Amateur Hour: Home cooks’ mistaeks that you never make

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pet peeve - meat that smells and tastes like the animal it came from. Use spices, herbs and seasoning to transform the taste of non-vegetarian food. Please.

Over the years, I have now got all the equipment needed to cook and host for around 50-60 people at a time. The right equipment and the correct setup for entertaining is the key to success to hosting. I used to cook in small pots and pans and on regular stove and it was a nightmare.

Basics - I don't overcook or undercook. I don't cross contaminate. I season correctly. My food is heated perfectly. I ask about allergies and food preference. I make large quantities of food so that there is plenty of food. I use the best and freshest ingredients.

My pro tips - I cook a day or two in advance. My dining table is set the day before the party. I use beautiful chafing dishes to warm food.

OMG. NO you cannot make most meals the day before and heat them up for service unless you want to serve shitty wedding food.

Chafing dish poster, are you like Indian or something? That would explain why minimally seasoned food tastes bad to you and why you think everything is easy to reheat—lots of thoroughly seasoned dished that reheat well in many Indian cuisines, and it holds true for a lot of different styles of cooking. I just wonder if you are looking through a really specific lens.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pet peeve - meat that smells and tastes like the animal it came from. Use spices, herbs and seasoning to transform the taste of non-vegetarian food. Please.

Over the years, I have now got all the equipment needed to cook and host for around 50-60 people at a time. The right equipment and the correct setup for entertaining is the key to success to hosting. I used to cook in small pots and pans and on regular stove and it was a nightmare.

Basics - I don't overcook or undercook. I don't cross contaminate. I season correctly. My food is heated perfectly. I ask about allergies and food preference. I make large quantities of food so that there is plenty of food. I use the best and freshest ingredients.

My pro tips - I cook a day or two in advance. My dining table is set the day before the party. I use beautiful chafing dishes to warm food.

The meat can’t taste like meat? Why use it in the first place then?

I know what PP means. Often grocery store meat, especially if prepacked, smells. Pork often smells too piggy. Chicken can have a strong smell. I usually counteract this with ginger. A brief salt water soak can help. With fish like salmon, a milk soak helps.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pet peeve - meat that smells and tastes like the animal it came from. Use spices, herbs and seasoning to transform the taste of non-vegetarian food. Please.

Over the years, I have now got all the equipment needed to cook and host for around 50-60 people at a time. The right equipment and the correct setup for entertaining is the key to success to hosting. I used to cook in small pots and pans and on regular stove and it was a nightmare.

Basics - I don't overcook or undercook. I don't cross contaminate. I season correctly. My food is heated perfectly. I ask about allergies and food preference. I make large quantities of food so that there is plenty of food. I use the best and freshest ingredients.

My pro tips - I cook a day or two in advance. My dining table is set the day before the party. I use beautiful chafing dishes to warm food.

The meat can’t taste like meat? Why use it in the first place then?

I know what PP means. Often grocery store meat, especially if prepacked, smells. Pork often smells too piggy. Chicken can have a strong smell. I usually counteract this with ginger. A brief salt water soak can help. With fish like salmon, a milk soak helps.

I’m Korean-American btw and we are primarily vegetarian / pescatarian, so I guess historically and culturally we might be sensitive to meat smells. Beef, even high quality, often tastes like blood to me. I mean, I like it. But I also eat blood sausage, so…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Threads like these make me never want to invite people to dinner. The anxious hosts that are nitpicky and make dinner uncomfortable are the worst. I like good food but mostly I want relaxed company to eat it in.

I know you want it to be either/or, but I am both a very good cook and experienced hostess, and I am relaxed at my parties.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pet peeve - meat that smells and tastes like the animal it came from. Use spices, herbs and seasoning to transform the taste of non-vegetarian food. Please.

Over the years, I have now got all the equipment needed to cook and host for around 50-60 people at a time. The right equipment and the correct setup for entertaining is the key to success to hosting. I used to cook in small pots and pans and on regular stove and it was a nightmare.

Basics - I don't overcook or undercook. I don't cross contaminate. I season correctly. My food is heated perfectly. I ask about allergies and food preference. I make large quantities of food so that there is plenty of food. I use the best and freshest ingredients.

My pro tips - I cook a day or two in advance. My dining table is set the day before the party. I use beautiful chafing dishes to warm food.

OMG. NO you cannot make most meals the day before and heat them up for service unless you want to serve shitty wedding food.

One lady (I hope its one) cooks her Thanksgiving dinner 5-6 months in advanced. It's already cooked today, just waiting for five months to defrost. She swears this is normal and a great piece of time management.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not changing with the times. My MIL stubbornly sticks to the Betty Crocker cookbook from the 1970s and literally will not try other recipes. She asks me for recipes and I give them to her, and she says they are “too complicated.” We’re talking basic Rachael Ray or Giada-level recipes.

Aka tradition!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not changing with the times. My MIL stubbornly sticks to the Betty Crocker cookbook from the 1970s and literally will not try other recipes. She asks me for recipes and I give them to her, and she says they are “too complicated.” We’re talking basic Rachael Ray or Giada-level recipes.

Aka tradition!

Then why is MIL asking for recipes only to say they are “too complicated”? Let her stick to 1970s “tradition.” Keep Campbell’s in business.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:hygiene stuff: handling raw chicken and then not cleaning; same plate for raw/cooked.

not balancing acid/salt/sweet.

undersalting as much as oversalting.

Why do so many otherwise reasonably sophisticated people serve dinners at dinner parties and NEVER serve water. Does no one else drink water? It's like every single friend we have who have had us over we practically have to beg for water.

Overcooked meat.

Not having enough food for the number of people you are serving.

Inviting people over for dinner and not having snacks or starters and then having dinner 2-3 hours later and then underserving.

As many hospitality issues as cooking issues!

That is so funny: I’ve never not been served water, but that sounds awful, honestly!

I agree with not having enough food. My MIL routinely underestimates and then frantically flies around the kitchen and I’m like dude…you could have just remembered this from last time and bought more than one chicken leg for each person.

Here’s one another one—season. Your. Meat. Season it! There is nothing worse than an unseasoned drumstick or sad piece of fish.

I understand the water thing (or rather I've been guilty of the not offering water). You're cooking, you're trying to get everything to the table at the same time at roughly the same temp, you've already spent the time to get people drinks, poured wine, etc - and then suddenly you have to fill all the water glasses from your filter and it.......takes......forever..........

So I've learned to fill a pitcher of water in advance, keep in fridge, and put on table, with all places set with a water glass. Or, assign it to the person hovering asking how they can help.

We joke about eating at my SIL's house, because she will get everything ready -- she's an amazing cook -- on the table, perfect temperatures. And THEN she says "oh, wait, we need WATERS."

We literally don't start eating for another 10 minutes. Now everything is cold and the only person drinking the WATER is SIL.

Why don't you get the waters beforehand yourself?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Threads like these make me never want to invite people to dinner. The anxious hosts that are nitpicky and make dinner uncomfortable are the worst. I like good food but mostly I want relaxed company to eat it in.

I know you want it to be either/or, but I am both a very good cook and experienced hostess, and I am relaxed at my parties.

You’re a unicorn then. It’s a rare person who can be attentive to the little details, a perfect hostess AND relaxed. I wish that I could.

[Anonymous]

I don't overmix my dry ingredients into the wet ingredients when baking.