The #1 Mistake You're Making When Following a Recipe, According to Lidia Bastianich

With over 50 years of experience and a collection of 16 cookbooks, there’s no doubt that Lidia Bastianich is an expert in the kitchen. So when the chef is willing to give any cooking advice, we’re always prepared to listen.

In a recent clip posted on Instagram from her show Lidia’s Kitchen, Bastianich notes the top cooking mistake you can make—plus a tip to help you avoid it. Here’s what she has to say.

“Salt is the biggest one. Everyone kind of gets into that mistake,” Bastianich says. “Adding too much salt, or not adding salt.” 

Even if you’re perfectly following a recipe, everyone’s taste buds are different. Plus, different kinds of salt may have a finer or coarser grind, which impacts the saltiness of a dish. Shaking in too much salt while cooking happens to everyone, but it could ruin your dish. Fortunately, Bastianich has some advice to combat this common mistake.

“An easy way to control salt is if you have a recipe, you take the salt, and you put it in a little bowl,” she explains. “And you put it right next to [you] when you’re cooking. That’s the amount suggested by the recipe. Always leave a little bit of salt [in the bowl], and that’s for the correction purposes. You taste, and if you have enough, you stop.”

A bowl of salt shows an exact amount you’re using instead of having the saltshaker by your side. And if you’re using a correct amount of salt, this can help keep your saltshaker off of the kitchen table—which is an easy way to cut excess sodium out of your regular eating pattern.

We definitely agree with Bastianich here. For more cooking advice from your favorite celebrity chefs, check out these four mistakes you might be making when cooking pasta, according to Giada De Laurentiis.