Ido Fishman Points out Simple Cooking Mistakes to Avoid

Cooking food can be quite rewarding when you do it right, but it turns out to be equally frustrating when you put in so much effort, only to realize that the food doesn’t taste as expected. This typically happens when you have made a mistake somewhere during the process and didn’t know what it was. If you don’t want all your efforts to go down the drain, you should figure out what these simple cooking mistakes are in order to avoid them. Ido Fishman has pointed out some of these to help you in improving your cooking skills:

• Not preheating the pan before adding the ingredients

There are a number of reasons why you should preheat your pan before adding the ingredients. For instance, if you have to sear a meat cut, putting it in a lukewarm pan will defeat the purpose and you will not have an even sear. In addition, Ido Fishman says that it could also cause the meat to stick to your pan. Likewise, a hot pan is useful for forced evaporation, but if the pan is not hot enough, evaporation will not happen. If you want to stir-fry your veggies, this will end up steaming them and not what you want.

• Moving the food around too much

While the food is cooking, it can be very tempting to move and flip it around to check whether it is done or not. While you do need to do this once in a while, doing it every few seconds is definitely not recommended. This is where you need to be patient and allow the magic to happen without disturbing the ingredients. According to Ido Fishman Chef, you will be able to achieve a nice gold color and it can also provide better flavor and texture.

• Always using olive oil

Using too much olive oil is a very common mistake and one you need to avoid. It has a low smoke point, which means if you try to use it at high heat, the oil will start smoking. This means that it is certainly not suitable for searing meat or any deep-frying.

• Not sharpening your knives

A sharp knife is safer to use and a lot more efficient as well. A sharp blade does intimidate some people, but when you use a dull knife, you will have to apply more strength while using it and this can lead to slipping and injuring yourself. Ideally, Ido Fishman suggests that you should hone your knife about once a week. This doesn’t wear the blade down, keeps it straight and doesn’t sharpen it. You should use a knife sharpener or a whet stone for sharpening your knife every few months. If you want the best results, you can get it sharpened professionally once a year.

• Putting hot food in the fridge directly

Leaving warm food out for a long time at room temperature is risky because it may start developing bacteria. However, this doesn’t mean that you should place hot food directly in the fridge. According to Ido Fishman, this will bring the fridge’s temperature up and put other things at risk. In order to ensure it doesn’t happen, you should refrigerate food that’s not too hot and not too warm and use air-tight and small containers. Plus, you should also leave plenty of room next to them when you put them in the fridge to allow air to circulate properly and cool down the food.

• Not prepping the ingredients before time

It is a smart move to read the full recipe beforehand and prep your ingredients because it results in a less stressful time in the kitchen. Sure, dicing and chopping are not really that exciting, but when you have everything ready, Ido Fishman believes there is a less chance of making a mistake because you will be able to focus on the cooking rather than having to deal with multiple tasks simultaneously.