Wednesday, 9 September 2015
From the Intern’s Desk: Creating a Personal Website
http://www.ivankatrump.com/intern-personal-website/?cm_mmc=Facebook_Post-_-090915_BellaIntern-_-&utm_source=Facebook_Post&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=090915_BellaIntern&utm_content=
Our graphic design intern, Bella, has the how-to.
From Bella: A website is part of building your personal brand, which shows your unique point of view, demonstrates your skills and sets you apart from others. It brings life and personality to your resume by expanding on the cold list of facts. When you have an online presence, people can discover and access your work more easily. You never know who might end up seeing it. According to Workflow, 56% of all hiring managers are more impressed by a candidate’s personal website than any other personal branding tool, but only 7% of job seekers actually have a website to share. Here, I’ll help you figure out how to set one up.
Choose your tools
Unless you’re a coder, chances are you don’t know how to build your site from scratch, but fortunately, there are many tools available that make it much simpler. If you’re looking for a creative job and already have work on Behance, you can build a website with your portfolio on Behance Prosite without doing any coding. Format is also great for creatives—you can choose how much you want to customize, and their format integrates with other tools like Lightroom and Kredo. For non-creative job-seekers, Cargo Collective and WordPress have nice, customizable templates. Although coding your customizations requires some extra work, I found that the code I needed to get the look I wanted was never more than a Google search away.Carbon Made and Squarespace have beautiful, professional themes, so a polished-looking site can be achieved sans HTML.
Keep it simple
Whether you’re designing your site yourself or using a template, keep the look clean and simple. Your navigation should be easy to use, and your contact info should never be more than a click away.
Link to your resume
Use Google Docs or Dropbox to link to a digital copy of your resume. You never know who could be looking at your site—opportunities come when you least expect them.
Give yourself a clear title
My website says “Bella DiMarzio” and “graphic designer” upfront. If you’re using your personal site to look for work, make it easy for potential employers to see who you are and what you do. Your name and title should be immediately visible when someone goes to your website.
Spring for your own domain name
If your name is available as a domain, snatch it up right away (trust me). GoDaddy is an easy, cheap way to buy a domain.
Get a second (or third or fourth) opinion
The best way to know if your website is effective is to show your friends and family. Let them navigate the website on their own to see if it’s easy for someone who’s never seen it before. Can they quickly find your contact information? Do they know where to find examples of your work? This is the best way to figure out what works and what you need to revisit.
Put it out there
Attach your website to all of your online profiles—LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Put a link in your email signature, and add the URL to your resume and any cover letters you send out. Your website can be a really valuable tool in your job search, so get as many eyes on it as you can!
11 Hacks Scientifically Proven To Make You Feel Instantly Happy | Bustle
11 Hacks Scientifically Proven To Make You Feel Instantly Happy | Bustle
11 Hacks Scientifically Proven To Make You Feel Instantly Happy
We live in a quick-fix kind of world, complete with one-minute meals and instant ab workouts. It's nearly impossible to find the time to sit down and contemplate permanent ways to be happier. We're in luck, then, because there are lots of little tricks out there that immediately plant a bit of cheer — and there is scientific research to prove how they actually work.
Maybe our society has heartily adopted instant gratification because our bodies have responded so well to the small adjustments we introduce to it. As you'll see below, it really doesn't take much for our brains to naturally produce the happy chemicals like serotonin and dopamine; it takes even less for us to get drunk off of them.
Of course, we should still keep in mind the big-picture stuff, like eating a well-balanced diet and exercising regularly. That base level of joy is linked toliving longer, a stronger immune system, and reliable physical function as we get older. But psychologists also say the happiness we cultivate on a daily basis turns into a long-term factor in our lives, and we end up having more positive emotions than the average person. We just feel like we're a part of something much bigger than ourselves.
All sounds pretty good, doesn't it? Here are 11 ways you can make yourself instantly happier.
