Baking Cookies vs. Frying a Catfish

Ever heard of the saying, "Little knowledge is dangerous"?

I've been a struggling cook for about a year now, following recipes I get over the internet - cookies, salads, soups, etc. So far, none of those who ingested my concoctions got poisoned. I thought, I must be pretty good for a beginner.

Then came the real challenge: my mom asked me to fry the catfish. Just put some oil in the skillet, then fry it off. It can't get any simpler than that.

The end result: an undercooked, skinless catfish (all the skin got stuck on the skillet). After my mom fixed everything (that's what moms are for), I learned which part went wrong: everything.

First, the oil was not hot enough (dummy). Second, you have to fry eat really, really well (dummy dummy). Those simple things, I didn't learn from all the recipes I've read.

Now I can say that when it comes to cooking, nothing beats experience - unless you think that a skinless, mangled, partially raw catfish looks palatable.