One art that is found commonly with every one in small bits and pieces, if not proficiently, is cooking. I’ve been cooking since I was 10 and believe me or not but I never considered myself a chef until I received the graduation certificates 6 months ago from the institute. Cooking is really something. It can be easy and complicated at the same time. Even if you are able to cook a Maggie right, consider yourself a winner at this frontier, coz’ its not easy. However, there are a few things that tend to create a huge difference between Right Cooking and Regular Cooking.

If you were thinking why that fresh, peak-seasoned vegetable didn’t tasted better or why your body didn’t receive the proper amount of nutrients even though you chose the healthiest foods present in the market, here are the loopholes:

Washing vegetables after slicing them – Clean as much as you want before you cut the vegetable into sizable proportions. Cleaning sliced veggies removes most of the nutrients out of it. It works like this: Cutting a vegetable breaks its cell walls. Hence the nutrients that were tucked inside the walls now escapes into the water. Therefore, always wash vegetables uncut.

Important tip: Cook soon after cutting.

Cooking on high flames – Cooking on high temperatures not only robs the nutrients out of the food, but also makes them harmful to your health in many ways. Always try to cook on sim, i.e., low or medium flame.

Important tip: Prefer Gas to Microwaves for cooking

Overheating the oil – This happens all the time, doesn’t it? Your ability to multitask in the kitchen often conflicts with the oil that you left in the kadai for heating. And, by the time you get back to it, you find smoke coming out of the oil, which implies that it has burnt. This is where it gets unhealthy! Don’t leave the oil on the flame for too long. Add the seasonings like cumin, fenugreek, etc., after waiting for a minute or even less than that, considering the quantity of oil . And, once the seeds stop fluttering, add the rest of the vegetables.

Important tip: Use less oil/fat as compared to what you regularly add.

Cooking frozen foods right away – Frozen foods might be able to give you the taste of your delectable recipes even when they are not naturally produced, but they could be harmful too. Frozen food needs to be brought down to room temperature before getting cooked. Sudden changes in temperature are a reason of bacterial contamination.

Important tip: Do not heat frozen foods to normalize them, rather let them unfreeze naturally.

Adding more water – Unless you are going to consume it (as in soups), do not add more water unnecessarily. As mentioned earlier, vegetable lose nutrients in water irrespective to being washed or cooked.

Important tip: In case of boiling vegetables, as in potatoes, prefer steaming.

Not cooking the food thoroughly – Not stirring consistently will leave parts of the food raw. Also, the bacteria that could cause food poisoning doesn’t gets killed unless the food is cooked thoroughly. Therefore, ensure that the food is cooked in its entirety. Cook on a slow flame, stir occasionally, and use a lid over the pan always.

Important tip – To ensure that your non-vegetarian food is cooked to its core, check its texture. The pink color of the meat will be gone completely.

Follow these points if you want to move on from regular cooking to right cooking and get the most out of your food.