We all have one. That one recipe that just never works the way you want it to. Or the one thing you try to cook or bake repeatedly with meh results. Confess. What’s your food nemesis?
We all have one. That one recipe that just never works the way you want it to. Or the one thing you try to cook or bake repeatedly with meh results. Confess. What’s your food nemesis?
Tuesdays with Dorie 
Omelettes. I just can’t do it. I think I need to take a class or something.
Jessica-Out of all the things I make, eggs are something that REALLY difficult for me. I finally was able to make an omelette when I took a peek at the Clinton ST. Baking Company. I make really good scrambled eggs, but omelettes are really difficult for me, but are somewhat easier now. I can feel your pain. Wait til you see my post below.
This is so embarassing to admit. I have issues with hardboiled eggs. Most of the time, they are okay, but some of the time, when peeling them, I lose a lot of the white. I’m careful to make them the same way each time-so, I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong. I submerge the eggs in cold water, bring them to a boil. Cover them and pull them off the heat. Time them for 15 minutes. Then I put them in an ice bath for a bit, dry them off, then refrigerate.
I also cannot make a crepe to save my life…..
And yet I can make the same meals over and over again with great success, tasty and somewhat pretty baked goods can be repeated. But I can’t hard boil an egg with consistent results. It makes me want to scream.
I think it has something to do with the age of the egg! It’s best to use older eggs (though not spoiled, obviously! Just not super-fresh) for easiest peeling. So it may not have to do with your method at all, just the age of the eggs.
Hardboiled eggs I can do! I do closer to 12 minutes (per Martha Stewart) and I find that’s enough. Peeling is hit or miss though. And I finally learned to make crepes this summer – but it’s so tedious to make them one at a time!
Thanks, Ladies, for your response and help. I SO appreciate it!!!!!
Most chocolate chip cookie recipes go flat! I’m fine if I add oatmeal, coconut etc. But plain chocolate chip cookies just don’t work. I blame it on my altitude but when I make altitude corrections they still spread and are too flat.
That’s ok I seem to make plenty of other fattening treats.
CCC’s are my favorite thing to make. I have settled with the NYT cookie recipe, with my own adaptations. Mine are never flat. The recipe uses bread flour and cake flour. Maybe try that. And the dough is chilled, which I also think helps because I just made a batch last week and baked them immediately and they are flatter than usual–but still good.
I have problems with eggs, too. For me, it’s poaching them. I wasted quite a few eggs trying and basically gave up.
It’s poached eggs for me too – I am yet to get them right.
I can’t quite get scalloped potatoes right. Either they’re underdone, gluey, underseasoned, overseasoned, or some combination of the above. Weird.
Jules-This is a problem for me as well. My mother makes FABULOUS scalloped potatoes. I can’t replicate them. :(
Banana bread that is cooked all the way through. Looks good before I take it out, but a big sink hole appears in the middle as it cools.
I don’t want it to have a crust, and don’t want it dry, but I just can’t get it cooked. How do the Starbucks bakers do it?
Breaded anything. I don’t know why, but it never works–the breading falls off, the sauce makes it soggy. Chicken picatta will forever remain a restaurant dish for me, I guess.
If I had a recipe that didn’t work, I wouldn’t keep using it. I still have not found a good recipe for shortcake, however. I don’t like the biscuit thing. Next time, I’m trying an actual cake.
Jalapeno jelly-I have made it numerous times and even though I use pectin, either liquid of powder, the jelly never jells.
I can make an egg, I can make bacon, I make pancakes, and even hashbrowns–I just can’t seem to get breakfast done–all the things together close enough to the same time and it drives me nuts. (We have breakfast for dinner almost once a week.)
This is exactly my problem! The closest I get are when I cheat and do part in the oven (bacon or popovers or something), and even then I struggle to time the other stuff.
My other challenge is a raspberry cranberry jello salad my aunt makes. I can not get the jello to set. It’s always a little frustrating since my impression of jello is that it’s supposed to be a fail-safe, make-ahead type thing.
Katrina-I once worked at a bed and breakfast and this was difficult. We always started with the meat. Cook your bacon or sausage first and put it on an ovenproof dish. Stick it in a 200 degree oven. Do the same with pancakes or hash browns. Keep those warm in the same oven. Finish with the eggs. If you feel the need to have something like toast, make a batch of biscuits in advance, bake them, freeze them, then rewarm them in the oven while you’re cooking the meat, and pull them out once the eggs are done. Everything will be warm at the same time. I hope this helps. :)
Thanks. I do try to get the bacon going in the oven while I work on other things.
My nemesis is fudge. I like to blame it on atmospheric conditions but I think it’s really just me :) It usually comes out sort of crystallized rather than creamy. I’ve tried various types a number of different times with no success.
I can’t make fudge either – even “No Fail” fudge! How demoralizing is that?
My nemesis is croissants. Can never ever get it right. :(
My pizza dough …. I like a deep dish pizza but my pizza crust is never like that …. Really have to work on it …. I always end up baking a newyork style pizza … Which is delicious too But I want my crust to rise n be soft