Chefs on Their Biggest Disasters

Carla Hall and the Dangerously Rare Chicken

Carla Hall, a Washington, D.C., chef who co-hosts The Chew, still gets hot flashes when she recalls one of her biggest gaffes. She was catering an event and had roasted chicken breasts and thighs. The meat appeared to be cooked, so out it went to the guests' tables. Moments later, back it came, with comments from the waitstaff that the chicken was raw. It was true: especially near the bone. Had Hall tested the meat, she'd have seen that it wasn't at the finished temperature of 165 degrees. "I don't care if you're a home cook or a pro—a thermometer is your best friend," she says now.