Making and Fixing Common Mistakes in the Kitchen ….

The number one mistake made in the kitchen is that few read the recipe all the way through until it says “reserve for service“. People see the ingredients list and start to go, while the best thing to do is read the recipe, and then read the recipe again. Most times people, and that includes many out there cooking for a living often fail to read a recipe in its entirety before getting started with their dish. Reading the recipe multiple times teaches you the process to cooking management. It is so important to go all the way through the recipe and understand the process before you start. “Failing to do this leads to step-by-step cooking and being overwhelmed by your recipe. A Tablespoon vs. Teaspoon or Baking Powder vs. Baking Soda are often mistakes made in the kitchen due to not reading the recipe carefully.
Some mistakes happen because of a lack of confidence in the Kitchen. Proper seasoning is gradual and should be done throughout the cooking process. Recipes don't often state this, so it is something that is commonly missed or neglected.
Also missed because it is not expressly stated in a recipe is controlling the heat. Heat needs to be adjusted throughout the process for stovetop cooking. Being able to step away from the recipe is key to good cooking. Do not rely on times given in a recipe to assume that a dish is done or not, but to instead judge based on its “taste, tenderness, firmness, or appearance. I get asked all the time “ How long do I cook it?”…My response will forever be the same…”Until it’s done!”
It’s absolutely mandatory to make mistakes, How do you know that something is right until you’ve seen that something is wrong? Will you recognize the mistakes when they are made? That’s the question of the day….
I have seen my share of mistakes in the kitchen, and our industry is no different from many others in the fact that complacency even unintentional is deadly to any successful operation. It is with this in mind that I believe that every single student attending a culinary, or hospitality school today should be required to study IBM, and Xerox. IBM failed to realize that trends had shifted away from Mainframe based computing, and that they needed to change with it. IBM declined to market the Photocopier, or PC. Xerox failed to see that fresh talent and insight could actually be helpful when they informed a young Bill Gates that his ideas for a new computer operating system was unimaginative, and chose to decline his offer to produce it for them. Is there anyone out there that hasn’t had their life changed by the introduction of Windows?