1) Extra Virgin Olive Oil, or Olive Oil
OOPS! Wrong one!
I mean:
I use extra virgin olive oil, or EVOO like Rachel Ray likes to say, quite often when I cook. So I keep it nearby.
In a pretty, clear glass bottle.
Which happens to be in the sun.
Next to the stove.
No, no, and no!
It seems that there is a reason that the olive oil comes in a darker colored glass (usually green) bottle (if you buy a more expensive brand). Both light AND heat can deteriorate the oil faster. So if I still want to transfer the oil into my pretty bottle, at least I'm going to keep it in the pantry!
2) Zest of a lemon
When a recipe calls for the zest of a lemon, I usually don't think twice. I just pick up the lemon in one hand, my microplane grater in the other, and zest away.
But the other day I DID, in fact, think twice. Shouldn't I really wash this lemon before I zest it? I never think about washing the lemons because usually I'mjust using the inside, right? But there are times I'm using the outside, too. And I SHOULD be washing it.
And, yeah, I've lived this far with eating dirty lemon zest, but from now on, I'm washing my lemons!
3) Seasoning a steak
When I read a recent article in Real Simple magazine about the different cuts of beef and how to cook them, I was happy to see that I was doing something right. When cooking a steak, you should always take the steak out of the refrigerator 30 minutes in advance and let it rest on the counter. Check.
But here's where I went wrong. I would season immediately. That's a no-no. You should season right before grilling because otherwise the salt will draw out some of the juices. Good to know.
Fess up! Any mistakes you've made lately?
