Biggest Mistake Home Cooks? Make

[Human Bean]

I think that under- or over-cooking is the biggest mistake, followed by under- or over-seasoning, followed by not knowing that it's improperly cooked/seasoned.

Here's one I haven't seen mentioned yet: trying something new on guests. I have a rather firm rule that I don't serve anything to guests that I'm trying for the first time. Can't say I've never broken it, and don't have any particularly good horror stories, but some people will see a recipe in a magazine or book, think it sounds good, and decide to serve it to others without actually seeing if it works beforehand.

[Suzanne F]

Cockiness.  My Exec Chef always swears he's going to stick with the menu plan until about 45 mintes before the guests arrive.  Then he decides that we need:

1)A loaf of his famous artisanal bread.

2)Puff pastry cheese straws...from scratch

3)Another vegetable side

4)That interesting Latvian (or whatever) fish ap he saw in an obscure cookbook which he now has to find before he starts cooking.

5)The (already) decorated dessert is "just too plain looking"...out come the pastry tips

6)Trotter's lime-caramel ice cream would be woderful with that tart.  He's right, it would, but could we please change our clothes and give the house a lick and a promise instead?

Every time I find a gray hair I blame it on the hour before our last dinner party.

And I was going to say "Poor planning" but then I thought no, I can't say that to these nice folks.

But to add to the list:

• being afraid to diverge one iota from the recipe because they
  
• do not trust their own senses and knowledge and as a result
  
• believing that since everyone else knows EXACTLY how the recipe was supposed to turn out, they have to apologize that it didn't, with a full rundown of what they did wrong.
  

Sheesh!

[Rhea_S]

trying something new on guests

I do this often because I rarely have time for a trial run and I have lots of recipes I want to try. The only thing on this year's Thanksgiving menu that I've made before is the Roasted Beets, Baby Greens and Goat Cheese Salad and that doesn't require a recipe. I've never brined a turkey, made a corn bread dressing or baked either of my chosen desserts, Pumpkin Marble Cheesecake with a Brownie Crust and Cranberry Chiffon Cake. I'm still looking for something exciting to do with broccoli.

A mistake to add to the list: not doing an inventory of the fridge, freezer and cupboards before grocery shopping. I end up with far too much of some things and not enough of others. Or forgetting the shopping list at home. I've been grocery shopping since Friday night and I found out last night that I'm completely out of sugar.

[Stone]

i didn't use butter for years

You never watched Julia Child?

You never watched Last Tango?

[Gavin Jones]

And remember how that dish turned out.

[maggiethecat]

Cockiness.  My Exec Chef always swears he's going to stick with the menu plan until about 45 mintes before the guests arrive.  Then he decides that we need:

1)A loaf of his famous artisanal bread.

2)Puff pastry cheese straws...from scratch

3)Another vegetable side

4)That interesting Latvian (or whatever) fish ap he saw in an obscure cookbook which he now has to find before he starts cooking.

5)The (already) decorated dessert is "just too plain looking"...out come the pastry tips

6)Trotter's lime-caramel ice cream would be woderful with that tart.  He's right, it would, but could we please change our clothes and give the house a lick and a promise instead?

Every time I find a gray hair I blame it on the hour before our last dinner party.

And I was going to say "Poor planning" but then I thought no, I can't say that to these nice folks.

Suzanne: You have my permission to say whatever you like to/about us!

But it's not a matter of poor planning. Everything has been planned and prepared to a fare-thee-well. But if H.H. actually has,say, an hour on his hands before guests arrives he considers that reason enough to..er..expland the menu.

Ah well.

[LaurieA-B]

Using spices that are not fresh!

Particularly, using pre-ground black pepper. I'm not holding my breath until all home cooks use good-quality fresh spices, but there's no reason for any home cook not to use freshly ground pepper, especially now that the little bottles with built-in grinders are becoming widely available. (I just saw them at Safeway.) I know a lot of people who "season" food by pulling out their pepper shaker, which was filled, not too recently, with ground pepper from a little can (or a giant Costco bottle). It's tasteless. Freshly ground pepper is so easy.

