Saturday, 16 April 2016

9 Common Cooking Mistakes And How To Fix Them

I love cooking, but that doesn't necessarily mean I'm great at it. In fact, I'm confident enough to say that I make a ton of mistakes in the kitchen – we all do! Nobody's perfect. But is there anything worse than ruining an entire meal and having to throw it out? Well what if I told you there was a way to fix these mistakes without wasting your food? Here are 9 common cooking mistakes and how to fix them.

1. Too spicy!

Adding too much spice to something is a very common occurrence in my house, especially when it comes to chili peppers. So how do you reverse a dish that you made WAY too spicy? Simple, add sugar or butter – it takes some of that excessive heat away!

2. Too sweet!

Measuring ingredients is definitely something I'm terrible at. Seriously, I've added WAY too much of everything to multiple meals I've cooked. Well if you find your dish is just way too sweet to handle, try adding some lemon juice. It should neutralize the damage.

3. Overcooked!

I'm fairly certain that we've ALL overcooked rice before. In fact, I think I've eaten overcooked rice more than actual rice. ANYWAY, if you smell your rice burning there is a way to fix it. Simply take the pot off the stove place it in some cool water. This will stop the burnt taste from spreading and rescue whatever good rice is left.

5. Burnt!

Burnt toast is something we've all had to deal with at one point in our lives. Well don't worry that's totally a thing of the past. It may sound ridiculous, but if you take a cheese grater and lightly rub the burnt toast against it, you can get rid of the majority of the charred bits.

6. Too mushy!

There's nothing worse than mushy vegetables. Sometimes if you cook fresh veggies for too long, they turn into baby food. But did you know that if you immediately toss those mushy vegetables into a bowl of cold water you can save them? Sprinkle some cheese on top and let broil for a few moments and BAM – welcome back, crunch!

7. Too soggy!

It's not easy to mess up boiling pasta, but it's been done. The next time you leave your pasta boiling for too long, try this – heat up a pan and sautée the pasta in olive oil for a few minutes. This will firm up the outside and help with the texture.

8. Too sticky!

How annoying is it when you bake a cake and it gets stuck to the pan? I know, right?! Well fear not, for there's a way to fix it. First off, let the cake cool off. Then put the bottom of the pan in some hot water – this helps to loosen up the fats, and the cake should slide right out.

9. Too dry!

Dry chicken is brutal, and there's literally no point in trying to serve it. Your best bet is to slice it up and add some sauce to the mix. Saucy is much better than dry.