and thoroughly. Overcrowding the pan will cause your dish to take longer to cook, and cause your food to turn mushy.

20. Thawing meats on the counter

You never ever want to thaw a piece of meat by just leaving it right on your counter. Bacteria will immediately start growing once the meat becomes warmer than 40 degrees. The safest three ways to thaw meat are in the microwave on a low heat, in the refrigerator, or in cold water. Regardless of the thawing method you chose, you must first put the meat in a bowl. You’d never place the meat directly and uncovered in the microwave or on a shelf in your fridge.