We've gotten in the habit of ordering fresh spices at least annually from Penzeys. The quality is fabulous and we save money. I never buy spices at the grocery store anymore.

[Anna N]

As someone who made meals for my family for 40 years but is only now beginning to "cook", I'd say:

poking things about in the pan to prevent them from sticking when they need to be left alone to form a crust

not having the right pans - none of mine were "oven-proof"

not getting the very basics of what makes "flavour"

thinking that if a recipe existed in printed form, it must necessarily be "good" or "correct" or even "palatable" - lots of them are not!

being afraid to trust one's instincts - bowing to "authority" when a bit more salt, a little less cooking, a longer cooling time might have saved a recipe

I could go on and on - but I'm learning - slowly - and often from this forum.

[swissmiss]

Cooking with too low a flame?

Or cooking with too high a flame. I did that for the longest time, and burnt many a meal!

[mamster]

Undersalting. I know when I started cooking, I did not understand how to use salt, not even the principle of "taste, and if it needs salt, put in more salt." It's amazing how everyone has to figure this out for themselves.

Dull knives is my biggest pet peeve about working in somebody else's kitchen, so now I always bring mine. It's way better to get that "who does he think he is?" look than to cut your finger off with a knife that was last sharpened when people actually thought Dewey might have won the election.

[tommy]

Cooking with too low a flame?

luckily, sandra, this doesn't seem to be one of those threads where one's opinion can be proven wrong by circular arguments and diversionary tactics. no question mark necessary. have faith. be confident.

[tighe]

Dull knives is my biggest pet peeve about working in somebody else's kitchen, so now I always bring mine.  It's way better to get that "who does he think he is?" look than to cut your finger off with a knife that was last sharpened when people actually thought Dewey might have won the election.

I'm just not sure I completely buy the story about dull knives being more dangerous than sharp knives anymore. We finally had our pathetically dull knives sharpened last week. Their performance is now better than when they were new, but I managed to give myself the worst cut I've ever had in the kitchen. Not saying I necessarily want to go back to dull knives, but lets not kid ourselves into thinking sharp knives are completely innocuous....

[Kim WB]

thinking that if a recipe existed in printed form, it must necessarily be "good" or "correct" or even "palatable" - lots of them are not!

being afraid to trust one's instincts - bowing to "authority" when a bit more salt, a little less cooking, a longer cooling time might have saved a recipe

NLL, I agree with these two.

I get way too excited about a recipe..especially if it promises to be "lite" or a "healther" version of what I like..I should know by now that while some healther options might taste pretty good, they are never as good as the original, fat and carbo laden recipe! The choices should be to make either the original , really good recipe and eat less, or stick to veggies, fruit, and other naturally low cal options.

Also, I am in awe of the natural cooks I know, , and the ones I read about on the "what we had for dinner" thread..I simply do not have the confidence to make changes, adaptations, etc. It is what I aspire to, but I know that as a home cook, my greatest fault is my hesitation to vary from the recipe.

I remember when my husband first got SERIOUSLY interested in wine, about 10 years ago. ( When he diecided to contribute a larger portion of our family income to this hobby! ) For the longest time, we drank anything Parker or Johnson or WS reccomended..and then finally, he developed his own preferences, his own taste, and then things got interesting with the wines he selected...WHEN will my cooking reach that level of independence???!!!

Glad you posted, Lurking, a nd welcome.

edited just a few moments after posting, been here long enough to know that every bottle of wine consumed deserves an editing session! shpelling and sutch.

Edited November 28, 2002 by Kim WB (log)

[tommy]

but lets not kid ourselves into thinking sharp knives are completely innocuous....

i don't think anyone's suggesting that. but the general understanding is that dull knives can be more dangerous than sharp ones. something about pressure and all of that.

