What mistakes in the kitchen will make any chef angry?

Chefs are a caste of special people who made themselves, people who are collected, strong-willed, ambitious and, as a rule, strict. It’s easy to piss off a chef if you make mistakes. 

What mistakes of yours would anger the chef if he were in your kitchen?

• Don’t read the recipe to the end

The recipe is written down in detail in order to be followed. If you are not sure if you can redo it correctly, it is best to follow all the prescribed steps. Need to soak or pickle overnight? Don’t cut the time down to an hour or two. If you need to let the dough stand for several hours, it is better to fulfill the condition so as not to get a tasteless dish at the end.

• You feel shameful to go back to the recipe every time.

Do not think that you will be able to memorize a large recipe the first time, and repeat it “by eye” the second time. What do you need to look at what you’ve written down a few times before you actually memorize the recipe?

• Have no fallback

If your guests are waiting for the next masterpiece, and it suddenly did not work out, proceed to Plan B. An appetizer, a light dessert, well known and accessible to you, will help you out in difficult times. In the case of a fallback, the main thing is not to experiment, but to cook a familiar, proven dish. Even the most venerable chefs have a plan B. 

• Don’t write a refined recipe

If you make changes to the recipe and the dish turns out to be a masterpiece, do not rely on your memory – write down all the subtleties of the changes. This will help you repeat your success next time.

• Do without the tools you need

Being a cook with only a saucepan and a spoon in your kitchen is very difficult. You won’t be able to whip the cream without a good blender. It is easy to overexpose meat without using a special thermometer. It is very difficult to cut the ingredients with a bad knife. If you are contemplating haute cuisine, provide yourself with the necessary professional tools.

• Don’t use spices

Salt and pepper are the basis for a delicious meal. But not the only spices that can be used to add flavor. Add a sour note or even sweetness to your main dishes. Sugar, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, lemon juice – experiment more boldly!

• Do not preheat the pan and oven before cooking

To prevent food from sticking and baked goods to fall off in a cold oven, always warm up the work surfaces well before cooking. This will help you cook the ingredients correctly and save the dish from failure.

• Don’t make grocery lists

In order not to forget anything and not to buy too much, always make a list of what you need. Especially for a complex recipe where rare and unusual ingredients are required – specific sauces or seasonings.

• Do not prepare foods and surfaces before cooking

Before you begin to “conjure” over the dish, prepare enough space around you. Remove all unnecessary, collect the necessary equipment, wash and peel vegetables, defrost meat or fish. And only after that start cooking.

• Add herbs and seasonings at the same time

If you pepper and salt the dish, it should be at the pickling stage, but fresh herbs are added only at the end. Dry seasonings take time to develop. Fresh herbs added at the beginning will lose their flavor and texture by the end of cooking.

Let the chef’s anger never fall on your kitchen! Delicious meals!