1. Hang Out With Someone Who Smiles A Lot
Spend your next Sunday afternoon with someone who is well-known for their ear-to-ear grin. A group of 4,700 people participated in a 20-year-long heart study in Framingham, MA; out of all the incredible data collected, it was discovered that happy people are contagious. Anyone who hangs around them gets an instant spike in joy — in fact, your happiness level will raise 15.3 percent in a small amount of time.
2. Put On Red Lipstick
Before you scoff and accuse me of being vain, you should know that there are scientific studies that prove the power of a little lip color. In 2011, researchers from Harvard University and Boston University found that makeup-wearing women felt more confident, and other people perceived them to be morecompetent and reliable than their bare-lipped counterparts. (Which is obviously incredibly problematic, but take from it what you will.)
Also, a 2013 French study found that red lips were associated with higher levels of estrogen and overall positive perception of the face. All those positive vibes coming your way are likely to boost your mood — but only if you enjoy wearing red lipstick in the first place, of course. Otherwise, just discount this one and keep rocking those bare lips.
3. Smell Some Citrus
The journal Chemical Senses released a study showing that having a fruit like a clementine around can immediately boost your mood. When aromatherapy is done with patients, just the scent of citrus curbs stress and anxiety, and aids with digestion.
4. Massage Your Calves
This part of our legs is responsible for all sorts of movement — running, jumping, walking, strutting in high heels — but it's easy to forget how important it is to pamper them. Massaging these major muscles increases systemic circulation and helps return venous blood to the heart. Nutrients are delivered more quickly to the rest of the body, while harmful stuff is flushed out.
Plus, massaging your calves can lower your blood pressure right away. A massage therapist can do some good work, but you can also give your own calves some love by simply rubbing them.
5. Voice Your Concerns
I don't mean you should complain more, but you definitely shouldn't bottle up the things that are upsetting you. For example, if your partner has bailed on plans that you've been looking forward to, don't get passive aggressive; speak up in a calm, but firm way. The Journal of Social Psychology published a study showing that people who resolve relationship issues right away pave the way for long-lasting happiness. You'll feel relieved that the problem is being handled ASAP, and it won't ruin the rest of your day.
6. Listen To An Upbeat Song
Pause Adele for a while and download one of the Spotify "Daily Lift" playlistsinstead. The University of Missouri conducted research showing that people who intentionally listened to music with a positive message were much more likely to smile than those who chose any other kind of tunes. Amp yourself up even more by dancing and singing along like nobody is listening.
7. Eat Mixed Nuts
Researchers at University of Barcelona say that a handful of nuts a day increases the levels of neurotransmitter serotonin in the brain. This means you'll be in a better mood and your hunger will be curbed, preventing you from snacking on sugary things that will give you a depressing crash later.
Stick to the good stuff like raw almonds and cashews rather than the roasted varieties that are often made with unhealthy vegetable oils and lots of salt.
8. Start Sketching
Doodling is something that requires both parts of the brain, which pauses the stress cycle and forces you to be in the present moment. It's a great, fast way to get yourself out of the fight-or-flight mode — and suddenly feel better mentally. You don't have to be an artist of any kind. Jotting down a few stick figures on a napkin or penciling a potential tattoo idea on the corner of your legal pad will suffice. Even better? Regularly incorporating some adult coloring books into your life.
9. Get Upside Down
If you're short on time and can't make it to your local studio for a full yoga class, no problem. Find a spot on the floor of your office and do an inversion — a handstand, plow pose, or even downward facing dog. The point is to get your head below your heart so you get a rush of blood to your brain; you'll instantly feel more alive and alert, and your circulatory system will be very pleased with you.
10. Make Weekend Plans With Friends
Merely anticipating an upcoming get-together can give your brain the rush of energy it needs to get through a particularly stressful day. It's calledanticipatory savoring, according to Michelle Gielan, founder of the Institute for Applied Positive Research. You get excited about a future experience, but that little fix of happiness transmutes to the present moment. Suddenly, your mundane daily tasks don't seem so boring.
