Here Are 15 Painful Cooking Mistakes — How Many Are You Guilty Of?

You're definitely guilty of doing some of these.

The boiling temperature is what prevents the pasta from getting mushy.

Washing chicken can actually increase your risk of food poisoning because it spreads the bacteria onto your hands, the sink, and your work surfaces.

There are several reasons to make sure your oven is preheated before you put your dish in, whether it's to kickstart meat caramelization or cake rising!

Using a glass cutting board wears down your knives quickly.

Opening the oven lets out the hot air and introduces cold air into the dish you're cooking.

Use dried spices at the beginning of cooking and fresh spices towards the end. It takes longer for dried spices to infuse their flavors with your dish.

The chemicals in cooking oil can bond with the chemicals in sewer water and eventually lead to clogged pipes!

Resting your meat will allow the juices to redistribute. Without resting, the juices won't stay in the meat, causing it to taste dry.

Using boiled water can make your drink much more bitter than you intend. Instead, let it cool to just under boiling before you use it for brewing.

Rinsing pasta washes away some of the starch that helps sauce stick to the noodles!

Meat shouldn't be left at room temperature for more than two hours. Defrosting meat on the counter can cause bacteria that was present before freezing to rapidly multiply when thawed.

Putting a cast-iron skillet in the dishwasher will cause it to rust and will wash away its seasoning.

Washing produce will help remove bacteria from the surface of the foods.

If you overcrowd the pan, the heat will get trapped under the food, steaming it instead of caramelizing it nicely.

Sharp knives damage the food less than a dull knife and make prep easier!