Is there a simple food you always mess up?

[Anonymous]

I have had better luck with grilled CB on an actual gas grill cooked in foil pouches.

Take a piece of foil that is large enough to fold over making a square pouch. Lay the seasoned CB on the foil, add olive oil, chopped red peppers, and garlic to the top of the CB. Fold up the pouch. Cook on the grill indirect heat.

[Anonymous]

Another person who stinks at making rice! And I'm a pretty darn good cook, otherwise.

[Anonymous]

Everyone with rice problems really should look into rice cookers! Even my latino MIL now uses (every so often) one. You can still add any seasonings or oil as needed.

I use three cups of water for every 2 cups of rice. It produces a nice, not too dry, not too sticky consistancy. Add a little salt and oil and to the cooker and push the on button. It takes about 20 minutes to cook and shuts off by itself.

http://www.amazon.com/Aroma-ARC-733G-3-Cup-Cooker-Steamer/dp/B000W6DTC8/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1307550126&sr=8-11

[Anonymous]

My cupcakes are always a failure. I mix the batter according to the directions, they look great in the oven, but once I take them out, the tops go flat. What am I doing wrong? I hate getting store-bought cupcakes.

[Anonymous]

PP, sounds really simple, but when you take your cupcakes out of the oven, make sure you place them gently on the counter. I do just the opposite with choc chip cookies. Recipes were too cakey for me. But I discovered (after lots of trial and error) if I just take the cookies out of the oven and place them on the counter with a bang -- they're just right!

[Anonymous]

I am printing now to show my hubby that it is not just me. RICE!!! How you always thwart me! I think it's because it requires precision. I can cook very well, but no baking and no rice.

[Anonymous]

Definatley RICE...no matter how hard I try it is always BAD!!

[Anonymous]

To those making bad rice, you must buy a rice maker. We have a Zojirushi brand (crazy expensive) buy you can pick one up at Costco or BBB for $50. Back in the day I made white rice sushi style (sticky rice), mix it with veggies or meat or whatever and my kids ate it from their high chair days. Nowadays we use it exclusively for steel cut oat. Add oats and water, push 2 buttons before bed and an awesome healthy breakfast is ready in the morning-- and it's good for hours on the warmer setting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I stink at meatballs. They always stick to the pan, they come out weirdly shaped instead of round, and the texture is just not right. Both my mom & MIL make great meatball but I can't. And it's not for lack of trying!

Any tips?

Lol. I wonder if I should add egg and bread crumbs...Mine come out like golf balls every time. And I'm Swedish. I have given up and just buy frozen Mama Lucia meatballs buy the bagful. They are delicious.

[Anonymous]

Ugh, scallops! Can someone please tell me how to sear scallops correctly so that they are as yummy as they are at restaurants?

[Anonymous]

Meatballs - i always add an egg and about 1/4 cup italian breadcrumbs to a pound of meat, lightly shape them, then bake on parchment paper for 30 min and finish off by simmering in a pot of sauce for another 30 min.

Rice - follow mark bittman's recipe and comes out great. One thing i have noticed is that there is really only one pot and one burner that The rice cooks right for me, my other pots and burners produce too dry rice.

I hVe no tips re chicken breasts other than agreeing that they always seem dry - breading or skin on are the only two ways I know produce moist chicken breasts.

Scallops - I sear them in a cast iron skillet for very short time - maybe 2 min per side. Pat them dry before you sear them.

[Anonymous]

Pp here. Also, to the poster re banging the pan of chock chip cookies, I take mine out of the oven halfway done (so after 5 min) and give each baking sheet a hard rap on the countertop, then stick back in oven to finish cooking.

And the basic thing I always mess up is also pancakes! My first batch are raw and later batches are burnt!

[Anonymous]

cheescake, I suck.

[Anonymous]

Pancakes. I get distracted and impatient and burn them or flip them too soon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We can make great tasting brownies. But what's the secret to making them look bake sale worthy?

These taste great and have that nice sheen on top (if that's what you want) and if you line the bottom and sides of the pan with parchment you can remove the whole thing and slice neatly. I'd use a metal over glass pan.


CHEWY BROWNIES

Makes twenty-four 2-inch brownies. Published March 1, 2010. From Cook's Illustrated.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
To devise a properly chewy brownie recipe, we first had to discover the perfect ratio of oil to butter. We then combated greasiness by replacing some of the oil with egg yolks, whose emulsifiers prevent fat from separating and leaking out duri...(more)

For the chewiest texture, it is important to let the brownies cool thoroughly before cutting. If your baking dish is glass, cool the brownies 10 minutes, then remove them promptly from the pan (otherwise, the superior heat retention of glass can lead to overbaking). While any high-quality chocolate can be used in this recipe, our preferred brands of bittersweet chocolate are Callebaut Intense Dark Chocolate L-60-40NV and Ghirardelli Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Bar. Our preferred brand of unsweetened chocolate is Scharffen Berger. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.


INGREDIENTS
1/3cup Dutch-processed cocoa
1 1/2teaspoons instant espresso (optional)
1/2cup plus 2 tablespoons boiling water
2ounces unsweetened chocolate , finely chopped (see note and related illustration)
4tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter , melted
1/2cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2large eggs
2 large egg yolks
2teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2cups (17 1/2 ounces) sugar
1 3/4cups (8 3/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4teaspoon table salt
6ounces bittersweet chocolate , cut into 1/2-inch pieces (see note)
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Referring to directions in Making a Foil Sling (related), make sling using the following steps: Cut 18-inch length foil and fold lengthwise to 8-inch width. Fit foil into length of 13 by 9-inch baking pan, pushing it into corners and up sides of pan; allow excess to overhang pan edges. Cut 14-inch length foil and fit into width of pan in the same manner, perpendicular to the first sheet (if using extra-wide foil, fold second sheet lengthwise to 12-inch width). Spray with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Whisk cocoa, espresso powder (if using), and boiling water together in large bowl until smooth. Add unsweetened chocolate and whisk until chocolate is melted. Whisk in melted butter and oil. (Mixture may look curdled.) Add eggs, yolks, and vanilla and continue to whisk until smooth and homogeneous. Whisk in sugar until fully incorporated. Add flour and salt and mix with rubber spatula until combined. Fold in bittersweet chocolate pieces.

3. Scrape batter into prepared pan and bake until toothpick inserted halfway between edge and center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer pan to wire rack and cool 1½ hours.

4. Using foil overhang, lift brownies from pan. Return brownies to wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour. Cut into 2-inch squares and ser