11. Spend Your Money On Someone Else
Turns out you can buy happiness — as long as the cash is being spent on someone other than yourself. A 2008 study gave a group of uninformed participants a $5,000 bonus at the end of the year; those who used at least a third of that to help others scored significantly higher on their happiness test afterwards. The brain's reward center is immediately activated when you commit a selfless act, resulting in a rush of dopamine. It could be buying a homeless individual a warm meal, lending money to a friend in need, or donating to your favorite charity.
Global Food Security Index: Country profile
Global Food Security Index: Country profile
Global Food Security Index
2015 Overview
During the past year, food security has improved in almost every region of the world, according to the 2015 Global Food Security Index (GFSI).
The 109-country average score rose 1.2 points, with two-thirds of countries making progress from a year earlier. Driving the gains were sustained economic expansion in most regions and rapid growth in developing countries (especially in Sub-Saharan Africa—SSA), combined with lower global food prices. Government investments in agriculture and infrastructure—begun in the wake of the food price shocks of 2007-08—have also been crucial to improving food security.
The most-improved countries made progress across a range of factors, but common elements include:
decreased dependence on food safety-net programmes, expanded crop storage capacity, lower levels of post-harvest/pre-consumer food loss, greater diet diversity and better access to high-quality protein sources. Political stability risk also decreased in a number of low-income and lower-middle-income countries, allowing them to focus on developing and sustaining structures that support food security.
High-income countries still dominate the top of the rankings, but lower-middle-income countries made the biggest gains.
Collectively, these countries raised their score by 2 points, while low-income countries were next, with a +1.6 point increase. The group of high-income countries rose just 0.1 point, with marginal increases in Availability and Quality & Safety but constraints in Affordability.
The Middle East & North Africa (MENA) made the largest strides in food security.
The 2.4-point increase in the region's average overall score was driven primarily by gains in Affordability, owing to a combination of lower household spending on food and higher GDP per capita in 83% of countries (10 of 12). Lower levels of food loss and increased access to high-quality protein resulted in marked improvements in the other two categories, Availability and Quality & Safety, as well. The political environment also stabilised in most countries (Yemen is a noteworthy exception, as the intensity of its political crisis has escalated in recent months).
Europe is the only region that worsened in food security, as scores of 85% of countries fell.
The region is complex and is composed of Western European countries and the transition economies in Central and Eastern Europe (26 countries in all). When considered as a separate group, the countries of Western Europe, though they also experienced a slight decline in their food security, outperform all other regions and are the benchmark for good food security practices in advanced economies. Although the availability of food remained constant, progress in reducing food loss and improving physical infrastructure for food systems was more than offset by higher levels of political risk and instability in 11 countries. A fall in urban absorption capacity—a measure of the extent to which the GDP growth rate outpaces the urbanisation rate, and the corresponding ability to support urban growth—was also a constraint.
In Quality & Safety, SSA made impressive gains.
The region improved by 2.5 points—more than twice the increase recorded by MENA, which came in second in terms of improvement. Burkina Faso (+9.7) and Mali (+8.8) led the way, driven by improved access to quality protein, a measure of the average consumption of essential amino acids in a country’s diet. Burkina Faso also made significant strides in the diet diversification indicator, with a 25% increase (87% score increase) in the amount of non-starchy foods consumed in the average diet.
Strong economic fundamentals are driving GDP growth in emerging markets in Asia & Pacific,
where scores improved in 73% of countries. High saving and investment rates, rapid workforce growth, an expanding middle class and a shift from low-productivity agriculture to high-productivity manufacturing are the key drivers of progress in developing and emerging markets in the region. As a result, the score gap between Asia & Pacific and the top scoring regions is shrinking.
The right policies, priorities and investments can rapidly improve food security.
Over the past four years, most countries have achieved steady, incremental improvement in food security, but a few countries have made dramatic progress. Upper-middle-income countries have seen the most improvement in developing their food systems (+3.6 points). Low- and lower-middle-income populations in Asia & Pacific, MENA and SSA—comprising 41 of the 109 countries in the index—remain the most vulnerable to food price shocks.
Concentrated government focus and public-private partnerships are crucial to progress in structural elements of food security.
