Almost everyone has made one or more of the following common food preparation mistakes. It’s usually the little things that can be easily avoided once you know what to watch out for.
Unfortunately, while some mistakes are only related to taste, there are also some that can reduce the absorption of vitamins and nutrients and even be unhealthy. Here you can find out how the consumption of the following foods can turn into a healthy and aromatic pleasure again.
1. Yogurt from which whey is formed
What can you do wrong while eating yogurt? There’s actually something there: Liquid whey, which can separate when yogurt is left to stand, is perceived by many as offensive and simply thrown away. It contains minerals, calcium and proteins and is healthy. Therefore, it is better to simply mix this liquid before consuming it. Yogurt contributes to a balanced diet.
2. Warm up cold pressed oils
For salads or other dishes that do not need to be heated, cold pressed oils such as olive oil are a delicious addition. However, since such oils containing unsaturated fatty acids are not heat stable, they should never be used for cooking, frying, baking or deep-frying. Otherwise, not only will their healthy ingredients become unusable for the body, even high temperatures can form harmful compounds. Refined oils are more suitable for hot cooking, such as coconut oil, which remains heat resistant to around 200 degrees due to its saturated fatty acids.
3. Gnaw pure carrots
Everyone knows that carrots are healthy. They contain a lot of vitamins and also taste delicious raw. Vitamin A, which is important to humans and can only be obtained through food, is also found in vegetables and is fat-soluble – the body needs some fat or oil to use it. You can mix it with a wonderful dip and enjoy it with carrots.
4. Use herbs and spices too early
It enhances any dish and can be dosed and combined to suit your own tastes: spices and fresh herbs such as basil, rosemary, paprika or saffron. However, they are often added to the dish during very early cooking, which means the taste is lost or bitter. In most recipes, it’s better to season it only while tasting to enjoy the full flavor.
5. Pasta Cooking Mistakes
Pasta is quick to prepare and tastes great when cooked with sauces, vegetables and meat, as well as in a salad or with cheese. However, a few mistakes are often made when preparing warm pasta dishes: Too little salt is used in the pasta water too soon, and the pasta is cooled after cooking. Pasta rinsed with cold water loses the starch on its surface, which allows the sauce to stick well. But deterrence is not an issue when preparing pasta salad.
6. Use whole sesame, flax and psyllium seeds
Seeds such as flaxseed, sesame or psyllium are very healthy but difficult to digest. Many eat them whole, making it difficult for the body to use nutrients. Therefore, it is recommended to consume such seeds in crushed form and always chopped before consumption.
7. Cooking vegetables that you can eat raw
Vegetables are very popular as a side dish or main course because they not only taste good and bring variety to the table, they are also healthy. Although vegetables are prepared almost every day, mistakes are made that destroy the vitamins they contain: they are boiled or fried for too long. It is worth steaming for your health with all kinds of vegetables that you can eat raw without hesitation.
Other varieties, such as beans, potatoes, cassava or eggplant, need to be heated longer before consuming, otherwise they can be unhealthy or even poisonous. If in doubt, find out which vegetables are suitable for steaming before cooking.