Flying The Web For News.
  • Career Exam Study
    Career Exam Study
  • US Politics
    US Politics
  • E-commerce Guide
    E-commerce Guide
  • Dropshipping Guide
    Dropshipping Guide
  • Microsoft Exam
    Microsoft Exam
  • IT Career News
    IT Career News

Article Tools/Herramientas de artículos

+ Larger Font/Fuente más grande | - Smaller Font/Fuente más pequeña




Global World Topics

9 Newbie Cooking Mistakes and How To Avoid Them

Are you moving out and need to learn how to prepare meals for yourself? Or are your current cooking skills lacking despite years of practice? You might be feeling overwhelmed if all you seem to be able to produce are burnt, bland, or poorly cooked meals. Fortunately, though cooking may be harder than it looks, it’s a perfectly achievable life skill if you invest enough time and practice.

Below, we check out nine newbie cooking mistakes and how to avoid them so you can start improving your chef game today.

1. Not Reading the Recipe All the Way Through

Imagine this: You start cooking, everything seems fine, then suddenly the recipe calls for an ingredient you don’t have or a technique you’ve never heard of. When this happens, it can throw the whole recipe off the rails.

The Fix

Always read the entire recipe before you start cooking, making sure you actually understand the words on the page. Check that you have all the ingredients, understand the cooking methods, and note how long each step takes.

2. Skipping the Prep Work

Chopping vegetables while your onions burn in the pan is a classic mistake, and it’s easy to avoid. Professional chefs have a term for this: “mise en place,” which means “everything in its place.”

The Fix

Do all your prep work before you turn on the stove. Wash, chop, and measure everything. Set out your tools. Use small bowls to organize your prepped ingredients. You’ll thank yourself later!

3. Using the Wrong Pan Size

That recipe calling for a 12–inch skillet is more than just a suggestion. Though you can fudge with the size a little bit, don’t stray too far from the recommendation. If your pan is too small, your food will overcrowd, which does two things: It prevents heat from evenly reaching all the pan’s contents, and it traps moisture that results in sogginess. Likewise, if your pan is too big, the gaps between the food could allow too much moisture to escape, leading to a dry meal. It’s also much easier to burn food in a too-large pan.

The Fix

Have a few basic pan sizes on hand: an 8-inch skillet for small portions, a 12-inch for larger meals, and a large, heavy-bottomed pot for soups and stews. When in doubt, go bigger rather than smaller. Overcrowding is usually worse than having extra space.

4. Not Preheating Properly

Throwing food into a cold pan or oven leads to uneven cooking and disappointing results. Oftentimes, your food needs that initial blast of heat to cook properly.

The Fix

When the recipe tells you to preheat your oven, do it! For stovetop cooking, heat your pan for 2–3 minutes before adding oil, then let the oil heat for another 30 seconds before adding food. However, those are very general guidelines. The time depends on the pan’s material (cast iron pans take the longest to heat up) and the oil (ones with a high smoking point are best because they won’t destabilize on a preheated pan).

5. Moving Food Around Too Much

New cooks often poke, prod, flip, and stir constantly. Unfortunately, this prevents some foods from developing that beautiful golden crust that adds so much flavor.

The Fix

Unless the recipe tells you to stir constantly, let your food cook undisturbed. When searing meat, resist the urge to move it for the first few minutes. When roasting vegetables, let them sit long enough to caramelize.

If you’re unsure when to flip, look for visual cues. Meat will release easily from the pan when it’s ready to flip. Vegetables will have golden edges.

6. Not Seasoning Properly

Under- and unseasoned food is bland and disappointing. Moreover, seasoning isn’t just about adding salt and other spices at the end—it’s about building flavor throughout the cooking process.

The Fix

Season your food at every stage. You can marinate your protein before it even hits the pan, introduce spices to your aromatics (e.g., onions and garlic) as they cook, and layer other seasonings throughout cooking. Do make sure that you introduce most of the flavor at the beginning of the process, as that’s when your food is most able to absorb and meld with it.

7. Over- and Undercooking Food

One of the easiest ways to ruin a meal is by not paying attention to cooking times. Overcooked food is dry, tough, and flavorless, and undercooked food may be unsafe to eat or lack the proper texture. For example, you shouldn’t cook steak well done if you want to preserve its juiciness and natural flavor.

The Fix

Know how long your specific food takes to cook, then use a timer and check for doneness regularly with a thermometer or small taste tests for things like pasta. Moreover, remember that residual heat continues to cook food even after you take it off the heat source. Resting your meals, especially meats, will allow for carryover cooking and optimal results.

8. Using Dull Knives

A dull knife is dangerous and inefficient. When you apply more pressure to the blade to make it cut, it is more likely to slip and harm you. Plus, dull blades tend to crush food instead of cutting cleanly.

