When you announce that you're going to throw a dinner party, have you ever wondered why your friends politely, yet firmly, decline your offer? Unless you're forcing your own strict diet upon everyone, chances are that your invitations are being avoided because you have no idea how to properly prepare a meal.
Well, not to worry. Thanks to a series of YouTube tutorials, you can figure out the best methods to do everything from properly making steak to pouring wine. The video-sharing site has already showed us how to correct our eating habits; now, it's poised to do wonders for our preparation skills.
1) You're serving pineapple wrong
A pineapple can be a tricky fruit to deal with, but when served properly, it adds an exotic taste to almost any meal. YouTuber DaveHax shows us how to best cut and serve the tropical treat.
2) You're pouring wine wrong
Wine sommeliers have made a career out of selecting and serving wine in the classiest way possible. While no one expects you to be Gerard Basset, you can nevertheless add a degree of flair to the refined beverage.
3) You're serving cheese wrong
What is wine without some cheese to accompany it? Preparing a cheese plate is much more than slicing the wrapper off whatever you happen to pull out of the Hickory Farms gift basket you received for Christmas last year. Let the fine folks at CHOW show you the best and only way to cut the cheese.
4) You're preparing salad wrong
A delicious salad is a perfect prelude to any meal. However, don't just tear open a bag of mixed vegetables and empty it into a bowl. Rather, take six minutes out of your life and learn the true art form of salad-making. After all, you want your guests to actually stick around after the first course, don't you?
5) You're making steak wrong
Yes, there are a zillion ways to make the perfect steak. However, Dave Beaulieu of No Recipe Required has narrowed down the preparation of your meal's main course to five simple steps. The result is a tasty cut of meat that is guaranteed not to have your guests exchanging glances and saying, "Even Outback is better than this."
6) You're making mashed potatoes wrong
Mashed potatoes are an ideal accompaniment to a delicious, properly-prepared steak. Let CHOW show you how to turn raw starch into a captivating side dish.
7) You're making Mai Tais wrong
A Mai Tai is far more than just another mixed drink; it is leagues above your run-of-the-mill rum and coke or vodka cranberry. CHOW is back to show you how to perfect this tropical concoction.
8) You're making chocolate chip cookies wrong
Once dinner is done, it's time to start on dessert! Retire whatever methods you may have learned for making chocolate chip cookies with friends during the holiday season and take an honest, educated stab at it.
9) You're cutting cake wrong
Maybe your post-dinner treat is a mouthwatering cake. While it's perfectly acceptable (if not encouraged) to bring the cake to the table, leave the harried mess of cutting it with a cheap knife far, far away. Let Alex Bellos show you a scientifically proven way to slice.
10) You're pouring cream into coffee wrong (or at least not impressively enough)
Any coffee drinker is likely familiar with the intricately designed leaves and other shapes that baristas will occasionally add to the surface of your beverage. How do they do it? Fortunately, HowcastFoodDrink is here to reveal some decorative secrets and show you how to cap off your latte with an impressive heart shape.
11) You're cutting your cigar wrong
What great, filling meal is complete without a fine cigar? However, the mini guillotine that you received as a gift continues to bewilder you to this day. Here, To Serve Men shows you how to snip off the edge of a fresh cigar to maximize its unique flavors.
Screengrab via 99999/YouTube