For many folks, the kitchen is the most homey and comfortable room in the house. It's where families come together to create and enjoy meals.
However, the kitchen can become a pretty dangerous place if you're not careful. There are also many ways to mess up a meal or misuse your utensils that many of us do each and every time we cook.
These 12 things should never, ever be done in a kitchen. Some of them may land you in the emergency room, while others will simply make your life a little harder. Either way, you shouldn't do them.
I love cooking and creating dishes, but I am most definitely guilty of some of these. It might just be time to change my ways, making my hours in the kitchen a little safer and more efficient!
Are you guilty of doing any of these 12 no-nos? Did we forget anything from our list? Let us know in the comments.
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1. Scrape Your Knife On The Cutting Board
It sounds like a convenient way to get your chopped veggies into the pot, but all you're doing is dulling your knife so much faster than you need to.
2. Open The Door To An Oven On Fire
Opening the door will just feed the fire with it's favorite thing, oxygen. Instead of opening the door, you should definitely leave it closed and let it burn itself out. If it doesn't look like it's going to go out, that is when you call the fire department to handle the situation.
3. Try To Beat Egg Whites With A Bit Of Yolk
If you messed up and got a bit of yolk in with your eggs, you've got to start all over again. That one little yellow dot messes up the entire bowl. If it does happen, set those not-so-perfect whites aside for a yummy omelette instead.
4. Try To Catch A Falling Knife
Your natural instinct to a falling object is usually to try and catch it before it hits the ground. Needless to say, you should try to get as far away from a falling knife as fast as you can, lest you inadvertently try to catch the blade.
Move your feet out of the way very quickly, too, and pick up the knife only after it is safely resting on the ground.
5. Forget You Are Working With Spicy Peppers
In my opinion, touching your eyes after working with hot peppers is one of the worst mistakes you can make in a kitchen. The unforgiving fiery burn that comes after you touch a peppery finger to your eyeball is like the heat of a thousand suns, and it doesn't just go away with a splash of water. That sting will be with you potentially for hours to come.
If you have cuts on your hand, it may sting those, too, as well as get underneath your nails and make your fingers very sore. If you're handling ghost peppers, habañero peppers, or other very hot veggies, you're best off wearing latex gloves while cutting them, and disposing of the gloves immediately after.
6. Cut Raw Meat And Veggies On The Same Cutting Board
Ideally, you will have a wooden cutting board for your vegetables, and a plastic one for your meat to keep bacteria at bay as efficiently as possible. You need to watch out lest you contaminate your favorite veggies!
7. Use A Metal Utensil On A Nonstick Pan
Nonstick pans are great — if you take care of them properly. The first rule is to never use metal utensils on a nonstick pan, as they will absolutely destroy them. Use plastic instead!
8. Wait Until The End To Do All The Dishes
Cleaning as you go is an absolute must. Toss food scraps in the trash as you chop, or keep a garbage bowl on your counter for those onion skins and such. Rinse out dishes in the sink as you go to get the grime off and make it easier to finish up later. This will also clear your counter space and make it much easier to complete the meal.
And definitely don't let things sit for days, or you could end up with some truly moldy pots and pans!
9. Drink And Chop
Having a glass of wine while prepping a meal is completely acceptable and, quite frankly, very enjoyable. However, it's simply a better idea to get the cutting and chopping out of the way before you pour yourself a glass. Wouldn't you rather be safe than sorry?
10. Season Too Heavily Too Early
Don't get me wrong — I'm the first person to reach for the salt at the stove and at the dinner table alike, but if you add too much seasoning at first, you're not going to be able to take it out later.
It's better to start off with a light hand while things like meats are cooking, taste things once it's safe, and adjust your seasoning at that point. Remember, you can always add, but you can't take away.
11. Take On A Meal You Can't Handle
If you're rather inexperienced in the kitchen, don't take on a huge or complicated meal that you won't be able to handle or plan. There are plenty of simple dishes out there that are, quite frankly, just as delicious or even more delicious than complicated "fancy" dishes.
And if you try techniques you're not used to, you could end up getting burned or cut.
12. Stifle Your Imagination
All in all, cooking really should be enjoyable and adventurous. If you think that a recipe could use a dash of basil and it doesn't call for it, you go ahead and add that basil! Never let the recipe stifle your own sensibilities, and never be afraid to make a dish totally your own.
Do you do any of these things while you're in the kitchen? Did we miss anything from our list? Let us know in the comments and please SHARE with your family and friends on Facebook!
