If you're a neophyte in the kitchen, you may not even know what you don't know. But with patience and practice come competence and confidence.
To help boost the newbie's know-how, we asked local cooking instructors about some of the most common mistakes made by their beginning students.
These teachers have seen and tasted it all — bland soups and dry, overcooked meat, lumpy doughs and tough-as-nails crusts. And they've lived to tell the tale.
Here are a few of the pitfalls you want to avoid, whether you're shopping, searing or sifting.
Jim Cason, department chair for the Santa Rosa Junior College's culinary arts program:
1) Lack of seasoning savvy
In his classes, Cason teaches students how to master the basics of seasoning by encouraging them how to taste, analyze, adjust and taste again.
"It's a learned skill, like tasting wine," he said. "When you taste something, you're looking for that balance. What's the first thing that you taste? What is the last thing, and the lingering flavors?"
Even if you've already added salt, you often need to add more salt to heighten the flavors, he said.
2) Depending 100 percent on the recipe
Your oven may be hotter than the test oven. Your lemons may be sweeter. Food is a living thing, so you will always have to make some adjustments.
"I tell my students, it's about cooking, not about recipe reading," he said. "Cooking is about understanding the ingredients and how they interact."
3) Tired spices
Home cooks tend to keep their spices for years, which can result in bland dishes.
"If your basil has been through three presidential cycles," he said. "It's no good anymore."
He suggests that when you buy spices, buy a small amount from retailers such as the Savory Spice Shop in Santa Rosa. Or, mark your jars with the purchase date.
Lisa Lavagetto, chef ambassador for Ramekins Sonoma Valley Cooking School:
4) Sticking with searing
If you're having problems with food sticking to your stainless steel pan, you may not be using the proper technique when searing.
To start, heat your pan on medium-high (it opens the pan's pores), then add the cold oil (that seals the pores.) Then reheat the pan again until the oil is hot.
"That way, you have a virtual nonstick surface," Lavagetto said.
If you're searing meat and it sticks when you try to turn it, wait for it to finish caramelizing.
"Once it does, it will automatically release," she said.
Also, because searing requires medium-high heat, use an oil with a high smoke point, such as canola or grapeseed oil, rather than olive oil, which breaks down in high heat.
5) Garbage in, garbage out
The secret of Wine Country chefs is that they source the very best ingredients. Home cooks should do the same.
"If you use canned tomatoes, buy five varieties and taste them," Lavagetto said. "Knowing your ingredients, and buying the ones that taste the best, is really, really critical."
6) Timing is all
Many people set the timer for 30 minutes, because that's what the recipe says. But that's a big mistake.
"I always teach people to set the timer for halfway, " she said. "Then see where you are, and set the timer incrementally."
John Ash of Santa Rosa, international cooking instructor:
7) Too little heat, too much stirring
In hands-on cooking classes, Ash often finds people are afraid to turn the heat up.
"The act of cooking is about taking advantage of that heat," he said.
If you're browning veggies, give them a few stirs in the beginning, then step away from the pan.
"If you stir, it will take longer to cook," he said. "And they will get mushy."
8) Brown is golden
When you're adding vegetables to a soup or a crockpot dish, take the time to brown them first, to boost flavor.
"People get in a hurry, so they forget to do it," he said. "It's almost always a good step."
9) Allow cooked meat and poultry to rest before slicing
"You want the juices to redistribute themselves back into the meat," he said. "Even chicken breasts should rest for a couple of minutes."
Tracey Shepos, cheese specialist for Kendall-Jackson Family Wines and freelance cooking teacher:
10) Overreaching with recipes
If you're a beginner, don't try to make bread as your first project. Try a quick bread instead.
"It's great to challenge yourself," Shepos said. "But if you try to make something too advanced, you are likely to find yourself feeling unsuccessful and may not be willing to try again."
11) Faux pas food handling
A clean kitchen is a safe kitchen.
"Wash your hands before beginning to cook, and especially after touching raw meat," she said. "You also need to wash your kitchen equipment, and even your vegetables, before cooking."
12) Second-rate equipment
Investing in good-quality equipment pays off, especially with everyday tools.
"A sharp knife is crucial," she said. "A dull knife makes for hard and more dangerous work."
Shelly Kaldunski, chef/instructor with the SRJC culinary arts program, who specializes in baking:
13) Not knowing your measuring cups
If you're measuring dry ingredients for baking, do not use a Pyrex cup (designed for liquid ingredients). There's also a special technique for dry ingredients.
"Fluff up the flour with a spoon in the bag, then dip the cup in," she said. "I always give it a tap or two with what I'm going to level it with ... then I sweep a butter knife across, so that it's level on top."
14) Not mixing gently for baked goods
"If the recipe says, 'Just until mixed,' don't keep going," she said. "When you see that last bit of flour disappear, stop."
The exception to that rule is bread, which needs to be kneaded for a long time to develop its structure.
15) Forgetting the carry-over effect
Baked goods continue to cook after they are pulled from the oven, so it's best to take them out a little early.
"You want to pull the cookies before they're golden all over," Kaldunski said. "With cake, use a tester. You want to take it out when there are a few moist crumbs."
16) Not balancing sweet with salt
If a dessert recipe does not call for salt, you should always add a pinch.
"It really enhances flavor," she said. "Instead of making your cake taste like sugary sweet vanilla buttercake, all of a sudden you taste the vanilla more."
You can reach Staff Writer Diane Peterson at 521-5287 or diane.peterson@pressdemocrat.com
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