Where Am I Going Wrong With Cooking?

Plum_Pie

Totally agree about processed meals being full of carp (unless you buy the most expensives ones from M & S or Waitrose). They often have extra wheat flour, corn starch, high-fructose corn syrup, lecithin, soy flour. All of which 'pad out' the dish and, far more, salt and sugar than you would use at home.

I often find that the flavours of ready meals and junk food (e.g. cheap milk chocolate, crisps) are very '1-note'. When you cook something yourself, the taste is often more complicated and involves more different flavours because of the range and quality of ingredients used.

Anyway, chin up - there's a thread on here somewhere called 'OS disasters' where we all confess to scrambled omlettes, bread that didn't rise and, if I recall correctly, haggis pasta bake...

Stephen_Leak

moanymoany wrote: »

Try cooking on the hob for a while. That way it is very easy to regulate the amount of sauce. You could make mince and serve it with mashed potatoes and veg. Spaghetti or pasta with bolognese sauce, chilli and rice. These can all be made with the same mince recipe which makes it easy. With chilli, use value red beans, they are only about 15p a tin.

I know there is a book in our library that does a range of simple recipes for beginners. It gives complete instructions and pictures. Have a look.

If your oven makes a 'whirring' noise when you put it on you have a fan oven.

I do all my "saucy stuff" on the hob. (But my private life is nothing to do with you lot.) As a further aside, red kidney beans in a chilli count as one of your 5 a day, and our old fan oven sounded like a jet aeroplane - and when you opened the door, it felt like being behind one as well.

affordmylife

ok cheese and onion pie. when i make this i mash my potatoes with milk and butter then add the cheese and onion. i fry the onion but that is personal choice. you can add as much or as little milk and butter to suit you. we like it quite sloppy so i add quite a bit. same with the cheese we like it really cheesey so i add loads.

i made sweet and sour chicken last night and it was way too think so whilst it was cooking on the hob i just kept adding and stiring boiled water until it looked like i wanted it to look.

a lot of it is trial and error. you learn as you go along. i still make mistakes and throw things out but you just pick yourself up and make something else.

well done for learning to cook its a real art and much admired by many of my none cooking friends.

feel free to ask for any more ideas/tips xx

10past6

A lot of comments which make perfect sense, you’ve boosted my confidence with all your comments, and for that I’d like to say thank you to each and every one of you.