Scariest Night of My Life premieres on CBS Reality this week and it made us think about the scariest moments of our lives – all of which have, of course, happened in the kitchen! From minor kitchen tragedies to downright horrific disasters, nothing ruins a good evening like a catastrophic cooking mishap. You’re left unsatisfied and most likely hangry, which is never a good situation to find yourself in. So to prevent scary moments in the kitchen, be sure to avoid making these mistakes when cooking.
1. Be sure to read the entire recipe before you start cooking
Not reading the recipe is a cardinal sin to make, especially when you are cooking something for the first time. Always take the time to read the recipe properly – this means you will avoid some unnecessary mishaps because nothing will be overlooked. It also allows for you to prep the food and equipment you might need, ensuring you don’t meet scary surprises along the way, like finding out the meat needs to marinate overnight when you have only 15 minutes to make dinner from scratch!
This is a big no, especially with marinades that are acidic. The acids will react with the metal, which imparts a metallic taste in the marinade and into the food. Always be cautious of marinating times too. Acidic marinades will start to “cook” seafood if marinated too long, which will leave you with overcooked seafood, and marinating veggies for too long can make them soggy because they’ll release water instead of browning when cooking.
3. Don’t fiddle with food as it cooks
Turning or moving your food too often when it’s cooking doesn’t allow for a good sear or proper browning. This means you’ll be doing yourself and your food a disservice because when cooking is involved, browning means flavour and flavour is always welcome!
4. Don’t overcook your food
This can easily be avoided by remembering all food items have a “carry-over cooking” time. Following cooking guidelines to the T and forgetting to factor in “carry-over cooking” means you’ll be eating mushy pasta and dry chicken for the rest of your days!
5. Season the dish as you cook
It is always best to taste and season as you go when cooking, and not only at the end. This will help to avoid both over-seasoned as well as bland, unappealing food.
Was this list not scary enough? Brace yourself: tune into Scariest Night of My Life on weekdays at 7:45pm (repeated on Saturdays and Sundays at 6:50pm from 22 May to 3 July) on CBS Reality, DStv channel 132, for moments that will have you quaking in your boots!