Even if you’re a good cook – you probably have some bad cooking habits.

Are you stirring your food too much while it cooks? 

A lot of us do. Eating Well Magazine has our 5 worst cooking habits:

• Overheating the oil: We pour it in and then turn our backs while it heats up. Oil that starts to smoke tastes bad and starts to break down, destroying all the good stuff. 

• Stirring too much: That can cut down on flavor and make your food mushy. Resist that temptation unless the recipe calls for it.

• Overfilling the pan: It may be faster to throw everything in there – but food can’t get crispy that way. Overfilling the pan causes your food to steam and stick. Cook larger dishes in a bigger pan or in batches.

• Digging in too fast: Sure, you’re hungry – but let your meat rest before digging in. It will be a lot juicier. 5 to 10 minutes for a smaller cut – 20 minutes for a large cut or whole bird.

• Over mixing batter: Too much mixing causes gluten to form in the flour, making your baked goods tough.