Cooking your own food is the best way to control the quality of food you eat. But, if you’re new to cooking you must know that there are cooking mistakes that can make or break your home-cooked meal. Many times it’s the way you use heat, the ingredients that you use, and even the pots and pans that can make a big difference in the quality of your dish.
Low and High Heat
Heat is very important when it comes to cooking. Always make sure that your pan is hot before adding anything to it. When searing a steak you want to use high heat and want to use the right pan. Make sure you use a cast-iron skillet, which can give you great grill lines, plus it gets hot very quickly, which is key. Using low heat is great when you’re almost done because it helps keep your food warm. It’s also good when simmering sauces. Whatever you do, don’t leave your steak on the pan or skillet, make sure you remove it, otherwise it will keep cooking since the pan is still hot.
Using the Wrong Tools
As stated above, using the wrong pan to sear meat can be the difference between a good sear and just cooking it. Invest in one stainless steel and a non-stick frying pan or a cast iron skillet. Also, make sure you have the right utensils. Make sure you have a spatula, tongs, large stainless steel spoon and fork. These tools can help make your life easier and help make things a lot easier.
Stirring & Flipping
Lots of stirring is good when you’re making a sauce because you want the ingredients to mix well and not stick. But, when you’re cooking meat, make sure you leave it alone for a couple of minutes. You can check to see how the sear is going by lifting a side slowly. Many times if you flip fish early, you will end up with a mess, the same thing goes for burgers and chicken. Leave it alone and come back in 4 minutes and you will see how the meat starts to brown and get a beautiful sear. 
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.
