17 kitchen mistakes that ruin dishes and health

Even experienced housewives make them from time to time. Although it costs nothing to avoid such mistakes.

The kitchen is the heart of the house, the warmest and most comfortable place. And also the dirtiest and most potentially dangerous. And if with the first one can only tirelessly fight, then the degree of danger can be significantly reduced, simply by stopping to make some common mistakes.

1. Make well-done toast and croutons

And also pancakes, etc. Do you like hotter? Better to reconsider your culinary preferences. Experts say that dangerous carcinogens are formed in the crust fried to a brown tint, which can cause a variety of health problems. Gordon Ramsay, for example, seriously assures that this approach increases the risk of cancer. And also – spoils the taste of the product, giving it some bitterness.

2. Rarely sharpen knives

There is nothing dangerous to health here. But for the wallet there is. Gordon Ramsay advises giving knives for professional sharpening 2-4 times a year, even if you use them 2-3 times a week. And sharpen yourself from time to time. Otherwise, the blade bends easily, jags appear on it, or it can even be broken: there have been cases when the blade simply flew out of the handle due to excessive pressure. Well, it is better to store knives in special stands – this way the blade will stay sharp longer.

3. Put raw foods next to cooked foods.

Everyone knows about the rule “raw – separately, ready – separately”, but often neglected. Maybe the danger is underestimated, maybe just through inattention. But getting infected with salmonella or Escherichia coli simply because raw chicken lay next to a ready-made dish would be very offensive. And we have already talked about how often a bird is sold with an increased level of bacterial contamination. Spoiler alert: very often.

4. Butcher first meat, then vegetables

Even if you are going to throw them in one pan, it is better to chop vegetables first, then meat, fish or poultry. After all, we often eat a piece of chopped carrots or greens on the machine. And they are already frolicking with might and main bacteria, “moved” there from raw meat. By the way, Gordon Ramsay assures that it makes no sense to cut meat and vegetables on different boards. Although we have always been taught that these products need separate boards.

5. Prepare ingredients while cooking

While one is fried, steamed, stewed, we usually peel and chop the next product, which should go to the pan. It seems to be more ergonomic, there is no extra time. However, culinary guru Gordon Ramsay assures that this approach will not spoil the taste of the dish for long. For example, garlic should be placed immediately after broccoli, but we have not yet peeled and chopped garlic. However, it is unlikely that we are so spoiled by shades of taste.

6. Store meat on the top shelf in the refrigerator

Firstly, in most refrigerator models, this shelf is the warmest, which is not very good for meat. Secondly, juice or blood can drip or leak onto the food lying underneath. It is better to put food in the refrigerator in this order: vegetables and fruits on the top shelf (yes, despite the fact that we are used to storing them in the lower drawers), dairy products and ready-made food in the middle, and meat, fish and poultry at the very bottom …

7. Try the dish only for salt

Let’s try again to listen to Gordon Ramsay. So, he thinks – and there is no reason not to trust him that the dish needs to be tasted after adding each new portion of ingredients in order to evaluate it not only for salt, but also for acidity, saturation, etc. Of course, not completely cooked meat this rule does not apply.

8. Defrost meat on the table

As soon as the temperature of the meat reaches 4 degrees, then pathogenic bacteria begin to multiply in it. From the countertop or from the board, they will gladly creep throughout the kitchen. Therefore, the safest way to defrost meat is in the microwave at low temperatures, on a shelf in the refrigerator, or in cold water. Of course, the meat should be in the bowl.

9. Wash dishes with one sponge for more than a week

In an amicable way, the sponge needs to be changed after every 30 uses. It’s not for nothing that this item received the title of the dirtiest in the house. The sponge is simply a champion in the number of bacteria. There is no point in steaming it in the microwave or cleaning it in any other way: you cannot kill all bacteria. Therefore, it is easier and more hygienic to take a new one.

10. Do not wait for the oven to fully heat up

Every recipe has the words “Preheat the oven”. Means completely, properly reheat. If you turn on and immediately put dough or meat in it, then the result may disappoint you. The meat will simply take longer to cook, and the dough may become capricious, rise poorly or crack.

11. Overheat the oven

Want to take less time to cook? No, this method will not help. The only thing that overheating of the oven will lead to: damage to the dishes, the appearance of a charred crust (with carcinogens, yes), or even the oven itself will smoke. As a result, the dish will simply not be baked.

12. Putting expensive dishes in the dishwasher

This is truly an indispensable gadget that eliminates the need to fiddle around in the sink every day. But only if we are not talking about a porcelain service, thin glasses and vases. It is better to wash expensive dishes by hand: the dishwasher approaches business with such zeal that it can ruin it. Knives there too quickly become blunt, by the way.

13. Add food

Our civilized life has resulted in us eating too much salt. It is everywhere: in cheese, sausage, semi-finished products. We are so used to it that food often seems bland. But in fact, we just forgot how to feel the taste of a natural product. And salting up leads to problems with pressure, joints, even bloating. By the way, in order to minimize the amount of salt without losing taste, dishes are usually salted at the end, so that the products do not have time to absorb too much of it.

14. Putting hot food in the refrigerator

For example, to quickly cool down a bowl of soup for a child. But this is not too far-sighted: the refrigerator deteriorates from such tricks. Wait until the food has cooled to room temperature. And there is no longer to hesitate: if food stays on the stove for too long, bacteria begin to multiply in it.

15. Wash meat, poultry and fish

It sounds wild to our ears, but these products (and some others) really shouldn’t be washed. They need to be sent to a saucepan or frying pan right away, without preludes. But to drain the first, or even the second broth will not hurt. So you get rid of residual traces of medicines that may be in the meat, and at the same time, you will drain all possible dirt.

16. It is not enough to preheat the pan

The consequences are very simple: on an unheated surface, food will cook unevenly, and even stick. Please note: meat will not stick to a well-heated frying pan, even without oil. In addition, the cooking temperature is not just indicated in the recipes. Ignoring it makes it easy to ruin a dish.

17. Use the wrong oil

Unrefined, first cold pressed, there is an opinion that this oil is the most useful and can only be cooked on it. But they can only refuel dishes; in no case should it be heated. Firstly, this way you will kill all its useful properties, and secondly, it will smell bad, because everything that adds taste and aroma to it will burn. Third, it smokes and can foam a lot.

Leave a Reply