As an equity trader for T3 Trading Group, Darren Grunberg utilizes over two decades of experience in finance for the creation and execution of trading strategies, operations, and risk management. In Darren Grunberg’s free time, he likes to cook.
Not only will improving your skills in the kitchen open the door to much better meals, but it may also impress your friends, significant other, or that date you plan on wooing with a nice home-cooked meal. That said, there are numerous mistakes inexperienced cooks often make that will have your dinner guests second-guessing their decision to eat over. Here are three such mistakes you should avoid:
1. Overcrowding - While it may seem easier to throw everything into one pan and cook it all at once, overcrowding your pan produces excess steam. With so much steam, it is tougher for your food to brown properly, which helps lock in flavor. Instead of covering the pan’s entire surface with food, turn on another burner and use two pans, or simply use a larger one.
2. Meats - You may be hungry and impatient, but give your meats a few minutes to rest after cooking before you cut into them. Waiting a bit will help the juices absorb into the meat, making your steak more succulent. If you cut into your meat right after removing it from the heat, you will lose a lot of those juices and, consequently, a lot of the flavor.
3. Herbs - If you are cooking a dish that calls for a fresh herb, do not substitute it for its dried counterpart. Similarly, using dried herbs when a recipe calls for fresh herbs will likely leave your dish either over- or under-seasoned, depending on the herb. This is because herbs like parsley and basil lose much of their flavor when dried, while herbs like tarragon and oregano take on a much stronger flavor when dried.
