The 7 Major Mistakes When Learning to Cook

Your kitchen fails should be about the flavor disasters, not about burning down the house or cutting off a finger. While cooking is far safer than skydiving, you're still handling hot surfaces, open flames, sharp knives, and potentially hazardous ingredients, so knowing the basics of kitchen safety is crucial. Here's a quick safety guide:

• Wash your hands to prevent spreading harmful bacteria.

• Keep raw and cooked foods separate to avoid cross-contamination.

• Wash your produce, but never wash meat.

• Don’t overindulge in alcohol while cooking.

• Be mindful of pot handles sticking out.

• Use good-quality oven mitts and potholders.

• Keep knives sharp: Dull knives require more effort and are more likely to slip.

• Never use water on a grease fire.

Almost every aspiring chef has taken one look at a tricky recipe, like Baked Alaska, and thought, “How hard can it be if I just follow the steps?” only to discover it’s way tougher than expected (and later tossing the disaster that was Bake Craplaska into the trash). Some dishes require skills you're not familiar with and tools you don’t have. But don’t fret: There are plenty of simple recipes out there that lead to tasty results. Start with those and gradually challenge yourself.

Whether you call it the fancy French term mise en place or simply ‘prepping ahead,’ organization and a clear plan are essential when cooking. Before you start, especially when following a recipe, make sure to read through the entire thing first, then do everything possible to get ready before heating a pan. This includes chopping, measuring, opening cans, and having a basic understanding of how everything will come together when it’s time to cook. Cooking becomes a lot less stressful when you’re not frantically chopping garlic to toss into hot oil. Oh, and don’t forget to start with a clean kitchen.

Be like the happy chef in the stock image above: Taste your food along the way and soon enough, your family will appreciate your cooking. Even when following a recipe precisely, it’s essential to taste and adjust the seasoning as you go. This not only improves the dish, but it also helps you understand how cooking affects the flavor and texture of ingredients, how spices interact with each other and with heat, and if everything is progressing as it should—ensuring your next dish turns out even better.

Oh, and always use a wooden spoon.

Overcooking is a greater mistake than undercooking because, while you can always cook food more, you can't undo overcooking. However, don’t shy away from a good hot pan. Without it, you miss out on the delightful roasted and browned flavors from the Maillard reaction. As you gain experience, you’ll develop an instinct for when food is cooked just the way you like it, but until then, use cooking thermometers often, familiarize yourself with your stove and oven’s quirks, and stick to the recipe.

Most importantly, to avoid foodborne illness, know which foods can safely be served rare (beef) and which should never be (chicken).

New chefs often feel the urge to jump in and constantly interfere with their food, but much of cooking is simply waiting for the ingredients to react. Be patient: your constant flipping, poking, rearranging, and opening of the oven is likely just making things worse (unless you're dealing with something like a sauce that demands frequent stirring).

Additionally, avoid overcrowding the pan or baking sheet. Trust me, the results won’t be what you expect. I fall into this trap all the time, and each time I end up thinking, “Why is everything soggy? It’s because it was all packed together!” Don’t crowd your food, or you might end up with the same soggy regret as me.

Garlic is a staple in just about everything, but it can be tricky. It cooks quickly, and burnt garlic tastes awful, so if you mess it up, you’ll need to toss the entire charred, bitter mess in the trash.

In many recipes, the goal is to infuse the oil with garlic’s flavor. You can achieve this by gently heating the oil and garlic together on low heat, even if the recipe suggests using high heat.

Mytour’s spicy senior food editor Claire Lower is a huge garlic fan, and she taught me that when cooking with high heat, like in a wok, you should add garlic just long enough to release its aroma, then remove it. Add it back in later. But whether you’re using high heat or slow cooking: Never burn the garlic.