These include such areas as infrastructure and programmes to ensure nutrition, food safety and farmer financing. The cost of food and its impact on household incomes has an almost immediate effect on food security, while infrastructure upgrades, improvements to national diets and the implementation of nutritional standards take longer to show results. On the negative side, corruption, political instability and failure to accommodate urbanisation all hinder the operating environment for food systems.
Diet diversification and access to high-quality protein are increasing rapidly in low-income countries.
For example, SSA experienced the largest score increase in dietary intake of quality protein (+7.1). However, high-income countries still have greater diet diversity and better access to nutrient-rich foods. Both governments and NGOs are placing emphasis on increasing the intake of essential vitamins and nutrient-dense foods across the globe.
In the five-year period between 2009 and 2013, lower-income countries saw the greatest increase in urbanisation.
The average urbanisation rate in lower-middle and low-income countries was 3.3%, which was more than double the rate in high and upper-middle-income countries (1.5%). There is a fairly strong negative correlation (-0.67) between urban growth rates and food security, indicating that countries struggle to improve their food security infrastructure when accommodating the costs of urbanisation. Since 2012, countries such as Ukraine, Sierra Leone, Honduras, Brazil and Mozambique have grappled to improve food security owing to rapid urbanisation and unstable GDP growth rates, resulting in score declines for both urban absorption capacity and overall food security.
Nutritional standards have improved substantially in almost every region.
With the exception of North America, where standards were already high, all regions have improved their scores, largely owing to the introduction of nutritional monitoring and surveillance programmes. In 2012, 85 of the 109 countries had such programmes; an additional 18 have instituted them since then. For example, countries such as Azerbaijan and Côte d’Ivoire are taking steps to enable the government to collect data on and monitor its citizens’ nutritional status. And Azerbaijan's Ministry of Health, supported by the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), conducted its first major nutritional survey in 2013.
In the Affordability category, the food safety-net factor has seen the greatest gains.
Countries have made the most progress on the indicator that considers the scope and presence of food safety-net programmes, with SSA countries achieving an average 16.1-point increase. In Benin, dedicated aid from the UN World Food Programme (WFP), coupled with the country’s commitment to establishing a national school food programme (in line with the government’s strategy of making universal primary education available by 2015), has improved its performance on this indicator. In Senegal, meanwhile, combined efforts by the UN, NGO partners and the WFP have improved food security in accordance with the government's National Strategy for Economic and Social Development for 2013-17. Countries in other regions, most notably MENA and Asia & Pacific, have also seen improvements. Azerbaijan enjoyed significant economic growth in the late 2000s, and has since implemented social reforms, increasing government spending on assistance and establishing state programmes to reduce poverty and increase agricultural production.
Singapore’s Impressive Food Security | The Diplomat
Singapore’s Impressive Food Security | The Diplomat
Singapore’s Impressive Food Security
How has Singapore become the second-most food secure country in the world?
By Cecilia Tortajada and Thinesh Kumar S/O Paramasilvam
In many parts of the world, food security is emerging as a serious threat. Increasing population, land and water constraints, changes in dietary habits with increasing affluence, the impact on global food production of floods and droughts in major food producing areas, falling food exports, and a rising number of importing countries – all are contributing to these uncertainties. The problem is likely to be compounded in the future by climate change.
In the years to come, food security in most countries will become more complex than ever. For Singapore, among the world’s most open economies and one that is highly dependent on international trade, the situation is likely to be even more complex. The city-state’s volume of external trade is about 3.5 times its annual gross domestic product. A decline in the economies of its major trading partners is therefore likely to have an impact on Singapore’s own economy, including its food security.
Economist Intelligence Unit recently ranked Singapore as the second-most food secure country in the world, behind only the United States. The Unit’s Global Food Security Index is based on three factors, affordability, availability, and quality and safety. Singapore ranks 1st, 11th and 13th on these three criteria, respectively. That puts it ahead of major food-producing countries like Malaysia (34), Brazil (36) and Australia (9). This achievement is largely attributable to the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA), and comes despite a heavy dependency on food imports. At present, Singapore imports almost 90 percent of its food, and less than 1 percent of its land area is used for agriculture.
