What Foods Seem Easy to Prepare but Are In Fact Difficult?

[Anonymous]

Jane and Michael Stern lied to me. Tortillas are not easy to make. I gave up.

The woman I have my tortilla press to couldn't see what my problem was.

[Anonymous]

cacio e pepe

it takes magic to make it excellent

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Breading anything drives me crazy. Flour egg breadcrumbs….i know how to use my different hands so I don’t bread my fingers, but it still drives me crazy. I’ve given up.

It's such a huge mess. One of my family's favorite meals is Schnitzel with spaetzle but the combo is killer. Lining up the plates/bowls to dredge and dip the meat makes a mess. I do that while cooking the meat and it's stress inducing. The spaetzle dough is often so tough to get through the speatzle maker than I often have to get my dh to help. I now make the spaetzle a day in advance.

Sometimes I do breaded fish (baked in the oven). The first few times of course my hands were all battered and breaded. Now I use my fingers to drop the fish in the flour then tongs to move it to the egg and from the egg to the breading, and I used a fork to gently turn it in the breading, then the tongs to move it to the pan. Works pretty well actually. I try to grab just an edge of the fish when moving it, which helps.

How do you make breading crispy in the oven? I cannot even manage that.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I find lasagna to be a PITA

Yes. Definitely if you are making your own red sauce with meat and béchamel sauce and have to par boil the noodles. Total PIA and makes huge kitchen mess

YES. boiling those impossible large flappy noodles makes it just a no-go. The move is no-boil noodles and use sausage. That gives enough energy to make your own marina if desired.

I'll let you in on a secret...you don't have to boil the noodles. Even if you are using the regular kind, not the no-boil kind.

Really?? Tell me more.

You just layer the lasagna up just like you would if they were boiled except be careful to make sure they are covered with sauce and make sure to cook it with foil over the top and it will need a little extra cook time. If this makes you nervous, you can take the extra step of soaking them in hot water for a bit. Just put them into a tray and boil water in the kettle and pour it over the noodles and soak them while you are getting everything else together. You really don't need to, though.

Agree! So much easier. I used to boil them. Now, I just line the bottom of the pan with sauce and then alternate noodles, and cheese/sauce/ veges/ meat

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Risotto

I’ve never really understood this. I find risotto super easy to make, as long as you pay attention.

It is easy. Mindlessly so. I guess if you are precise about texture maybe…really it just needs to be eaten as soon as it’s ready. So maybe timing with overall meal? You don’t have to constantly stir it either.

I said what I said.

Exactly—the timing. I make it fine when it’s just me in the kitchen, but if I’m being constantly interrupted or when I’ve tried to time it right for company the texture has often been off. It’s one of my favorite things to make, and eat, so I’ve never given up on it.