What simple cooking item evades you?

powershopper

I used to be a "dinner lady" in my youth and can make a hundred scones, light and delicious and yummy, but half a dozen for tea!!!! you could run a car over them and you couldn't tell.............
And custard!!!! Not a chance--- again a couple of gallons, no probs, but my kids were great about it, they nearly always had at least one slice.......

jo1972

powershopper wrote: »

I used to be a "dinner lady" in my youth

Did you ever do the shepherds pie that you could slice??

daisyroots_2

I can't do a Roast Dinner. My grandmother came to this country as a young bride and she never got the hang of it, so my Ma never learned it and neither did I. Have never seen the point of yorkshire pudding, and this is probably why every time I've tried to make it have failed. Trouble is I don't really know what I'm aiming for, and it's hard to cook something you don't enjoy eating. I can do some of the individual items: roast chicken, roast beef, etc. I make excellent roast potatoes. But while born and raised in this country, the English Roast Dinner fetish eludes me still. Fortunately my OH is also second generation, and his Ma never did Sunday Roast either, so we never do it and it remains a mystery, except sometimes people invite you round on Sundays, bless them and they have been hard at work all morning to produce, at about 3.30 pm this enormous, but very ordinary meal, after which nobody can move and there is a huge pile of washing up.

Ches

powershopper wrote: »

.........
And custard!!!! Not a chance--- again a couple of gallons, no probs, but my kids were great about it, they nearly always had at least one slice.......

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

filigree_2

I can't manage yorkies from a recipe, but I find they come out fine if I use economy brand yorkie mix. In every respect I cook them the same way (hot oven, lard etc) but only the economy ones taste right! Oh well, it works out cheaper anyway.

I've tried to make fishcakes twice in my life and both occasions were such a disaster that OH begged me to just buy them ready made in future. Normally he'd eat anything I put in front of him so he must have been really traumatised by the fish cakes :eek:

I make souffle omelettes which are much much nicer than the standard sort, I can't stand the runny bit in the middle. Souffle omelettes are light and fluffy and above all, easy to cook

I've never even tried to make pastry, I'm worried that I might be good at it then we'd have to eat it - my waistline doesn't need any more lardy treats :rolleyes:

I never liked that "genuine Indian Restaurant curry" that can be found all over the internet, I even bought the flipping book thinking that would be better! Every attempt came out as bright blue/green slime. The book went straight back on Amazon

freyasmum

kickstart wrote: »

Scrambled egg , not matter how soon i take it off the heat , it always goes rubbery , i dont like it runny .In the microwave it comes out like an omlette , one solid lump ..!

Hiya

What I do is melt a little butter in a pan... just nice and slowly and then crack an egg into the pan and let it set a wee bit - the bottom mostly white, but still translucent. I then pour in a little amount of milk - have used double cream which was heavenly. Give it a nice gentle stir. Don't be too vigorous. Serve with warm, buttered toast and enjoy (hopefully, I'm not great at describing and explaining )

Lx

jcr16

i sturggle to make quiches. i often find i check them and think it needs just 1 more min and in that min it just goes all wrong. or the bottom turns out soggy. but i have since bought some cermanic baking beans. not tried it yet.

and also mary berry mega choc chip cookies. i love her reicipes and every one works treat perfect everytime. yet these i just cannot make.the first time i made them they were goregous just like tesco bakery ones. big and chewy. but ever since then they have gone so so so wrong.

laughing_cow

Archer21 wrote: »

For anyone who has trouble poaching eggs, have a look at this article, clingfilm method is easily the best method I have found.

http://www.b3ta.com/features/howtopoachanegg/

I can get them pretty decent almost every time!!!

I saw this recently on that Anthea Turner housewife programme and I have just given it a go. I'm 38, a good cook and I have an O' level Home Economics and this is my first successful poached egg in my life!

I love them and often order them in restaurants and cafes, but cooking them has always defeated me until now. I am so pleased that this clingfilm method works! :T

lil_me

Can I just mention something with poached eggs, use fresh eggs much better, if you use old eggs regardless of method I've found they turn out 'poop' as my son calls them. http://thefoody.com/mrsbcheese/poachedeggs.html Mrs Beeton even mentions it.

I can do steak, omlettes a speciality, my yorkshires are getting there, hopefully will be better when I get my new oven that doesn't leak tomorrow The first time they decided to rise was hilarious, I'm so used to them not rising I put them too high in the oven and burnt the tops, can't win :rotfl:

Can I knickers make egg fried rice like the do in takeaways!!!!! My one hate as I've tried and tried Oh and everything I've made with lentils so far has tasted 'gritty' will keep trying however.

Cakes have been useless but will wait until I get the new oven before admitting it's me not the oven :rotfl:


A friend of mine is a great cook, especially baking, she can cook almost anything but she can't make a fried egg.

FrugalJo

floyd wrote: »

For years my moist muffins and chewy american cookies were stuff of legend using my 50 year old gas cooker that once belonged to my Nanna. We moved house and now nothing I bake works.

Can do the cookies but my muffins are simply horrid, even tried Nigellas recipe today and they were just bleughhhh.