We usually think about acquiring good cooking habits and ways to improve our masterchef skills by implementing novelties, tips and tricks, and going out of our comfort zone. In fact, we previously wrote a handful of useful posts just about that and you can find them here, here and here.
But the truth is, unless we earn our bread from cooking, most of us are pretty susceptible to daily kitchen mishaps, faux pas and questionable recipes that would make any chef’s hair stand on end. “What bad cooking habits get on your nerves?” asked one Redditor on the Cooking community and added “For me it’s when people use the highest flame setting to cook EVERYTHING. It is wasteful, overcooks food, overboils everything and it really does ruin pans.”
The thread immediately resonated with cooking aficionados who saw it as a perfect opportunity to spill all the bad cooking habits that totally annoy them. And it’s not looking pretty.
#21
Margarine. It is NOT the same as butter. Got into a fight with my mom last Christmas over her wanting me to use margarine in the macaroni and the mashed potatoes.
Then she tried to cook asparagus in the microwave (with margarine) but I'm hoping that was just a her thing.
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157points
#22
When people f**k with the timer/burner when I’m cooking. I had some tomato sauce going at a nice even simmer, but apparently someone else in my household thought it should be boiling like pasta water, so they jacked up the temp to high and added more time to the timer...
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147points
#23
Starting a big cooking project with dirty dishes in the sink. Not cleaning while you go.
142points
#24
Refusing to use salt when seasoning a dish. My friend thinks that she has "discovered" how to season food with herbs and spices and that she doesn't need to use boring old salt. It is kind of pretentious and her food is very bland.
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137points
#25
When you make the effort to do a BEAUTIFUL roast dinner for someone for the first time and they immediately drown it in cheap sh*tty tomato sauce. Happened to me last week. It cut a little bit, I’ll admit.
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136points
#26
Nonstick pans don’t hold heat well. So if you’re trying to get a sear on meat, as soon as you put the meat in the nonstick, the heat transfers and the pan temp goes down. So getting consistent browning and crust is impossible.
I’ve had really expensive pans of all kinds, and nothing has outperformed my $18 cast iron skillet. Everything from searing meat, to browning veggies, to baking pizzas and breads. Nothing compares. If it’s the Maillard Reaction you’re trying to achieve, it’s the best option in my opinion. If you prefer carbon steel or stainless steel, I won’t argue with you because the differences aren’t super noticeable. But from my taste buds and experiences, it’s cast iron.
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130points
#27
This is burned into my memory: I was at a friend's house and she was making guacamole. Her idea of pitting the avocado was wielding the chef knife in a stabbing motion directed point first at the pit, while she was holding the avocado half in her other hand. I thought I was watching a slasher film. I was TERRIFIED.
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126points
#28
Not seasoning food. Unless for health reasons. Also, salting a plate before tasting.
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114points
#29
Pots on the stove with the handles sticking out. It’s so easy to elbow-bump one and have boiling water on your knees. Don’t cook barefoot!
110points
#31
I have many but adding garlic on the pan too early and burning it to bitter. Looking at you, Facebook videos I end up watching even when I haven't subscribed.
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100points
#32
People cutting up things one at a time. Example: celery stalks. Grab a few at a time!!!
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97points