5 Common Cooking Mistakes We Inherited From Our Parents

For most of us, the foundation of our cooking knowledge comes from our parents. Whether that means you grew up thinking that anything other than frozen lasagna was too complicated to cook for yourself, or if your house was full of cookbooks and new ingredients, the way you feel about cooking likely has roots in the food you grew up eating.

I grew up in a family that ate a lot of pasta and Italian-ish foods. My mom is a great cook — she used seasonal vegetables and loved to try new recipes. My dad liked to "project cook" — on the weekends he would sometimes spend the whole afternoon in the kitchen trying out a new dish. From them, I learned that food is a way to bring people together, as well as a delicious creative expression. Even still, there were also some bad habits I definitely picked up in their kitchen and carried with me. Here are a few that you might have also learned — and how to rectify them now.

Mistake: not finishing your pasta and sauce together

This was a big one for me. We grew up eating a ton of pasta in my household, and it's still one of my favorites to this day. But we always ate bowls of pasta with the sauce spooned on top, not mixed up and incorporated the way you see at a restaurant. When I learned the simple trick of splashing a bit of the pasta water into the sauce and giving everything, sauce and noodles, a good stir and toss to combine before serving...my pasta game was changed forever. And please, for the love of God: don't rinse the noodles.

Mistake: always using nonstick pans

I was born in the 90s, in the midst of the nonstick craze. My parents used nonstick cookware for just about everything, with the idea that it made clean up easier. They gifted me a set of nonstick pans for my 21st birthday, only to tell me a year later that I should get rid of those and replace them with something safer. I've landed somewhere in the middle: I use a nonstick pan for scrambling eggs and other super-sticky, low-to-medium-heat cooking techniques, but I'm far more likely to reach for a cast iron or stainless-steel pan in my day-to-day cooking. If you also grew up believing that you should use nonstick for everything, it might be time to diversify your pans.

Mistake: erroneous salting

When I asked my friends about what bad habits they picked up from their parents, a lot of them mentioned salt. For me, the issue was that both of my parents tend to salt their food at the end of the cooking process, which explains why both of them are constantly adding more salt to their food as they eat. For many of my friends, the problem was (and remains) that their parents always use iodized salt, which makes their food taste tinny and unappealing, as opposed to using kosher salt — which offers a much purer flavor. The lesson is this: salt early in your cooking process, tasting often, and always using kosher salt for everyday cooking.

Mistake: assuming smoke is bad

A few months ago, I was visiting my mom and she asked me to cook the steak we were going to eat for dinner that night. I did so, starting by heating a skillet over high heat until it started to smoke, just a little. She was alarmed by even a small amount of smoke, and I reassured her that it was just an indication that the pan was well-heated, as is necessary for a nicely cooked steak. I can't remember ever seeing smoke in my parents kitchen growing up, and my mom confirmed this, admitting she rarely turns the stove up beyond medium. But I've learned that high heat is sometimes necessary for getting a good sear, or creating a crispy edge. (Though, I'm still actively trying to convince my mom that this is true.)

Mistake: cooking solely boneless cuts of chicken

I think we have the low-fat revolution to thank for this one. When I was growing up, it seemed like chickens only consisted of one part: breasts. And those were always boneless and skinless. As an adult, I've learned that these are perhaps the least flavorful, driest option for chicken and I mostly steer clear. When possible, I buy a whole chicken (it's the best deal!) and cut it into pieces myself. If I do want something boneless and skinless, I'm going for the thighs.

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