1. Bad habit: "Stop pressing/smashing your burger patties (or any food, really) while they cook. That literally squeezes all the juice out, and you'll be left with a dry burger."
2. Good habit: "Always cook your meatloaf on a baking sheet instead of in a loaf pan. Loaf pans trap all the grease and fat and will make your meatloaf soggy."
3. Bad habit: "There really is such thing as too much garlic. Adding a little more than the recipe calls for is fine, but adding 10 times as much just makes everything taste like garlic. It's a dead giveaway that the food is not good and that the garlic is trying to make up for it."
4. Good habit: "Slice your chicken before cooking it. Not only will it cook faster, but everything will cook at the same time. No more overcooked or dry pieces."
5. Bad habit: "NEVER put oil in the pot when your pasta is cooking — it makes the sauce slide off later."
6. Good habit: "Please. Add. Acidity. If there is one aha moment I've had in the last 20 years of cooking, it's that when salt isn't 'helping' a dish, what's missing is acid. Lemon juice, vinegar, or citric acid (if you have some) transforms a dish in a surprising way."
7. Bad habit: "Don't use the blade side of your knife to scrape up food. That dulls it super quickly. Instead, use the top of it (the nonsharp side)."
8. Good habit: "Always let your meat dry on a paper towel and come to room temperature before you put it on the stove. This allows for an excellent texture and a nice sear."
9. Bad habit: "Stop using a glass cutting board. The surface will ruin the hell out of your knives. The glass has no give against the edge of your knife, unlike wood, which will dull and roll the edges."
10. Good habit: "Go to a restaurant supply company to buy some long-lasting kitchenware at more affordable prices."
11. Bad habit: "Stop overmixing your pancake and waffle batter. In addition, you should let the batter sit for 15-ish minutes after you're done mixing. You'll get fluffier, lighter pancakes and waffles this way."
12. Good habit: "Always deglaze your pan. You can use wine or stock, but water works great too. Not only will it pull all the beautiful, caramelized flavors from the bottom of your pan, but it'll also magically become spotless when you go to clean it, which will now take only about five seconds."
13. Bad habit: "Stop using measuring spoons for baking. Instead, use a kitchen scale. Baking is a science, so you need to measure things out exactly. Measuring spoons are not as accurate as the scale, and it can affect the result."
14. Good habit: "If you want to impress guests or just feel extra fancy, you can make your own flavored butter in no time at all. Just soften a pat of butter and then add in herbs, garlic, chiles, or whatever you want. Shape it, freeze it, and then just slice off a portion with a warm knife whenever you want some."
15. Bad habit: "Stop 'ruining' things with apple cider vinegar (and especially, do not add it to gravy — it will taste spoiled). Instead, this is literally what cooking wine/sherry is for."
16. Good habit: "Keep a note of your recipes and rate them. Mark the exact quantities of ingredients, serving sizes, the process, etc. — you'll be able to improve it by adjusting a few variables at a time."
17. Bad habit: "Stop using water when cooking your grains. Instead, use broth for grains that don't need to be strained (like quinoa, rice, couscous, etc.). If you only have water and need to use that, make sure you season it thoroughly so the grains absorb all those flavors."
18. Good habit: "If you're standing around and waiting while cooking, your process must be reviewed. Instead, time everything out. For home cooks, mise en place (prepping, cutting, measuring ingredients, etc.) can be done while something else is happening, rather than all at once in the beginning."
19. Bad habit: "Don't throw all of your veggies and other food in a pan at once and expect them all to cook at the same time and temperature. Garlic, carrots, onions, celery, and so on ALL cook differently. No one wants to eat overcooked mush or tough, stringy cardboard."
20. Good habit: "Always let your meat rest for 5 to 10 minutes (or more if it's a roast, whole chicken, or turkey) so the juices can properly redistribute. Cutting the meat as soon as it comes off or out of the heat drains all the juices."
21. Bad habit: "Don’t rinse or wash your raw chicken or turkey. When you rinse meat, you're only splashing germs around the sink and counter. There’s no real point in doing it. Chicken doesn't show up full of dirt the way leeks do, so just cook it."
22. Good habit: "I always rinse my cutting board with water before cutting onions, and I never get tears when I do that. It's my favorite hack!"
23. Bad habit: "Stop draining your pasta with a colander over the sink. The best way is to use tongs to directly transfer the pasta into the sauce from its cooking water. That way, you can keep some of that starchy cooking water and give the sauce some creaminess and moisture."
24. Good habit: "Clean. Up. As. You. Cook."
25. Bad habit: "Stop instantly running your hot pot or pan under cold water. It can lead to cracking and warping."
26. Good habit: "I work in a kitchen, and to prevent guacamole from browning, we press a layer of plastic wrap against the entire top layer. Just push all the air out while you press down, because any parts that are touching air will turn brown. Then just cover it and refrigerate."
27. Bad habit: "Don't buy herbs that aren't fresh. Fresh herbs make a world of difference to the dish, and they should be added toward the end of cooking (except for heartier herbs, like thyme and rosemary)."
28. Good habit: "Use a meat thermometer instead of just trusting the temperature display on your oven. This will make a huge difference, especially when baking cakes. Most ovens are never accurate and will alert you that they're preheated before they really are."
29. And one final bad habit: "Never take something out of the oven using a wet towel or mitt. The moisture will instantly turn to steam and burn you."
Do you have an even better (or worse) cooking tip (or mistake) that everyone should follow (or not)? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Note: Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.