7 Recipe Deal Breakers—And How To Conquer Them

There are many things that can be scary to tackle when it comes to cooking or baking. One of our editors is afraid of her grill. Another refuses to use a scale for measuring baking ingredients. And most of us, we admit, are kind of leery of deep frying—all that hot oil!

But there is help. Here’s a list of common recipe deal breakers—and how to overcome them. 

I’m afraid of deep frying…

Mastering deep frying can be tricky, especially when there can be excess splatter. Start with our helpful guide to deep frying. As Jennifer Pallian writes, “It’s totally worth learning, even if it’s not an everyday technique.” Deep frying can introduce a world of crunch—and can introduce less oil to food than pan-frying (if you do it right).

Still not convinced? Try using an air fryer instead! They’ll give you the same amazing crunch with a fraction of the mess—and a lot less oil.

… and grilling too!

Using a barbecue can be intimidating. But, if you are feeling brave and want to master your barbecue, don’t worry! It isn’t as hard to use as you think. Your first step? Reading our guide on how to use a barbecue. If it's a gas BBQ, always be sure to light the grill with the lid open as gas buildup in a closed one can cause flareups–and take your time.

Before putting any food on the grill, preheat the barbecue for about 10 to 15 minutes. Then, when using the grill, decide whether you want to put the food on direct or indirect heat. Cooking on direct heat is good for when you need direct exposure to a high temperature, which is best for steaks or burgers. Indirect grilling, on the other hand, is better for smoked foods and cooking with lower heat for a longer time.

It’s also best to clean and scrub your grill before and after each use to reduce the amount of grease and debris that gets stuck on it—this can help prevent flareups. If you’re using a propane or charcoal barbecue, keeping an extra propane tank or bag of charcoal close by is always good practice. 

For the times when you don’t feel like grilling outdoors, a stove-top grill pan will come in handy. 

They come in a few different looks, including a grill pan with a handle or a reversible flat top that can both be used on the stove. Cast iron or nonstick grill pans work well, and you can find them in a circle or square shape. Non-stick pans can be better for delicate foods like fish and cast iron pans are good for cooking up meats like burgers and steaks. (Here's our guide for how to cook a perfect steak indoors.)

Although stovetop grill pans are a good swap for the grill, sometimes you may end up with a smoky kitchen. For minimal smoke, don’t overheat the pan—use an oil with a higher smoking point like canola, avocado or grapeseed oil, but not too much of it, and thoroughly clean the pan after every use.

Grating a lot of cheese (or anything else!) is a hassle

Sometimes standing over a box grater and shredding what feels like a pound of cheese can make you think twice about making that delicious bowl of mac and cheese. Stop avoiding the cheesy comfort meal and use a food processor rather than a box grater. It works for more than cheese, too: try it for vegetables, like beets in this staff-favourite sesame-ginger-beet quinoa bowl, or carrots in this fresh chickpea salad. Most food processor parts are dishwasher-safe these days, too, making cleanup a snap.

Most food processors also have a shredding blade so make sure to attach it, place your cold cheese into the processor and shred! A good tip: cheddar cheese will be easier to grate when it is very cold, and a soft mozzarella is better frozen. Pop both in the freezer before you plan to shred.

I’m afraid of under- (or over!) cooking meat

Cooking chicken and other kinds of meat can be daunting because knowing when it is fully cooked can be confusing. A meat thermometer will take all the guesswork out—just stick it into the thickest part of the meat and make sure the meat is at your desired temperature (this  guide to internal cooking temperatures has a rundown for chicken, pork, medium and well-done beef, and more). 

Whether you’re looking for an instant-read or an oven-going thermometer (which stays in the meat while it cooks) there are thermometers for all of your cooking needs. Instant-read thermometers are also handy for cooking fish and telling when your bread is done (as in our overnight faux sourdough recipe, which asks you to cook bread to an internal temperature of 190F). 

I hate anything that uses a ton of dishes

Okay, this one we don’t have a cheat for, but we get it. Sometimes, you just want to eat and avoid a messy kitchen. Although the clean-as-you-go method when cooking in the kitchen can be helpful, it isn’t always the most practical.

Making a sheet pan dinner is a great way to minimize the number of pots and pans that need to be washed. The same goes for one-pot or -pan meals

I hate mincing garlic

When a recipe calls for a lot of minced garlic, and you simply don’t have a lot of time or don’t like the process, try pressing, grating or crushing the garlic cloves instead. Note: Depending on which way you choose to crush garlic, it can create a more potent smell and taste, so you may have to adjust the amount or method used in your recipe. 

A scale? For baking?! No way…

When baking cookies or cakes, using a scale to measure ingredients can be scary, so a measuring cup often becomes the go-to tool. But, overpacking ingredients such as flour into a measuring cup can create a dry dessert, because weight and volume aren’t the same thing. A scale is the simplest way to get accurate results. One of our editors who swears by a scale as key to her baking success also argues that it’s easier and creates fewer dishes: just spoon flour, sugar etc directly into your bowl, no measuring cup needed. So, if it’s the finickiness of it that bothers you, let us assure you: it’s easier! We swear!

But if you’re still scale-resistant, a great tip for getting perfect cookies or cakes without a scale is to spoon the ingredients into the measuring cups instead of dipping and scooping. This works exceptionally well with flour, as flour should be scooped and levelled off using the back of a spoon or knife to avoid excess flour in your dessert.

While the products in this piece have been independently chosen, this article contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.