5 Mistakes That Everyone Makes When They’re Learning To Cook

1)      Using metal utensils on non-stick pots and pans

Cooking with non-stick pots and pans is an awesome way to minimize clean-up time after you enjoy your meal. Unfortunately, using metal utensils can scratch and damage your non-stick cookware, and there have been many concerns raised in the media in recent years regarding the potential health risks of consuming pieces of plastic that have been scraped off of non-stick pans. To avoid this, you always want to reach for silicone utensils when you cook with your non-stick kitchenware.

2)      Forgetting to use a trivet on counter tops

Although we may dream about it on our Pinterest boards, we can’t all enjoy the luxury of a home kitchen fully outfitted with marble or granite counter tops. Save your wooden or laminate counters from bearing ugly, unsalvageable burn marks and jazz up your kitchen with some colorful trivets.

3)      Not setting kitchen timers

When you’re just learning to cook, you may forget that you’ve got something in the oven because baking is not yet a concern that you’re used to minding. No one wants to spend a hour sifting and mixing only to be heartbroken by the unwelcome smell of burnt cookies. By setting a timer, you can avoid such a disaster and enjoy the delicious profits of your hard work.

4)      Not measuring ingredients precisely while baking

We’ve all seen the pros on Food Network eyeball a quarter of a cup of flower or two tablespoons of baking powder. When you’re a beginning home chef, however, it’s best to think of baking as a science experiment that you need to painstakingly measure and coddle in order to be able to prove a delicious theory. The theory being, “this pie is going to turn out awesome!” or “these croissants are going to be flaky and buttery,” and all because you followed the directions. Measuring cups and spoons are some of the most valuable tools in your kitchen lab, so don’t overlook them when you’re baking!

5)      Melting plastic utensils in hot pots and pans

It’s so important to make sure that you’re using quality utensils that won’t fail you when you’re learning how to cook. Cheap plastic utensils will melt and wear down when you apply them to heat, and the art of heating ingredients to make them delicious is exactly what most cooking is truly about! By cooking with heat-resistant, BPA-free silicone kitchen utensils, you can rest assured that your tools will hold up to the heat as you explore new recipes and kitchen techniques.

A great way to start using high quality silicone kitchen utensils is by cooking with a pair of versatile, easy to use kitchen tongs like these 9″ ergonomic tongs from Cooler Kitchen. If you’ve never cooked with kitchen tongs before, you should check out this video of Cooler Kitchen co-founder Julie cooking and serving a scrumptious pasta dish here.

Enjoy your cooking adventures, and stay tuned in to Coolerkitchen.com for more great recipes and cooking ideas! You can also follow @coolerkitchen on Instagram and Twitter, and like Cooler Kitchen on Facebook to keep up with Brandon and Julie’s adventures cooking at home and eating their way around New York City!

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