Is there a simple food you always mess up?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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

I agree, my rice cooker is probably my favorite, most used small appliance. I even cook brown basmati rice in it - just make sure to put enough water in it!

[Anonymous]

Rice Krispy treats - 3 ingredients and I still can't make them to come out without being dry or, just the opposite, too gooey to cut/serve. I live for bake sales that sell them since I can't seem to do this myself.

[Anonymous]

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

You need to get the dry scallops, they are untreated and have an off white to orange color. Scallops that are white have been treated with something and they retain water which makes them harder to sear
Also pat them with paper towels before cooking, make sure oil is really hot in the pan before adding scallops and then leave them alone for a minute or two then flip.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For me, it's chicken breasts. I only use them when I'm cutting them into smaller pieces, like for stir-fry, because I've never managed to cook a BSCB that didn't turn out tough and dry. Tips?

Commiseration? What do you routinely ruin?

OP - I now cook boneless chicken thighs because the white meat always turned out too dry.