[Malawry]

I've cut myself many times with both sharp and dull knives. With a sharp knife, almost every cut was from not following proper technique...usually not keeping the fingers of the hand holding the object being cut away from the blade enough. With a dull knife, it's usually because the knife slipped because the uneven quality of the dull edge made it impossible to cut cleanly.

Cuts from a sharp knife are deeper, yes. But they also heal much more quickly than cuts from a dull knife and scar a lot less.

[Suzanne F]

Cooking with too low a flame?

luckily, sandra, this doesn't seem to be one of those threads where one's opinion can be proven wrong by circular arguments and diversionary tactics. no question mark necessary. have faith. be confident.

Note yet, anyway. Maybe because some of the circular-arguer/diverters have no idea about cooking at home? NO, I don't mean any of our more rotund leadership!!!

Signed, One of little faith

ediot: to clear up a particularly egregious mis-typing

Edited November 28, 2002 by Suzanne F (log)

[tighe]

Cuts from a sharp knife are deeper, yes. But they also heal much more quickly than cuts from a dull knife and scar a lot less.

Very true, I'm already noticing that the cut is healing surprising quickly and its true that it happend because I was being an idiot. I'm sure it will be hardly noticeable, especially compared to my other thumb, which is missing the chunk that my pet iguana bit off a few years ago......

[torakris]

I will come out of the closet and admit I used to be an under-salter.

The day I discovered what salt could really do was the day I really started cooking.

Because I am cheap I also used to hang on to things like spices forever, now I do an annual order from Penzey's.

[mamster]

tighe, maybe using sharp knives with hands trained on dull knives is the most deadly combination of them all. I just made that up, but it seems plausible enough.

[Dave the Cook]

tighe, maybe using sharp knives with hands trained on dull knives is the most deadly combination of them all.  I just made that up, but it seems plausible enough.

Sharp knives seem to scare the hell out of people who aren't used to them. They'll revert to something dull but, I have to admit, pretty safe--for them (dull knives scare the hell out of me). It's unfortunate that they never experience the pleasure and ease that good knives lend to the task.

As for mistakes, I'd venture:

1) Inadequate appreciation for mise en place. Good prep prevents panic. Panic makes you stupid. Stupid makes you careless. Carelessness is the essence of bad craft.

2) Timidity.

3) Failure to analyze results and act on the analysis.

Is all this too harsh?

[tighe]

tighe, maybe using sharp knives with hands trained on dull knives is the most deadly combination of them all.  I just made that up, but it seems plausible enough.

You're exactly right. In addition to bad technique, I think this particular injury was due to applying more pressure that necessary resulting in the knife passing quickly through the carrot and into my finger before I realized what was happening.

I love working with the sharp knives, just need to get out of some bad habits and pay attention.

Are there any worthwhile books on knife techniques, or is it better to just go get a lesson?....

[Dave the Cook]

Are there any worthwhile books on knife techniques, or is it better to just go get a lesson?....

Jacques' da man.

Edited November 28, 2002 by Dave the Cook (log)

[Ladybug]

Not preheating the oven.

[Dana]

My family now expects me to bring my own knives when I come to visit.

The biggest mistake the AVERAGE home cooks make is the using Cream of Mushroom soup in the can. Can't anyone make a white sauce anymore?

Also, for holiday-type meals, EVERYTHING has a sauce, is a casserole or has some other SOUPED-up presentation. What happened to PLAIN?????

Rhea S.---Put some butter and a squeeze of lemon on that broccoli, and LEAVE IT ALONE!!!!!!!!

Someone (like me) will appreciate it.

[oraklet]

"Like Tolstoy said about each unhappy family being unhappy in its own way, novice cooks I have known make unique mistakes."

i think, really, that i've made all the mistakes mentioned and many more. i still tend to rely too much on smell, not tasting often enough. and i'm slow. and i still sometimes find it difficult to time the preparation of different parts of a meal. not allways my own fault, though: the medium/small organic potatoes last night had to be boiled for 35 minutes (yes, thirtyfive!) to be tender. the poor duck breast was rather cold in the end, as was the sauce.