While there are many people out there who are amazing cooks, including those who happen to be professional chefs, not everyone can pull off relatively simple home-cooked meals, much less the kind of food they serve you in a fancy restaurant. The inability to cook can result in a range of different outcomes, from simply burning your meal slightly to a complete kitchen wreck or cooking disaster.

The following is a detailed list of some of the biggest cooking disasters people have actually encountered and what you can try to prevent them from happening to you.

Burning Soup

This one seems like it is minor, but also impossible to achieve. However, it is entirely possible for someone to burn soup. This can happen if the broth in the soup evaporates quite a bit. If there happens to be noodles, chicken, et cetera, the other bits in the soup end up burnt to the bottom of the pot. However, what may also happen is the pot overflowing with bubbles, particularly if you put a lid on while you cook. Liquid can actually burn and congeal on the stove itself. This can be difficult to clean off, and it may actually set off your smoke alarm, depending on how sensitive it is.

To prevent this from occurring, keep a close eye on your soup. Try not to leave the kitchen while you are making it, and if you have to, limit your time away to a minute or two before returning. Always remember to stir your soup regularly and take it off once it is hot enough to eat.

Upended Pots and Slow Cookers

Perhaps one of the messiest cooking disasters anyone can experience is accidently spilling the entire contents of their large pot or slow cooker on the kitchen floor. Not only will they have to clean the entire kitchen, but they will often need to take a shower and put their clothes in the laundry. It may even be too late to prevent staining, depending on what was in the pot.

To prevent severe spills like this, and to retain your hot meal, your mission is simple. If you have to carry a pot off the stove or from the counter to another location, make sure you are careful. Check your path before you walk. Try to prevent pets or children from getting underfoot. If the pot is very heavy or too full and you feel these things may be issues for you, considering serving the meal without moving the pot (e.g. using a ladle to spoon your soup into bowls). Otherwise, caution when moving the pot is your best bet.

Mess in the Microwave

Anyone who has a microwave and who is not a fantastic chef is likely to experience this cooking disaster. Sure, things can just splatter or overflow, which is very common, but messes in the microwave can actually get a lot worse. Some people have been known to put jars of peanut butter or marshmallow fluff in the microwave, other plastic containers not safe for use in the appliance, or simply accidently set the timer for too long and their food overheated and exploded.

A mess in your microwave, particularly if it a serious one like an exploding jar of marshmallow fluff, can also compromise its function. To avoid this cooking disaster, read the directions on anything you think you might want to put in the microwave. Pay attention to the times on frozen meals. If you are in doubt about any items, especially plastic, opt out and choose glass instead. If you want to heat something up like a beverage or peanut butter, use small increments of time (like 10 or 20 seconds) and put things in multiple times instead of all in one go. Your microwave will thank you.

Image: hootie2710

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