Not Using a Meat Thermometer at All
Here’s the shocking truth: The biggest mistake? Simply not using one. Many people still rely on guesswork, color, or texture to check if meat is done. The problem is that those methods are unreliable — a chicken breast can look done on the outside but still be undercooked inside. Professional chefs know that visual cues like color and texture are completely unreliable, especially with chicken and pork.
In a USDA study, 21% of participants relied on visual cues such as color and grill marks to determine if their hamburger patties were fully cooked. Color and grill marks are not indicators that food is safe to eat and could put you at risk for foodborne illness if dangerous bacteria are still present in your food. For example, some foods like ground beef may turn brown on the outside when cooking before they reach a safe internal temperature that destroys foodborne illness causing bacteria.
Placing the Thermometer in the Wrong Spot
One of the most common meat thermometer mistakes is inserting the probe in the wrong spot. Many people instinctively stick the thermometer into the edge or close to the bone, thinking that will give an accurate temperature reading. However, these areas tend to cook faster, and bones conduct heat, making it seem like the meat is done when it’s actually still undercooked.
The solution is simple but crucial: Always place the probe in the thickest part of the meat, away from bones, fat, and gristle. The thickest part of the meat takes the longest to cook and, therefore, provides the most accurate internal temperature reading. For smaller cuts like steaks or pork chops, insert the thermometer probe from the side, ensuring it reaches the center of the raw meat. This technique provides a more accurate reading than inserting the probe from the top, which may only measure the surface temperature of the cooked meat.
Not Cleaning Your Thermometer Between Uses
This is one of those details that seems obvious but gets overlooked constantly. You have to clean that thermometer between temperature tests. If the meat you’re testing isn’t fully cooked, the probe of the thermometer could be contaminated. Any bacteria on it (like salmonella) can be transferred back to the meat if the thermometer isn’t cleaned.
So, even when the meat later reads as fully cooked, it still has the potential to make you sick. To sanitize the meat thermometer, most home cooks should simply wash it with hot, soapy water. However, if you’re tailgating or at a campsite where hot water isn’t accessible, wiping it with a clean alcohol swab (like this) will also do the trick. It’s a simple step that takes seconds but can prevent serious foodborne illness.
Waiting Too Long to Check Temperature
Another frequent mistake when using a meat thermometer is waiting too long to check the internal temperature of the cooked meat. Many home cooks rely on guesswork or visual cues, such as the browning of the meat, before inserting the thermometer. However, by the time the meat “looks done,” it may already be overcooked or dried out, especially when cooking larger cuts of types of meat like briskets or whole roasts.
Start checking your meat about 5–10 minutes before the estimated cook time is up. Let the food thermometer guide your next move. This approach prevents overcooking and ensures you catch the perfect doneness window. Remember, you can always cook meat more, but you can’t uncook it once it’s overdone.
Forgetting About Carryover Cooking
When you remove meat from heat, it continues to cook internally — this is known as carryover cooking. If you wait for the perfect temp before pulling it off the grill or oven, you risk overcooking it. Remove meat from the heat source when it’s 3–5°F below your target temperature.
Foods keep cooking even after they’re off the heat, so take items off the grill/stove/out of the oven when they’re 5 to 10 degrees cooler than your goal temperature. Let rest for 5 to 10 minutes (you can test again to be sure they’ve reached your target). This detail separates amateur home cooks from those who understand the science behind cooking.
Not Seasoning in Layers
One big mistake I often see is forgetting to season in layers. When you add a little seasoning at different stages of cooking, it builds deeper flavor. If you only season at the end, the food can taste flat or uneven. Seasoning throughout the cooking process builds layers of flavor. A small amount added at the start helps flavors build during simmering or sautéing, and tasting frequently allows me to adjust as I go—so I can make sure the flavors develop properly.
