Ten mistakes you make in the kitchen

The way you cook, wash or store your food affects the dish - the Meat may not come out crispy, the cake will fall off, and the eggs will turn blue. The brand chef of the culinary studio "Restodom" Aleksey Redko spoke about the most common mistakes in the kitchen at home.

Mistake #1: Wash Meat

The chef does not recommend washing chicken, pork and beef before cooking. Some, he explains, wash IT because of disgust - the seller touched it, it lay in the store - others allegedly wash off bacteria from a piece. But when the meat is washed at home, the situation is aggravated: the bacteria have a nutrient medium - moisture. By washing the meat, you can "splash" the bacteria around the kitchen - they will get on the dishes, countertops or other products that do not undergo additional processing. In addition, water affects the characteristics of the product: washed meat can no longer be fried with a crispy crust, it will rather be stewed, as it will absorb moisture. You can allow washing before cooking the broth.

Alexey recommends buying meat in trusted places and, of course, thermally processing it. Before this, it is enough to blot the product with a paper towel.

The chef recommends being selective about storing fruits and vegetables in the refrigerator. So, banana, kiwi and mango are best left in a bowl in the kitchen so that they do not turn black and change their taste. The same applies to some vegetables - tomatoes, zucchini, onions, garlic - will last longer if they are stored at room temperature.

Alesya says that injuries are more often from blunt knives than from sharp ones. In order to cut the meat, you need to make more effort, and the likelihood that the knife will slip off is higher. In addition, a dull knife “crumples” vegetables, giving them an uneven shape, “tears” meat. The chef recommends sharpening the knives regularly and not washing them in hot water, as this affects their sharpness.

Mistake #4: Turn Meat Often

Steak, burger patties or grilled meat should be turned over once to prevent the meat from being tough. Putting a piece in the pan, let it bake to the middle. The indicator for turning may be the juice that appears on the surface, at this time the meat should be turned over and brought to readiness. After frying, beef does not need to be served immediately: it should be allowed to “rest” under a lid or foil for 3-5 minutes so that the juice inside the meat is evenly distributed and the product is more tender.

Vegetable salads, especially those that are finely chopped, are best seasoned and salted just before serving. The salt contained in various sauces and in itself provokes the release of juice, due to which the vegetables quickly “soak” and begin to flow.

“Put the pan on the fire and heat the oil in it. The phrase from the recipes is correct, but the measure is important here, ”explains Alexey. It is often said that you can not fry in olive or sunflower oil. In fact, each oil has its own combustion temperature, which determines how the product will behave when fried. As a rule, sunflower oil is chosen due to the fact that its combustion temperature is higher. But even on it, the dish can be spoiled: when you leave the oil in the pan for a long time, it will start to smoke, and as a result, the dish may taste bitter.

Some people dip the eggs in boiling water, but it is better to boil them immediately in cold water so that they do not crack. After boiling water, you can boil the eggs for only 1-2 minutes, and then leave them in hot water to cook. Here the time already depends on which egg is needed - hard-boiled or soft-boiled. With this method of preparation, the yolk of the egg will be of a natural color - without the blue that is possible if the egg is overexposed.

Mistake number 8. Incorrectly whip egg whites

Squirrels are very capricious. To beat them, you need to follow one important rule - do not let fat or oils get into the bowl. If you need to beat the whites and yolks separately for baking, then this can be done with the same mixer attachment. The main thing is to immediately beat the whites in a dry, clean bowl, and then move on to the yolks.

There are recipes that require careful control and constant stirring. Also, the amount of stirring may be related to the stove on which you are cooking, or to the dishes (in a frying pan with thin walls, you need to stir the food more often than in a cast iron one). But vegetables need to be mixed infrequently if you do not want porridge to turn out.

If you are cooking something with dough - especially yeast - do not open the oven ahead of time. Not all dough falls, but the risk of spoiling the dish is great. Cooking or roasting meat is less affected by opening the oven. Manufacturers make glass doors and lighting in the oven for a reason, because the temperature after opening the door can drop by 30-40 ° C.