40 People Who Ended Up With Very Unappealing Food On Their Plates (New Pics)

To learn more about how these kitchen disasters happen and what people could do to avoid them, we reached out to Ellen Manning, freelance journalist, writer, and founder of the Eat With Ellen blog. "I'm no expert, but from experience, I'd say the biggest cooking mistakes amateurs make are not planning and preparing properly, and not allowing enough time," she told Bored Panda.

"Even the very best chefs make sure everything is prepared in advance, and they know how much time they need to execute certain dishes," Ellen explained. Whether you feel daunted by the whole process or believe you simply lack the skill to create beautiful meals, there are plenty of easy-to-follow cooking tips that can up your culinary game right away.

"If you're less confident, it's even more important to do this and to build in a bit of extra time so you're not rushing and getting stressed. I've ruined many a meal because I tried to rush, didn't read the recipe in advance and get everything ready, then ended up trying to do too much in too little time, which inevitably causes mistakes," the blogger revealed.

Luckily, it’s easy to avoid kitchen blunders such as you see in this list if you simply make a plan and stick to it. "Take time to read the recipe, to check you've got the right ingredients, and to plan what you need and what you'll need to do," Ellen suggested. "This is even more important if you're cooking several dishes at the same time. There's many an adage that says 'perfect planning prevents poor performance' — or words to that effect — and it's no different in the kitchen."

So if you want to prevent slip-ups, mishaps, and setting your kitchen on fire, or generally want to know some small steps to help you improve your cooking, Ellen has you covered. "If you're making a complicated dish, get everything chopped up, measured out, and weighed in advance. This will help," she advised.

"Also, try to clear up as you go along (or get someone else to do it). Tidy workspace, tidy mind, and all that. It will keep you organized and calm if you're not working in chaos."

Let’s not forget that sight, smell, and even sound of food also contribute to how we perceive a certain food. That’s why serving and eating from an attractive plate is also extremely important.

When asked how we can make our food look more appetizing, Ellen told us that a lot of this could come down to preference. "But as everyone says, you eat with your eyes as well as your mouth, so how your dish looks matters as much as how it tastes."

"Arranging food in a way that's pleasing to the eye is key — think of it as the main part of the dish being the centerpiece, with other elements around it designed to help it stand out, and to complement it in terms of color."

"It's important to think of appearance in three dimensions, not just two, so consider using height (that's why you see so many dishes with elements stacked up on each other). That said, sometimes less is more, so try not to make your plate too 'busy'. You don't want people to be put off by a plate of chaos."

So when you finally prepare a delicious and appealing plate, you immediately know what to do next — take your phone out and snap a photo. According to Ellen, there are many different ways to take food pictures, and she had a few handy tips to share with you.

"45 degree [angle] always works well but lots of people love a 'flat lay' — when you take a picture from above the plate," she said and added that often it's all about trial and error. "Try different angles, or having different elements as the focus of your shot. You might think it would be the steak, but sometimes the best picture might be focused on the chips, with the steak behind them. Play around and see what works. But remember — while food photos are great, so is eating a hot meal!"