Through its Food Security Roadmap, AVA has diversified sources of food and optimization of local production. These policies, especially those that seek to diversify the source of food imports, are important as they help to spread the risks associated with Singapore’s high levels of food imports.
The Sino-Singapore food zone established in Jilin Province, China, in 2010, is just one example of food diversification efforts. The Jilin food zone has been designed as a foot-and-mouth disease-free-zone so that it can be an important source of pork. Not without its challenges, it is meant to enhance the city-state’s food security. This will provide further resilience against food supply disruptions.
AVA has also ensured increased local food production over time through the provision of the Food Fund. Investments in new farming techniques such as hydroponics have contributed to a 30 percent increase in local vegetable production over the past 10 years. By the end of 2014, some 40 percent of local farms had benefited from this Fund.
Singapore’s net imports for food, beverages and alcohol (clustered in one group) are quite high, at approximately S$15.57 billion ($10.9 billion) in 2014. Some of Singapore’s most important trade partners, like the United States and Australia, place great importance on the city-state’s retail food market. The U.S. sees Singapore as diverse, dynamic, highly developed, extremely competitive, and very strict with its sanitary requirements. Customers in Singapore are considered to be open to a wide range of foreign concept foods, conscious of food safety and health, and aware of sustainable products. However, they are not necessarily willing to pay more for them.
In 2013, the U.S. exported retail food products to Singapore worth approximately $575 million, making tiny Singapore its 13th largest market. Exports were led by dairy, prepared foods, fresh fruits, and pork products. For Australia, Singapore was its 9th largest market for food, beverage and agribusiness products in 2014, with exports of A$1.1 billion ($760 million) the same year, principally animal fats, dairy products, red meats, sugars and sugar confectionery and pork.
Direct imports are not the only reason for Singapore’s international relevance. Its location and trading hub status makes it a vital market for exporters. For example, the percentage of imported food that is re-exported to other countries is approximately 20-25 percent.
Resilience
From a policy perspective, Singapore has managed to accomplish the difficult task of becoming a food secure country by boosting the resilience of its food supply. Policy alternatives such as diversification of sources, the Food Fund, and facilitating food imports are all important components of a well planned and coordinated strategy. Nonetheless, the next 50 years are likely to be more complex as alternative possibilities depend on external forces and are subject to global change over which the city-state will have no control.
Globally, increasing resilience has been acknowledged as an effective strategy against fluctuations in supplies. This encompasses partnerships, financing, trade, technology, and research and development, all of which are already part of Singapore’s strategy.
What else can the city-state do? One alternative is to reduce food waste. Another would be to continue investing in innovative food science and emerging technologies. High-tech, visitor-friendly urban agriculture on the East Coast, or even in very fashionable 50-plus story buildings designed by the nation’s most innovative architects could be very significant options.
Highly sophisticated greenhouses that control their environments (temperature, carbon dioxide levels, air flow and nutrients) and situated on ships adapted for this purpose could be another alternative. Projects as visionary as the Marina Reservoir (with a catchment that is about one-sixth the size of Singapore’s total land area) or as innovative as Pulau Semakau (the world’s first offshore landfill) for highly intensive agriculture could represent additional possibilities.
Agricultural investment or contract farming abroad – something that other countries, financial services, life insurance, and pension schemes have done – is a distinct possibility. Stable nations such as Australia, the United States, or Brazil may provide attractive business possibilities.
Singapore continues to develop its food security strategies, seeking opportunities and addressing risks in an increasingly complex environment. One relevant lesson that other Asian countries could learn from the city-state is the understanding that food security does not mean food self-sufficiency, since no country can be self-sufficient in all food products. National food security depends on both domestic production and imports, and requires effective distribution, in addition to diversification, partnerships, and good long-term planning. These are the reasons why Singapore, which imports most of its food, has become the second-most food secure country in the world.
Dr Cecilia Tortajada is Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Water Policy, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore. Mr Thinesh Kumar S/O Paramasilvam is student in Geography at the same university.
