| ual mistakes that happen when learning to cook | | | | some ingredients cannot be substituted and |
| include some very simple errors. Cooking is a skill | | | | others require explicit substitutes. |
| but a few people claim they can't even boil water. | | | | 5. Read the recipe carefully and create the food in |
| This excuse is probably just a matter of that | | | | the exact order called for. |
| person having never been taught the basics of | | | | 6. Some recipes can be doubled without a |
| cooking. | | | | difficulty, others can't. |
| Mistakes can happen anytime in the cooking | | | | 7. Look up the meaning of mix, blend, whip, fold, |
| process. Learning to cook is best done with a | | | | boil, stir, simmer and other action cooking terms. |
| teacher who can physically show a person the | | | | 8. Do not pour hot liquids into cold glass. Use glass |
| correct way to cook. If that is not an option, it's | | | | engineered to handle heat or do not use glass. |
| feasible to learn how to cook from a book. Many | | | | 9. Don't overheat, over-bake or overcook; don't |
| usual mistakes happen due to carelessness, | | | | under-cook or under-bake. Employ a thermometer |
| ignorance or reading mess ups. | | | | or toothpick test to see when your cooking is |
| Here are some tips for avoiding the most | | | | done. Use a timer. |
| common cooking mistakes: | | | | 10. Follow health rules for handling raw meats, |
| 1. Use a recipe; read the recipe to be sure you | | | | poultry and fish. Use different cutting boards or |
| understand everything. | | | | wash them between foods. |
| 2. Follow the recipe precisely. Do not guesstimate | | | | 11. Use correct size of saucepans. |
| quantities; measure meticulously, using measuring | | | | 12. Be careful round the hot stove burners. Turn |
| cups and spoons. | | | | pan handles so they are not sticking out over the |
| 3. Read your recipe's ingredient list and gather all | | | | edge of the stove into the room where you could |
| the ingredients on the counter before beginning. | | | | bump into them and spill hot contents. Protect |
| This helps avoid the difficulty of not having some | | | | youngsters from hot items. |
| of the ingredients you need to have. Lay them in | | | | 13. Keep an eye what you are cooking; stay in |
| a line in the order that the recipe needs their use. | | | | the kitchen. |
| 4. Refer to a cooking reference book if you need | | | | Cooking can be fun and creative. With a little |
| to substitute one ingredient for another because | | | | education and preperation, everyone can cook! |