Is there a simple food you always mess up?

[Anonymous]

Yes, meatballs. I know...PATHETIC.

[Anonymous]

My downfall is fried chicken. Deep frying, in general, is terrifying to me.

To the cupcake PP, after filling the cupcake liners, let the pan sit on the counter for 20 minutes or so. This will allow the leaveners to act and usually creates a nice domed top.

[Anonymous]

Steaks and grilled chicken breasts-- always over cook...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I always burn my grilled cheese sandwiches. Maybe it's just my excuse to make DH cook them for me!

I just read somewhere that the secret to perfect grilled cheese sandwiches is to spread the bread with mayonnaise instead of butter. Mayo has a higher smoking point so you can grill the bread longer without burning it, which helps the cheese get more melty. Plus it spreads much more easily than butter, and it's supposed to leave the outside of the sandwich crispier and less greasy. I used to make these all the time with butter, back when my kids liked them, but now they tell me that they hate grilled cheese so I haven't tried out the mayo trick yet.

[Anonymous]

My rice was sticky and awful too until I rinsed it before adding it to the pot. AHHHmazing, the difference!

[Anonymous]

It's true, rinsing rice makes a HUGE difference.

You know the amazing rice they have at middle-eastern restaurants, all light and fluffy and separate? The method there is to rinse repeatedly, soak, rinse more, and then another soak in very salty water. Final rinse, and THEN into the pot. It takes hours to do it right.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

Buy new baking powder/baking soda. Yours has likely expired.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I always burn my grilled cheese sandwiches. Maybe it's just my excuse to make DH cook them for me!

I just read somewhere that the secret to perfect grilled cheese sandwiches is to spread the bread with mayonnaise instead of butter. Mayo has a higher smoking point so you can grill the bread longer without burning it, which helps the cheese get more melty. Plus it spreads much more easily than butter, and it's supposed to leave the outside of the sandwich crispier and less greasy. I used to make these all the time with butter, back when my kids liked them, but now they tell me that they hate grilled cheese so I haven't tried out the mayo trick yet.

For the mayo squeamish, butter is fine, BUT you always need to start with cool pan. With grilled cheese, you should put the sandwich in the pan before it gets hot. The time that the pan takes to warm up will help to melt the cheese. If you put the buttered slices on a hot pan, the cheese will not get warm enough to melt before the bread burns.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Rice, especially brown rice. If it wasn't for trader joes microwavable rice bags we wouldn't eat it

Me too - Microwavable rice bags have made it possible for me to enjoy rice again.

[Anonymous]

I bought a rice cooker, because I always messed up rice.

I can't do anything on the grill. It looks so easy. I read all sorts of tips. And yet - I can't use it at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I have tried to make gravy - cannot do it. Can anyone help?

Here's a tip that helped me with gravy: instead of trying to whisk in the flour into the hot drippings, resulting in lumps, mix the flour (and any other herbs and spices you want to use) with cold water in a smallish tupperware, filling it no more than halfway. Hold the lid on tight and shake the shit out of it. It'll beat out all the lumps, and then you can pour the smooth liquid into the drippings and whisk much more gently. Putting dry flour into hot liquid always makes lumps.

The perfect description! Thanks for the laugh, and I agree with your recommendations. Just want to add that, if the gravy does form lumps, I've poured it all into a blender (carefully--very hot) and given a very quick whir!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Chocolate chip cookies. I follow the recipe on the Nestles bag and they never turn out as good as the ones my mom made.

Two biggest errors in chocolate chip cookies are overstirring and overbaking. Stir just until the ingrediants are mixed. Otherwise, you overwork the flour and get a cakey cookie. Then, take them out of the oven before they look completely done. They will dry out further as they cool and you will get a chewie cookie.

[Anonymous]

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

Make sure they are completely, completely cool before cutting. If you can get them out of the pan to slice, even better. Wipe the knife down between slices and even run some hot water on it for ultra clean cuts.

[Anonymous]

Love this thread!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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

Make sure they are completely, completely cool before cutting. If you can get them out of the pan to slice, even better. Wipe the knife down between slices and even run some hot water on it for ultra clean cuts.

Use a plastic knife to cut. It slides right through the brownies without any stick.