Kitchen disasters can turn our stomachs inside out and prevent us from eating for the foreseeable future. But even when these "oopsies" look horrible or painfully funny at first, they only remind us that cooking is an adventure. From effortlessly creating Michelin-worthy plates at the drop of a hat to instantly burning everything we lay our hands on, it’s a learning process and a skill that takes time to master.
To gain more insight about cooking blunders and tactics to avoid them, we reached out to Ellen Manning, a food lover, writer, and founder of the acclaimed Eat With Ellen blog. According to her, everyone has experienced massive failures in the kitchen: "I don't know anyone who hasn't."
"I've served up a ricotta and peach tart where the cheese had split and resembled something that should have been poured down the drain. I've served things up raw, burnt things, and messed things up, and I guarantee most people have — even top chefs," Ellen told Bored Panda.
But how do we manage to overcook, burn, and absolutely destroy dishes to this catastrophic degree? Well, your guess is as good as ours. Creating elaborate meals is a complicated process, so whenever we get distracted, overestimate our abilities, or bite off more than we can chew, things can go downhill. Or as Ellen explained, there are so many reasons why things go wrong in the kitchen.
"I think it's often due to lack of preparation and rushing, or maybe trying to do too much," she added. "Most of my failures were because I just didn't leave myself enough time to both prepare and cook a meal and tried to work at a million miles an hour to get it done. It never works."
So if there’s one universal truth everyone agrees on — we all make mistakes. Of course, some are more humiliating than others, like leaving the pizza in the oven and accidentally falling asleep. But instead of ruminating about our past blunders, it’s important to remember that every error is just a lesson to be learned. If we shift our mindset to see these curveballs as opportunities to elevate our skills and improve our culinary game, we can easily move past embarrassment and failure.
Unfortunately, that’s easier said than done. We, humans, are a curious species that sometimes can’t let go of the fear and stress that comes from messing up. We stumble, fall, and tangle ourselves in our failure, unable to get up, take in the lesson, and continue moving on with our lives. So it’s only natural for cooking enthusiasts to feel discouraged when they see their efforts go up in flames and disappear in a puff of smoke.
If you can relate, Ellen was kind enough to share some advice on how to learn to embrace kitchen mishaps. "It's easy to dwell on the mistakes, but half the time, they're not as bad as you think," she said. "Something that isn't cooked enough can be put back in to finish off, split sauces can sometimes be saved, and burnt elements can be scraped off so you can salvage the rest of it."
"It's rarely the end of the world, so don't give yourself a hard time. Equally, making mistakes is often how we learn and the kitchen is no exception — you only get better by trying, and guaranteed once you've messed something up, you're unlikely to make the same mistake again, so don't let a mistake stop you trying again or experimenting."
But while the creative chef can easily cook their way out of a kitchen blunder, the smart chef aims to prevent such inventions from being necessary. See, we can learn to avoid butchering our meals in the first place.
Food blogger Ellen explained this starts with preparation and planning. "That means leaving enough time, making sure you've got the right ingredients and equipment, preparing everything before you start cooking, and following instructions. Just generally slowing down and being a bit more organized can make a huge difference."
"After all, there's a reason why top chefs prep everything they need and sort out their 'mise en place', which is essentially gathering everything you need and having it right there ready to go," Ellen told us.
Other professionals echo Ellen's advice. Food editor Ann Taylor Pittman from Today! wrote that we must read entire recipes all the way through ahead of the cooking time. This way, we also prepare for any time-consuming surprises in advance.
What’s more, noticing that time flies at lightning speed can also lead to hurried-up dishes. "I had a friend serve me a beef stew once that gave me a real jaw workout," nutrition editor Kathy Kitchens Downie added. "She boiled the meat for 45 minutes instead of simmering it for a couple of hours. She says she just wanted it to get done more quickly. Well, it was 'done,' but meat cooked too quickly in liquid ironically turns out very dry. And tough, really tough."
Finally, another frequent error is not tasting as you go. This is a major one since seasoning can make or break a dish. And since recipes often follow a recommended amount of seasoning, your palate is the main factor that can lead to mouth-watering results. Practice tasting your meal from time to time and make this habit an automatic part of your process.
