Cooking pasta should be easy, but a few sneaky missteps can turn your dinner into a fail. Sound familiar? Don’t worry – we’re serving up the most common pasta pitfalls and simple fixes for perfect pasta every time.  

Mistake #1: Not using enough water 

The boiling water level of the pot that you’re cooking the pasta in should always be checked (and checked again). Using too little water can result in unevenly cooked pasta, where half of it is still hard and the other half is a mushy, overcooked mess. Since pasta expands when it cooks, the result will be the same when you use a pot that’s too small for your yummy pasta dish.  

Mistake 2: Not adding pasta water in your sauce 

Do you immediately chuck out the water that the pasta was boiled in after it’s done cooking? It’s essential to reserve a cup (or two) of the pasta water before draining the pasta. The cloudy pasta water is the perfect addition to your sauce, making it thicker while infusing your dish with a burst of flavour!  

Mistake #3: Adding oil for the pasta when cooking 

While it’s important to add seasoning to your pasta, adding olive oil is a no-go when boiling your pasta. Although the oil will prevent the pasta from sticking to the pot, it will also fend off any flavour of the sauce that sticks to your pasta. When you add oil, the pasta becomes slippery – this will prevent the sauce from mixing well with the pasta.  

Mistake #4: Not seasoning the pasta when boiling  

Although making pasta is relatively easy, it’s important to add the necessary salt, herbs and spices to the water before you add the pasta. “When cooking the pasta in salted water, the dough absorbs the salt throughout, rather than having to steal some from the surface sauce or not at all,” says Chef John Underbrink. “Also, the salt acts as a stabiliser in the gelatin of the pasta starches, yielding a much better texture.” 

Mistake #5: Not cooking the pasta in the sauce 

Do you serve your pasta and pasta sauce in two separate dishes? “A chef once told me to cook my fresh pasta 70 percent in the water and 30 percent in the sauce,” Chef John Underbrink says. “This is because cooking the pasta in the sauce allows it to absorb the flavors, as well as coat itself in the sauce much more nicely.” Before your sauce is completely done, add in your almost-ready pasta and cook it in the sauce for another 5 minutes for the flavour to really soak into the pasta.  

Image: Shutterstock 

The post 4 Common mistakes when cooking pasta at home appeared first on MyKitchen.

Ever wonder why your cakes don’t rise or your cookies flop. Learn how to fix these common baking blunders in no time. 

Mistake #1: Not greasing your pans properly 

Do your cakes stick to your pans like superglue? You likely have not prepped your pans properly. Preparing your pans is essential for a break-free (and delicious) bake. The solution is to generously grease the inside of your pans with oil, butter or baking spray then line your pans with baking paper. Grease the baking paper again and dust with flour. Once done, turn the lined pan upside down and tap the bottom to get rid of any excess flour. And voila – your tins are ready for your yummy bakes! 

Use this trick to line your pans with baking paper: 

@jessiesheehanbakes Peeps, do you or do you not want to twin with me? I’m hoping you do, in which case please line your baking pans just like this. Heat proof binder clips are non-negotiable. #baking #bakingtiktok #cookinghacks ♬ Christmas Tree – Auracle

Mistake #2: Icing a warm cake  

As tempting as it is to ice a cake as soon as your baked goods are fresh from the oven, it is best to wait until everything is completely cool before you with your decoration process. If you ice your cake when it’s hot, the icing will melt and can pull up lumps from the soft cake. If you want to speed up the cooling process, let your warm cakes rest upside down on wire racks for 30 minutes before letting it cool off completely in the fridge.  

@victoriascakes343 Best way to cool your cake layers #caketipsandtricks #cake #foodie #caketutorial #bakingvideos #baketok ♬ Sweet Giirrrrllll face beat x Father Philis – Father Philis

Mistake #3: Baking with cold ingredients 

Did you know that you should always use room temperature ingredients to bake with? (Unless instructed otherwise, of course). “Soft but cool butter has a nice, creamy texture that makes it easy to beat with sugar, which incorporates air into batters and doughs that rely on the creaming method,” says Stella Parks, author of BraveTart: Iconic American Desserts.  

But what can happen when you bake with cold ingredients? Adding cold milk or eggs to the batter can cause curdling. “Curdled cake batters tend to rise poorly, so the finished cake will be rather dense. Cold, curdled batters tend to dome rather than bake up flat – and they’re often riddled with tunnels and holes,” adds Parks.  

@grandbabycakes Here’s my #Hack for getting room temp butter fast for #baking! #recipe #recipevideo #cooking #bakingrecipe #bakingtiktok #bakinghacks #cookinghacks ♬ Up – Cardi B

Image: Pexels

Also read: Key baking hacks you need to know

The post 3 Baking mistakes you may be making (and how to fix them)  appeared first on MyKitchen.

Don’t let a single mistake keep you from serving something glorious! Here’s how to save what you might think is a total fail. 

Fix over-whipped eggs 

• Oh no! You’ve put in too much elbow grease and deflated egg whites so now they’ve got water at the bottom of mixture. This means your protein bonds in the eggs have broken. To fix this, add another egg white to the mixture and whisk slowly and briefly to trap moisture in the egg’s protein bonds. (This unfortunately can’t be used for meringue, soufflé or pavlova anymore, but can still be added to a batter to lighten the mixture.) 

Made it too salty? 

• If you ever so slightly over-seasoned your dish, adding in a splash of vinegar or citrus juice can come to the rescue. Something with a little bit of fat, such as sour cream, buttermilk, cream or yoghurt also works well.
• If it’s really salty, then you might need to rope in a potato to help. Add 1-2 peeled and halved potatoes and simmer for about 10-15 minutes. The potato will absorb excess salt, so simply discard it before serving. 

Made it too spicy? 

• Add a cup of dairy to cool it down. Depending on what you’re cooking, adding some cream, buttermilk, coconut milk or yoghurt (mixed with a teaspoon of corn starch to avoid splitting) can tone down the spice.  
• Adding a splash of acid, such as citrus juice or vinegar, will cut through the spice and mellow the flavours on your palate.

Save your stodgy rice 

• Unfortunately you can’t un-cook something, so the bite in your rice can’t be brought back (we’re not that inventive!). You can, however, avoid stodgy balls of rice that stick together like Velcro. Spoon cooked rice into a sieve resting on a bowl in your sink. Rinse well with cold water to wash off excess starch released during cooking, while using your fingers to loosen grains.  
• What could you have done differently? Read your rice label to check if you should rinse this particular rice variety before you start cooking (remember, some rice varieties are meant to be sticky). Refrain from stirring the rice at all during cooking – it releases starch and breaks down the grains. 

Save a split hollandaise 

• The eggs Benedict sauce can be challenging. If you’ve add the melted butter too quickly to the egg mixture, the fat will simply float on top. Similarly, if it gets too hot, the fat will float to the top of the egg mixture. Oil and water traditionally don’t mix, but it’s a lifesaver when your creamy sauce splits.  
• Ice-cold temperature helps to emulsify the liquid. Whisking in a cube of ice to a sauce over low heat can help bind the sauce into a smooth success.  
• If your sauce has split after standing too long or getting too hot, add 1/2 Tbsp of boiling hot water to a warm, clean bowl. Gradually drip in split hollandaise and use a whisk to create a smooth, thick sauce. 

Words by: Liezl Vermeulen
Photographs: Fresh Living Magazine 

The post Ways to save your cooking mistakes   appeared first on MyKitchen.