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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pie crust.

This definitely. Pie crust is a pain in the arse.

YES. I keep thinking at some point it will get easier with repetition but it's a PITA every single time no matter what.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:hear me out - tacos. taco night seems like it should be the ultimate easy dinner but you have to brown the meat, time the shells right in the oven, grate cheese, prep lettuce and tomato, put out sour cream and salsa, fill the shells … I’d rather just do a meatloaf!

It's a ton of dishes and bowls and groceries (so unlike most ground beef dishes, it's not cheap).

I feel like you are doing tacos differently than we do! We buy one of those taco kits that has the seasoning for the meat and the shells altogether. We brown the meat and then add the water and seasoning and cover, and then using one large cutting board we chop the lettuce and tomatoes on that board. Shred a pile of cheese in another corner of the board. Put out salsa with a spoon right in the container. Shells take 5 minutes in the oven.

When we serve, people take shells right off the cookie sheet, fill them with meat straight from pan, then get their toppings straight off the cutting board, plus a spoonful of salsa from the jar.

It takes 25 minutes, tops, and the dishes are super minimal -- only one dish that takes any effort to clean and everything else can either go in the dishwasher or is really quick to clean. And inexpensive -- dinner for 4 people for around $12-15, depending on what meat we get.

We do tacos once a week and it's the one meal we can make on autopilot and doesn't even really feel like cooking it's so easy, but super satisfying and filling. I wish most weeknight dinners were as easy as tacos, or that we could do tacos 3 nights a week.

yeah it doesn’t take a ton of time but it’s an annoying amount of prep for something billed as “easy” IMO. I would honestly rather do a meatloaf.

[Anonymous]

While I don't find thanksgiving dinner hard per se, I find the traditional meal to be...not worth the effort you put in?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pie crust.

This definitely. Pie crust is a pain in the arse.

Completely agree and I don’t think homemade pie crust tastes much better than premade. Not worth the effort.

I guess this is where I truly differ! This one is just practice and studying. I read a couple different recipes and after making like 3-4 pies in a month or two during the pandemic I had it figured out. And homemade is MUCH better than packaged. The last time I tried packaged it literally tasted like a cracker and had the texture of one too.

rolling it out is annoying and never looks as nice as packaged - that’s true!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:While I don't find thanksgiving dinner hard per se, I find the traditional meal to be...not worth the effort you put in?

The results are never worth the effort. No one is rushing out to buy The Pilgrim's Cookbook.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Rice krispie treats. Spent a small fortune on butter ver the years thinking that was the problem. Just can never get the consistency right, too hard or too gooey, messy to slice, you name it.

Choc chip cookies. Always turn out flat when making from scratch. Again, spent a small fortune on ingredients only for it to be gross. Box mix or refrigerator ones from here on out.

Personally I prefer my choco chip cookies flat and crispy and I am always trying to make em that way.

[Anonymous]

Wrapping a burrito. I swear I end up wearing my food every time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pie crust.

This definitely. Pie crust is a pain in the arse.

Completely agree and I don’t think homemade pie crust tastes much better than premade. Not worth the effort.

I guess this is where I truly differ! This one is just practice and studying. I read a couple different recipes and after making like 3-4 pies in a month or two during the pandemic I had it figured out. And homemade is MUCH better than packaged. The last time I tried packaged it literally tasted like a cracker and had the texture of one too.

rolling it out is annoying and never looks as nice as packaged - that’s true!

I agree, it tastes a lot better and it's not that hard (food processor is essential) but I can never roll it out into a good circle. I hate peeling and slicing all the apples more than dealing with crust.

[Anonymous]

Really good, crispy and not greasy wonderful fish and chips. Had to get right and smell of oil in kitchen lingers.

[Anonymous]

I can't scramble eggs. I want them fluffy and moist like you would get at a place like Silver Diner, and I just can't do it. I've tried every method there is. If I want eggs for brunch, I go out.

People say they have a hard time with pie crust for some reason, and even though I'm a mediocre cook and worse baker, it comes out perfectly for me every time. I don't know enough about baking to know what I'm doing right with it, lol.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think truly good pancakes are quite difficult. You have to get the heat just right.

Pancake mix is trash. I didn't know that until about a year ago. Much, much better to just make the batter from scratch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Risotto

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

If you make risotto in an instant pot, you don’t even have to pay attention. Just turn it on, dump everything in, set the timer, and leave the kitchen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rice krispie treats. Spent a small fortune on butter ver the years thinking that was the problem. Just can never get the consistency right, too hard or too gooey, messy to slice, you name it.

Choc chip cookies. Always turn out flat when making from scratch. Again, spent a small fortune on ingredients only for it to be gross. Box mix or refrigerator ones from here on out.

+1. I love when they are lacey.

Personally I prefer my choco chip cookies flat and crispy and I am always trying to make em that way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

[Anonymous]

Mashed potatoes. These days I just buy the frozen kind and reheat.