Overcrowding The Pan
This is a big no-no. If you think you’re going to save time by adding every ingredient at once, you are wrong. For example, when making spaghetti and meatballs, make sure you cook the meatballs in one pot and then add the spaghetti. You can’t add everything at once because they have different cooking temperatures. Always start with the sauce which can take longer preparing and simmering. Then the protein, and lastly the pasta which takes the least amount of time. Once everything is done, you can mix it together. Overcrowding a pan can make your food mushy or not cook properly.
Using the Wrong Fat
There are so many options when it comes to cooking oil. You have canola, corn, olive, sunflower, coconut, and many other oils. Good oil like olive oil can be expensive, so don’t waste it in the pan since the temperature can diminish its health benefits. Always use canola, corn, pig fat, or coconut for frying.
Not Defrosting Properly
We’ve all seen videos of people cooking a frozen turkey. When you don’t defrost meat properly you run the risk of it being frozen in the middle, but you can also hurt yourself. If there’s too much water on the frozen meat and you put it in a hot pan, the water mixing with the oil can jump out and burn you. Make sure your pan is hot too because putting meat on a cold pan will not help your protein cook properly.