Apple iPad Pro announced with Apple Pencil and a Smart Keyboard | The Verge
Apple iPad Pro announced with Apple Pencil and a Smart Keyboard | The Verge
The new iPad Pro uses a 12.9-inch display (2732 x 2048 resolution with 264 ppi), and makes use of the new split screen app features of iOS 9. The width of the iPad Pro is the same as the height of the iPad Air 2. "It can do things that a smartphone doesn’t do because it doesn’t have to sit in your pocket," says Apple's Phil Schiller. Apple is using the same technology from its iMac with Retina 5K display to bring the iPad Pro pixels to life. "For the first time in an Apple display, it has a variable refresh rate," explains Schiller. This means Apple can slow the display down and save battery.
Inside it's using Apple's new A9X processor, which Apple claims is 1.8 times faster than the previous chip it replaces. "Our chip team is just on fire," says Schiller. Graphics on the iPad Pro have doubled in terms of performance, so it's clearly going to be a fast device for games and productivity apps. "It is faster than 80 percent of the portable PCs that shipped in the last 12 months," claims Schiller. "In graphics tasks it's faster than 90 percent of them."
Tuesday, 8 September 2015
10 Common Mistakes That Every Cook Makes — Mistakes in the Kitchen | The Kitchn
10 Common Mistakes That Every Cook Makes — Mistakes in the Kitchen | The Kitchn
10 Common Mistakes That Every Cook Makes
Whether you're just learning how to cook or you've been doing it for years, it's inevitable that you'll make your fair share of mistakes in the kitchen. Yes, even good cooks and seasoned pros make mistakes. It happens when we're in a rush, feeling a little bit lazy, or are simply new to the kitchen.
Could you be making common cooking mistakes? Become a better cook by knowing how to avoid some of the most common errors, and learn what you should be doing in the kitchen.
1. Not reading the entire recipe before you start cooking.
I get it. You're excited to get cooking, so you dive right in, reading and following the recipe as you go. The problem is that some recipes aren't written in the correct order, and there's nothing worse than getting halfway through a recipe and realizing you're missing a few ingredients.
→ Follow this tip: Before you do anything, your first order of business should always be reading the recipe all the way through. It will give you a better idea of exactly what you'll be doing, and you'll have a chance to make sure you have all the ingredients and equipment you need.
2. Using the wrong size cutting board.
Sure, those tiny cutting boards are cute, but aside from slicing a few berries or prepping a garnish for a drink, they're not that useful. And, while a whole roast chicken, for example, might just fit on there, it's far too cramped to work neatly, efficiently, and safely.
→ Follow this tip: Give yourself plenty of room to work, and make sure your cutting board is big enough for the job at hand. You'll be a lot more comfortable slicing and chopping, plus it's safer than cramming everything onto a too-tiny board.
3. Using the wrong knife.
Before you take your knife out, think about what you'll be using it for. Are you mincing something small, like garlic? Or, will you be working with something larger, like a whole chicken? You might love working with your paring knife, but it's not an all-purpose tool and doesn't work well when tackling large foods.
→ Follow this tip: Always use the right size knife for the job. Think of your chef's knife as an all-purpose knife. In home kitchens, this is the tool to turn to when you're cutting meat, slicing fruit and vegetables, and mincing herbs. Reach for a serrated bread knife when it's time to slice through a baguette or other hearty loaves. And opt for a paring knife when you're working with a particularly small piece of food.
4. Allowing yourself to work with a messy workspace.
Not only will you end up working less organized and less efficient when you have a messy workspace, but this puts you at higher risk for cross-contamination with your food.
→ Follow this tip: The value of keeping a clean work area was drilled into me from day one of culinary school. And, for good reason. It allows you to work a lot more organized, and you'll save time in the long run. Keeping a garbage bowl next to your cutting board and cleaning as you go are also huge helps.
