What simple cooking item evades you?

Primrose

I can make delicious soups and all kinds of delicious caseroles and stews but my pastry is crap.

angeltreats

Sorry to revive this old thread but I'm frustrated! I bake all our cakes and biscuits from scratch, I make pies (and my pastry is awesome if I do say so myself), there are no lumps in my white sauce and my scones rise to great heights and my toad in the hole is crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside and so on. I'm a good cook.

So why on earth can't I make shortbread? :mad: I keep reading about how easy it is, but I think this is lies because I've never ever been able to get it right. I've tried recipes with semolina, rice flour, etc, cooked it for different times at different temperatures and it just never ever goes right. Usually it spreads far too much which might be because I work the dough too much but if I don't it just crumbles and falls apart!

Ah well, at least this thread has made me feel slightly better.

baileysbattlebus

angeltreats wrote: »

Sorry to revive this old thread but I'm frustrated! I bake all our cakes and biscuits from scratch, I make pies (and my pastry is awesome if I do say so myself), there are no lumps in my white sauce and my scones rise to great heights and my toad in the hole is crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside and so on. I'm a good cook.

So why on earth can't I make shortbread? :mad: I keep reading about how easy it is, but I think this is lies because I've never ever been able to get it right. I've tried recipes with semolina, rice flour, etc, cooked it for different times at different temperatures and it just never ever goes right. Usually it spreads far too much which might be because I work the dough too much but if I don't it just crumbles and falls apart!

Ah well, at least this thread has made me feel slightly better.

Never tried to make shortbread - I can turn my hand to most things - but the one thing that defeats me - is making a cup of tea. I have never drunk tea in my life and I'm mid 50s - OH would rather make his own - as do family when they come to the house.

I think friends are just too polite to say anything.

Reverbe

I can boil an egg but have never managed to get it exactly as I like it..

lilmisskitkat

Meringue (sp?) See i can barely spell it never mind make it! :rotfl:

I've had 3 attempts and it just aint happening lol

Reverbe - i got an egg thing from Lakeland, you put it in the pan with the eggs and it changes colour according to how done it is - soft, medium or hard boiled. Not sure if i can post a link but it should be on the website. My kids love chucky egg and soldiers

Kate xxx

wendywitch

There's probably lots of things if I think about it but top of the list is roast potatoes. I've tried every way possible and can't get crispy outsides!!

mummygems

I cannot boil rice for love nor money!!! Once I think it came out perfect following the Jamie Oliver book but since then nothing works - we end up with just one big lump lol. I would love light and fluffy rice to serve with our dinner!

I have resorted to boil in the bag rice!!

aless02

mummygems wrote: »

I cannot boil rice for love nor money!!! Once I think it came out perfect following the Jamie Oliver book but since then nothing works - we end up with just one big lump lol. I would love light and fluffy rice to serve with our dinner!

I have resorted to boil in the bag rice!!

I was just about to post this...rice defeats me every time, even though I can quite easly makes dishes & baked goods 1000x more complex!!

lisawood78

Another one for yorkshires here, i don't even try anymore, Aunt Bessies all the way.
Oh the shame.

Buddingblonde

Rice - I was told this way by a chinese lady I used to work with and it is soooo easy and it really works. All my rice used to end up like porridge, one lumpy mess.

Put as much rice as you want in the pan - add tap water (cold) and make the water level one to two inches higher (so you are guessing the amount required) BUT NO MORE.

Put pan on to the heat and bring to the boil, once boiling, stir ONCE (just so that the rice isnt caught on the bottom of the pan), turn the heat down to the lowest (I use the smallest ring on the lowest temp) and put on a lid and leave it alone to steam. Check the rice after 10/15/20 mins (depending on the amount you are cooking and how low low heat is iykwim) and you will know when it is ready when all the water has gone and there are finger size holes in the top of the rice (if you listen carefully the pan will be making a very faint click click noise) . Take off the heat, put a clean tea towel over the pan and put the lid back on for a min or two to absorb any remaining steam and then fluff with a fork.

No need to rinse the rice or to play around with it - that is where most people (myself included go wrong). Dont check on it too often either as you will let all the steam out and your rice wont steam properly.