So you want to salt your dish at every step, and taste as you go. If your recipe starts by instructing you to cook onions, add a pinch of salt to help the onions actually taste like onions, so they will build a stronger foundation for the dish. This technique creates what chefs call depth of flavor, where each ingredient tastes more like itself while contributing to the overall dish.
Seasoning Proteins Too Late
Proteins like chicken, beef, and fish need seasoning before they hit the heat. If you wait until after cooking, the flavor never sinks in. I always season my proteins well in advance so the salt has time to pull out moisture and enhance the natural taste. Both Randhawa and Sharma recommend salting meat ahead of time so the salt can fully penetrate and season it from the inside out.
Steaks with good fat marbling (like ribeye, New York strip, and top sirloin) don’t need a marinade; they’re tender enough to hold up to the high-heat of a grill. However, they do need to be seasoned, and salting your steak at least 30 minutes in advance (or as long as overnight) is an easy way to concentrate the flavor of the meat. Even just thirty minutes makes a massive difference in how the salt penetrates and enhances the meat’s natural flavors.
Using the Wrong Type of Salt
Professional chefs don’t typically reach for table salt for general seasoning purposes since it’s less tactile and tends to fall off your food rather than stick to it. Chef Cedric Vongerichten of CV Restaurant Group says, rather, it’s “best for baking and precise measurements,” like when you’re weighing your ingredients.
Fine salt is good for baking, and finishing salt is perfect for garnishing a dish, but primarily you should cook with kosher salt. And we recommend not just any kosher salt, but Diamond Crystal in particular. Diamond Crystal is recommended by a lot of chefs and well-known cooks, including Alton Brown and Samin Nosrat. This is due to its light, flaky structure, which makes it less salty by volume, and helps it to dissolve quickly in water and stick well to food. The texture difference is immediately noticeable when you handle it properly.
Not Tasting Food During Cooking
Tasting as you cook is one of the best habits you can have. I cannot tell you how many times I have seen someone toss in more salt without even tasting first. A dish can quickly turn from perfect to ruined. Always taste before adjusting.
Another thing professional chefs like to do is taste the food before serving it. Tasting it will tell you whether the flavor is right, or if the temperature is on point. As well as texture, seasonings, etc. Don’t serve your food until YOU know it is the way you want it. This seems basic, but you’d be amazed how many home cooks skip this fundamental step and serve food they’ve never actually tasted.
Ignoring Mise En Place
George Duran, celebrity chef, cites this as one mistake professional chefs can often make. He says, “In busy kitchens, chefs sometimes assume they can prep as they go but end up miscalculating the time needed.” This, he explains, can lead to other cooking mistakes or result in necessary ingredients being missed.
Mise en place, the French culinary term for “everything in its place,” is a vital principle in professional kitchens. Chefs often overlook the importance of having all ingredients measured, prepped, and ready to go before cooking. This not only saves time but also ensures that flavors meld seamlessly and prevents any last-minute scrambles. Perhaps the best thing you learn in culinary school is having your mise en place—everything in its place. It’s the best way to stay calm in a professional kitchen. Professional cooks spend hours chopping up meats, vegetables and herbs so they’re ready to add to the pan when they need them.
Not Letting Meat Rest Properly
Chefs Joey Sergentakis and George Duran explain that it is also a mistake some professional chefs make from time to time. “Properly resting meat is essential to ensure even cooking and retain moisture and flavor. In a busy kitchen, this step can be rushed, causing juices to escape and resulting in a dry or unevenly cooked protein,” says Sergentakis.
The next time you prepare a roast, turkey, steak, or burgers, follow the advice of Sergentakis and Duran and allow it to rest for at least five to 10 minutes to give the juices time to redistribute themselves in the meat. “Tent it with foil to keep it warm if needed. Remember, it’s almost like a meditative breathing exercise before you get into action. The meat needs that rest to shine on your dinner table,” says Duran. This simple step can make the difference between juicy, tender meat and dry, disappointing results.