Garbage Bowls: Why We Love This Underappreciated Kitchen Tool
Our Readers' 8 Best Tips for Cooking Without Making a Huge Mess
5. Adding ingredients to a cold pan.
In most cases, it's better to heat up your pan and then add oil and food. (There are some exceptions, like starting bacon in a cold pan.) I see people add oil and food to a pan, and then turn on the stove it makes me cringe. Food should never touch a cold pan. Instead of getting a nice sear, the ingredients soak up the oil or butter, and are likely to stick to the pan.
→ Follow this tip: Make sure the pan and oil are hot before adding any ingredients to the pan. A hot pan is key to preventing your food from sticking, and for getting a good sear.
6. Cooking meat straight from the refrigerator.
It doesn't matter if you're cooking beef, pork, chicken, or fish, it should never go straight from the fridge to a hot oven or grill. The result is a good piece of meat that's overcooked on the outside and undercooked, or even raw, at the center.
→ Follow this tip: Take meat and fish out of the refrigerator, and let it sit at room temperature for about 15-20 minutes cooking. Bringing the protein to room temperature will allow it to cook more evenly throughout.
7. Not seasoning food as you cook.
Forgetting to season your food as you cook will leave you with a dish that's tasteless, dull, and unbalanced. It's a huge disservice to a meal that could have otherwise been really delicious.
→ Follow this tip: Seasoning works to bring out the natural flavors of all the ingredients in a dish and needs to happen early rather than at the end. It rounds flavors out, brings them together, and transforms the dish from bland to flavorful.
8. Overcrowding the pan.
When you squeeze too much into a pan, not only does the temperature lower, but there's too much moisture, which results in the food getting steamed instead of seared. This also results in uneven cooking.
→ Follow this tip: Use the right size pan for the amount of food you're cooking. When you're cooking meat, make sure none of the pieces are touching; there should be space between the pieces. Consider using a larger pan, two small pans, or if necessary, work in batches.
9. Not tasting food as it's cooking.
Cooking without tasting as you go is like writing a book without proofreading. Wait until dinner is on the table to give it a taste and you risk unbalanced flavors and lack of seasoning.
→ Follow this tip: Taste as you cook, and add more seasoning and spices as necessary. Don't be afraid to taste again and again and again.
10. Not resting meat after it's cooked.
You're hungry and you're anxious to eat, but diving into that steak (roast chicken, pork tenderloin, or any other cut of meat) the second it comes out of the oven or pan is a grave mistake. As you cut into it, the juices will run across the cutting board or your plate.
→ Follow this tip: Whether you're taking meat off the stove or grill, or out of the oven, let it sit at room temperature for at least five minutes (about 20 minutes for a whole chicken), so the juices have time to redistribute throughout the meat. Rather than see those juices spilled across the cutting board, your patience will be rewarded with a juicier, more delicious cut of meat. If you're worried about meat getting cold, loosely tent it with a piece of foil.
10 Common Mistakes That Every Cook Makes
Whether you're just learning how to cook or you've been doing it for years, it's inevitable that you'll make your fair share of mistakes in the kitchen. Yes, even good cooks and seasoned pros make mistakes. It happens when we're in a rush, feeling a little bit lazy, or are simply new to the kitchen.
Could you be making common cooking mistakes? Become a better cook by knowing how to avoid some of the most common errors, and learn what you should be doing in the kitchen.
1. Not reading the entire recipe before you start cooking.
I get it. You're excited to get cooking, so you dive right in, reading and following the recipe as you go. The problem is that some recipes aren't written in the correct order, and there's nothing worse than getting halfway through a recipe and realizing you're missing a few ingredients.
→ Follow this tip: Before you do anything, your first order of business should always be reading the recipe all the way through. It will give you a better idea of exactly what you'll be doing, and you'll have a chance to make sure you have all the ingredients and equipment you need.
2. Using the wrong size cutting board.
Sure, those tiny cutting boards are cute, but aside from slicing a few berries or prepping a garnish for a drink, they're not that useful. And, while a whole roast chicken, for example, might just fit on there, it's far too cramped to work neatly, efficiently, and safely.
→ Follow this tip: Give yourself plenty of room to work, and make sure your cutting board is big enough for the job at hand. You'll be a lot more comfortable slicing and chopping, plus it's safer than cramming everything onto a too-tiny board.
