Washing Raw Chicken “For Cleanliness”
That habit your grandmother passed down of rinsing chicken under running water before cooking? USDA research has found that washing or rinsing meat or poultry increases the risk for cross-contamination in the kitchen, which can cause foodborne illness. From a food safety perspective, washing raw poultry, beef, pork, lamb or veal before cooking it is not recommended as the safest method. The trouble is that doing so can spread any bacteria that may be on the chicken around your sink and kitchen—countertops, cutlery, curtains, and other food nearby—as much as 3 feet in every direction.
Today’s manufacturing cleans the chicken, so there is no filth, feathers, or anything else on it that needs to be washed off. Professional chefs understand that proper cooking temperatures kill harmful bacteria far more effectively than rinsing ever could. Most cooking and food‑safety authorities agree that cooking meat to the proper internal temperature — 165°F / 74°C for poultry — is the only reliable way to kill Salmonella, Campylobacter, and other pathogens.
Crowding Everything Into One Pan
One mistake that all but guarantees soggy, gray food is putting too many ingredients in your pan at once. “Overloading a hot pan causes a sudden drop in temperature, leading to steaming rather than searing, which affects both texture and flavor,” says Michelin-starred and James Beard Award-winning chef Gabriel Kreuther. When you pack a pan too full, you’re essentially creating a steam bath instead of getting that beautiful golden-brown caramelization chefs prize so highly.
Food, especially meat, releases moisture while cooking and it needs room to escape. Leaving room in the pan when you’re cooking meat will help this process along. If the pan is overcrowded, the meat will become soggy, cook slowly, and likely have reduced taste. Professional chefs work in batches when necessary, understanding that patience in the cooking process leads to dramatically better results. That extra time spent cooking in smaller portions pays off with properly seared proteins and vegetables that actually develop flavor instead of just getting warm and wet.
Using Dull Knives Because “They Still Cut”
Many home cooks continue using increasingly dull knives until they’re practically sawing through ingredients. A dull knife not only makes slicing and chopping more challenging, but it can also be dangerous as it requires more force to cut through ingredients, increasing the risk of slips and cuts. Using dull knives in the kitchen can make slicing and chopping more challenging and dull knives require more force to cut through ingredients, increasing the risk of slips and cuts.
Professional chefs maintain razor-sharp knives because they understand the connection between knife sharpness and food quality. Sharp knives make precise cuts, reducing cooking time and improving the appearance of your food. “Constant use in the kitchen can dull knives quickly, and chefs might overlook frequent sharpening during busy times,” chef George Duran says. “Sometimes chefs don’t realize their knives are dull until it’s too late.” Believe it or not, using a dull knife to cut presents a bigger safety hazard than using a sharp one.
Cooking Straight From the Refrigerator
Grabbing cold meat or eggs directly from the fridge and tossing them into hot pans is a rookie mistake that even experienced home cooks make regularly. Cold meat cooks unevenly – charred outside, raw inside. Let your meat rest at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before cooking. Your Sunday roast will thank you with perfectly even doneness. Professional chefs know that temperature consistency is crucial for achieving restaurant-quality results at home.
Cold eggs can curdle batters and make cakes dense as doorstops. Set eggs out 30 minutes before baking. This simple step makes an enormous difference in texture and final results. Many traditional recipes assume room temperature ingredients, which is why following grandma’s recipe exactly but using cold ingredients often leads to disappointing outcomes. Chefs plan ahead to bring ingredients to proper temperatures before cooking begins.
Starting to Cook Without Preparation
Many home cooks learned to start heating pans and begin cooking while still chopping vegetables or hunting for spices. Professional chefs always perform a “mise en place”, which means gathering and preparing all ingredients before cooking begins. This French term literally means “everything in its place,” and it’s the foundation of professional cooking success.
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. To avoid making this mistake, Duran recommends measuring and chopping the necessary ingredients before you actually start to cook. Getting into the habit of using a mise en place philosophy isn’t just for looks — it helps you avoid missing an ingredient or a step. It also prevents you from getting distracted by multitasking, which often leads to burned or cold dishes.
Using Non-Stick Pans for High-Heat Cooking
Many people grew up thinking non-stick pans were the solution for everything, but professional chefs avoid using them for high-temperature cooking. Cooking over high heat should be avoided for a few reasons. First, the higher temperatures are bad for the nonstick coating on the cookware. Over time exposure to high heat will deteriorate the surface. Also, depending on the type of nonstick coating on your pan, cooking over high heat can lead to the release unhealthy, potentially toxic vapors.
You want to get a good seal on your steak or brown your meat, so you turn your hob up really high to get the pan good and hot to achieve this. Not so good if your pan has a non-stick coating as exposure to high heat will compromise the surface over time! This form of damage is easy to recognise; the non-stick surface becomes discoloured and in extreme cases it will detach from the pan by either peeling or blistering. Professional kitchens use cast iron or stainless steel for high-heat searing and reserve non-stick pans for delicate items like eggs and fish at lower temperatures.
Adding Food to Cold Pans
The habit of throwing ingredients into pans before they’re properly heated is something many learned at home but professional chefs never do. By not preheating the pan before adding your ingredients, you risk affecting the cooking process and end results. When a pan is not adequately preheated, food may stick to the surface, not cook evenly, or lose out on the desired sear or caramelization. Without preheating the pan, you may end up with soggy or improperly cooked dishes.
Cold pan, sad food. Starting with a lukewarm surface means ingredients stick and steam instead of searing beautifully. Give your pan proper time to heat before introducing food. The satisfying sizzle when ingredients hit the surface isn’t just for show – it’s developing proper flavour through the Maillard reaction. Professional chefs understand that this initial sear creates the foundation flavors for the entire dish. Always allow your pan to heat up for a few minutes before adding oil or ingredients. You can test if it’s ready by sprinkling a few drops of water on the surface—if they sizzle and evaporate immediately, the pan is hot enough.
Storing Raw Meat Anywhere in the Refrigerator
Many people learned to just put raw meat wherever there’s space in the fridge, but this creates serious food safety risks that professional kitchens never tolerate. Cross-contamination is a major cause of foodborne illness, and the layout of your fridge plays a surprising role. Raw meat should always be stored on the bottom shelf, where it can’t drip onto other foods. Use sealed containers or trays to catch any potential leaks.
The officials discovered that the real culprit was partly cooked ground beef that had been stored right above the already-roasted chicken tenders. Juices from the beef dripped on the chicken, which was served without further cooking. A safer move: Keep raw meats, poultry, and seafood on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator, where it’s cooler anyway. Be sure they’re securely stored in containers or sealed plastic bags to prevent the juices from contaminating other foods. Professional food service requires strict protocols for storing different types of food at different levels to prevent dangerous cross-contamination that can cause serious illness.