The Fix

You can use a knife sharpener, sharpening steel, or a professional service to keep your knives sharp. Test your knife’s sharpness by cutting a piece of paper; it should slice through cleanly without tearing.

9. Not Tasting as You Go

Cooking without tasting is like driving with your eyes closed. You won’t know if your food needs more salt, acid, or spice until it’s too late.

The Fix

Start with less seasoning than you think you need, then build up, tasting as you go. Keep a stack of clean spoons nearby for tasting, and never put a used spoon back into the food—unless it’s just for yourself, of course!

These newbie cooking mistakes are part of every home chef’s learning journey. Now that you know how to avoid them, you can make better meals for yourself and your loved ones. And remember that cooking is a skill that improves with practice. Each time you cook, you’re building your intuition and understanding of how ingredients behave under heat. It’s okay to make mistakes, as you’ll learn from each one. Soon, you’ll be cooking intuitively, adjusting flavors on the fly, and creating delicious meals that you can be proud of.


Bio: Casey is a passionate copyeditor highly motivated to provide compelling SEO content in the digital marketing space. Her expertise includes a vast range of industries from highly technical, consumer, and lifestyle-based, with an emphasis on attention to detail and readability.



More News From This Category

Use AI Chatbots to Land Your Dream Job and Maybe Live Anywhere in the World

Thu, 21 Aug 2025 07:07:03 +0000

In today’s fast-paced digital world, artificial intelligence isn’t just transforming industries—it’s transforming you. Whether you're a recent graduate, a career shifter, or a remote work dreamer, AI chatbots can be your secret weapon for landing the job you’ve always wanted. From resume writing to interview prep, here’s how to team up with AI to make your career goals a reality.



Read More ...


7 Maintenance Tips Every Landlord Should Know

Sun, 17 Aug 2025 14:23:57 +0000

A bearded man in glasses and a brown shirt pulls a purple filter from a furnace while standing on a yellow ladder.

Successful property management depends on staying ahead of maintenance issues. Well-maintained properties attract quality tenants, reduce vacancy rates, and preserve your investment value. These seven maintenance tips every landlord should know go beyond the basics to help keep your properties in good shape and your tenants happy.

Read More ...


Top Take-Home Gifts for Your Distillery Tour

Sat, 16 Aug 2025 15:13:51 +0000

Five sleek nosing glasses with custom-engraved logos are lined up on a table. They all have whiskey poured into them.

A distillery tour is more than showcasing barrels and pointing out copper stills. It’s an opportunity to leave visitors with an unforgettable experience, one they can carry home in the form of curated keepsakes.

Read More ...


Safety Tips for Replacing Old Equipment in the Workplace

Fri, 15 Aug 2025 14:33:48 +0000

An electrician is using a small, long red tool to replace components on an old electrical system switchgear.

Old equipment often harbors hidden dangers that become apparent only during removal or replacement. Deteriorated wiring, accumulated dust and debris, and outdated safety features can create unexpected risks for workers.

Read More ...


6 Ways To Prepare Your Bakery for Holiday Crowds

Thu, 14 Aug 2025 10:12:04 +0000

A green wreath with a red ribbon hangs on a frosted window, displaying lit baskets of baked goods behind the glass.

The holidays often bring a unique blend of excitement and chaos to bakeries. Orders spike, foot traffic increases, and expectations run high. While it might seem like the best solution is simply to work longer hours, success often comes down to being better prepared, not just busier.

Read More ...


Related Bing News Results

Top Trending Topics of August 2025 Everyone is Talking About

Mon, 18 Aug 2025 07:33:00 GMT
Overview August 2025 is dominated by a mix of global events, viral moments, and pop culture milestones.Social media trends continue to influence real-world conv ...

World News

Sun, 26 Jan 2025 23:27:00 GMT
Stay informed with top world news today. The Associated Press aims to keep you up-to-date with breaking world news stories around the globe.

global trade News Updates - Transport Topics

Wed, 09 Oct 2024 17:01:00 GMT
Disruptions on the world’s major trade routes, refinery closures and resurgent demand are pushing up global fuel prices in the run-up to a U.S. presidential election.

Twitter's Hot Topics From 2022 Featured Memes Alongside Global ...

Mon, 26 Dec 2022 02:00:00 GMT
Goth clowns, Ted Lasso, and Cold War: Twitter's trending topics from 2022 reveal pop culture fads alongside global political unrest By Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert ...

Student-Created Infographics Showcase Wide Range of Global Health Topics

Wed, 19 Jan 2022 15:59:00 GMT
January 20, 2022 Students in last quarter's Overview of Issues in Global Health (EOH560) class were each challenged to create an infographic on a topic of their choice, and their resulting work spans ...


Blow Us A Whistle




Related Product Search/Búsqueda de productos relacionados