3. Using the wrong knife.
Before you take your knife out, think about what you'll be using it for. Are you mincing something small, like garlic? Or, will you be working with something larger, like a whole chicken? You might love working with your paring knife, but it's not an all-purpose tool and doesn't work well when tackling large foods.
→ Follow this tip: Always use the right size knife for the job. Think of your chef's knife as an all-purpose knife. In home kitchens, this is the tool to turn to when you're cutting meat, slicing fruit and vegetables, and mincing herbs. Reach for a serrated bread knife when it's time to slice through a baguette or other hearty loaves. And opt for a paring knife when you're working with a particularly small piece of food.
4. Allowing yourself to work with a messy workspace.
Not only will you end up working less organized and less efficient when you have a messy workspace, but this puts you at higher risk for cross-contamination with your food.
→ Follow this tip: The value of keeping a clean work area was drilled into me from day one of culinary school. And, for good reason. It allows you to work a lot more organized, and you'll save time in the long run. Keeping a garbage bowl next to your cutting board and cleaning as you go are also huge helps.
Garbage Bowls: Why We Love This Underappreciated Kitchen Tool
Our Readers' 8 Best Tips for Cooking Without Making a Huge Mess
5. Adding ingredients to a cold pan.
In most cases, it's better to heat up your pan and then add oil and food. (There are some exceptions, like starting bacon in a cold pan.) I see people add oil and food to a pan, and then turn on the stove it makes me cringe. Food should never touch a cold pan. Instead of getting a nice sear, the ingredients soak up the oil or butter, and are likely to stick to the pan.
→ Follow this tip: Make sure the pan and oil are hot before adding any ingredients to the pan. A hot pan is key to preventing your food from sticking, and for getting a good sear.
6. Cooking meat straight from the refrigerator.
It doesn't matter if you're cooking beef, pork, chicken, or fish, it should never go straight from the fridge to a hot oven or grill. The result is a good piece of meat that's overcooked on the outside and undercooked, or even raw, at the center.
→ Follow this tip: Take meat and fish out of the refrigerator, and let it sit at room temperature for about 15-20 minutes cooking. Bringing the protein to room temperature will allow it to cook more evenly throughout.
7. Not seasoning food as you cook.
Forgetting to season your food as you cook will leave you with a dish that's tasteless, dull, and unbalanced. It's a huge disservice to a meal that could have otherwise been really delicious.
→ Follow this tip: Seasoning works to bring out the natural flavors of all the ingredients in a dish and needs to happen early rather than at the end. It rounds flavors out, brings them together, and transforms the dish from bland to flavorful.
8. Overcrowding the pan.
When you squeeze too much into a pan, not only does the temperature lower, but there's too much moisture, which results in the food getting steamed instead of seared. This also results in uneven cooking.
→ Follow this tip: Use the right size pan for the amount of food you're cooking. When you're cooking meat, make sure none of the pieces are touching; there should be space between the pieces. Consider using a larger pan, two small pans, or if necessary, work in batches.
9. Not tasting food as it's cooking.
Cooking without tasting as you go is like writing a book without proofreading. Wait until dinner is on the table to give it a taste and you risk unbalanced flavors and lack of seasoning.
→ Follow this tip: Taste as you cook, and add more seasoning and spices as necessary. Don't be afraid to taste again and again and again.
10. Not resting meat after it's cooked.
You're hungry and you're anxious to eat, but diving into that steak (roast chicken, pork tenderloin, or any other cut of meat) the second it comes out of the oven or pan is a grave mistake. As you cut into it, the juices will run across the cutting board or your plate.
→ Follow this tip: Whether you're taking meat off the stove or grill, or out of the oven, let it sit at room temperature for at least five minutes (about 20 minutes for a whole chicken), so the juices have time to redistribute throughout the meat. Rather than see those juices spilled across the cutting board, your patience will be rewarded with a juicier, more delicious cut of meat. If you're worried about meat getting cold, loosely tent it with a piece of foil.
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