Anonymous
02/18/2025 10:42
Subject: What Foods Seem Easy to Prepare but Are In Fact Difficult?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Mashed potatoes. These days I just buy the frozen kind and reheat.
Wow, there are a lot of really bad cooks on here. Mashed potatoes? Chocolate chip cookies? I made these well as a preteen.
Wow, the food forum is generally nice, but there apparently is an azz5hole on here. Keeping thoughts to myself? I learned that as a preteen.
That’s the nice thing about this place. I can say exactly what I think. And yes, if you struggle to make such basic things as cookies or mashed potatoes, you’re just really bad at cooking. It takes work to screw these up.
Lacks taste, and doesn't know it. Thinks they can cook and they can't.
^^
Sure. I’m not the one coming in here moaning about not being able to make mashed potatoes to my liking.
Anonymous
02/18/2025 10:42
Subject: What Foods Seem Easy to Prepare but Are In Fact Difficult?
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).
Ground beef tacos. Tell me you're white without telling me you're white.
White people tacos are their own thing. I like those, and I like authentic ones from a taqueria. Equal opportunity taco enthusiast!
Anonymous
02/18/2025 10:42
Subject: What Foods Seem Easy to Prepare but Are In Fact Difficult?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Mashed potatoes. These days I just buy the frozen kind and reheat.
Wow, there are a lot of really bad cooks on here. Mashed potatoes? Chocolate chip cookies? I made these well as a preteen.
I'm guessing your palate is unsophisticated enough that you don't understand that the people posting here are talking about not being able to get them perfect. You don't know what that is.
Well, I don't consider chocolate chip cookies or mashed potatoes to be in the ballpark of "sophisticated," so you got me there. Also, there's no such thing as perfection, as was demonstrated by the fact that some people prefer chewy cookies while others like them crispy. But if you can't even make such basic items as these to your taste, yes, you are a bad cook.
I didn't say that mashed potatoes and cookies are "sophisticated." I said that your palate is.
Anonymous
02/18/2025 10:41
Subject: What Foods Seem Easy to Prepare but Are In Fact Difficult?
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).
Ground beef tacos. Tell me you're white without telling me you're white.
Do black people not do Taco Tuesday?
Anonymous
02/18/2025 10:40
Subject: What Foods Seem Easy to Prepare but Are In Fact Difficult?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Mashed potatoes. These days I just buy the frozen kind and reheat.
Wow, there are a lot of really bad cooks on here. Mashed potatoes? Chocolate chip cookies? I made these well as a preteen.
I'm guessing your palate is unsophisticated enough that you don't understand that the people posting here are talking about not being able to get them perfect. You don't know what that is.
Well, I don't consider chocolate chip cookies or mashed potatoes to be in the ballpark of "sophisticated," so you got me there. Also, there's no such thing as perfection, as was demonstrated by the fact that some people prefer chewy cookies while others like them crispy. But if you can't even make such basic items as these to your taste, yes, you are a bad cook.
You really felt the need to triple-down on your mean comment, huh?
Anonymous
02/18/2025 10:40
Subject: What Foods Seem Easy to Prepare but Are In Fact Difficult?
Anonymous wrote:I made a tartiflette and a salad over the weekend and the salad took more work, with twashing and drying the greens,herbs chiv,es and apple, and chopping everything and making a dressing. Hate that stuff.
Recipe for this? It sounds do good.
Anonymous
02/18/2025 10:39
Subject: What Foods Seem Easy to Prepare but Are In Fact Difficult?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote: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.
You cannot go wrong with this recipe using the pastry cutter method. The icy cold water and COLD butter is key. After you cut the butter, put it back in the fridge for a while.
https://www.inspiredtaste.net/22662/flaky-pie-crust-recipe/
I freeze the butter sticks and then use a grater to grate them into the dry ingredients. I mix as fast as possible and put the dough back in the fridge as you suggested.
Anonymous
02/18/2025 10:39
Subject: What Foods Seem Easy to Prepare but Are In Fact Difficult?
Anonymous wrote:I cannot not overcook pork chops consistently.
Use a thermometer and cover them with tin foil after you take them out of the oven for about 10-15 min.
Anonymous
02/18/2025 10:38
Subject: What Foods Seem Easy to Prepare but Are In Fact Difficult?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Popcorn. You would think easy, but I found a way to mess it up.
I mess it up as well, if I cook it in a pot. Gave up trying and just went back to buying the microwave stuff.
Depends on the oil and heat level. Ghee and coconut oil work great! . About a TBSP of oil, cover bottom of pan with kernels. Heat on med, shake while popping. Take off heat when the popping slows. I get my popcorn shipped from the Amish popcorn place in Indiana.
Anonymous
02/18/2025 10:38
Subject: What Foods Seem Easy to Prepare but Are In Fact Difficult?
Anonymous wrote:Pie crust.
This is mine. Can I do it? Sure. Can I do it well? Nope.
Anonymous
02/18/2025 10:38
Subject: What Foods Seem Easy to Prepare but Are In Fact Difficult?
Anonymous wrote:For the deviled egg/hard-boiled egg people, the hack is to steam, not boil. Twelve minutes in a steamer and they’re easy to peel, with no risk of cracking during cooking.
https://www.seriouseats.com/steamed-hard-boiled-eggs-recipe
For the pie crust people, I make an oil-based crust when I’m pressed for time. Dump, stir, and roll. Results are flaky, not at all greasy. See the crust directions in this recipe.
https://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Rhubarb-Strawberry-Pie/
In exchange, can someone please give me tips for better eggs? When fried, I want them bubbly, lacey and crispy — but they are often just blobby and meh. When scrambled, I want them custardy — but they either take forever, get grainy, or separate and get watery. Is it my pan? (Seasoned cast iron — no sticking issues.) Heat levels? Mercury in retrograde?
Same...
Anonymous
02/18/2025 10:38
Subject: What Foods Seem Easy to Prepare but Are In Fact Difficult?
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).
Ground beef tacos. Tell me you're white without telling me you're white.
Anonymous
02/18/2025 10:37
Subject: What Foods Seem Easy to Prepare but Are In Fact Difficult?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Mashed potatoes. These days I just buy the frozen kind and reheat.
Wow, there are a lot of really bad cooks on here. Mashed potatoes? Chocolate chip cookies? I made these well as a preteen.
Wow, the food forum is generally nice, but there apparently is an azz5hole on here. Keeping thoughts to myself? I learned that as a preteen.
That’s the nice thing about this place. I can say exactly what I think. And yes, if you struggle to make such basic things as cookies or mashed potatoes, you’re just really bad at cooking. It takes work to screw these up.
Lacks taste, and doesn't know it. Thinks they can cook and they can't. ^^
Anonymous
02/18/2025 10:36
Subject: What Foods Seem Easy to Prepare but Are In Fact Difficult?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Mashed potatoes. These days I just buy the frozen kind and reheat.
Wow, there are a lot of really bad cooks on here. Mashed potatoes? Chocolate chip cookies? I made these well as a preteen.
I'm guessing your palate is unsophisticated enough that you don't understand that the people posting here are talking about not being able to get them perfect. You don't know what that is.
Well, I don't consider chocolate chip cookies or mashed potatoes to be in the ballpark of "sophisticated," so you got me there. Also, there's no such thing as perfection, as was demonstrated by the fact that some people prefer chewy cookies while others like them crispy. But if you can't even make such basic items as these to your taste, yes, you are a bad cook.
Anonymous
02/18/2025 10:35
Subject: What Foods Seem Easy to Prepare but Are In Fact Difficult?
Anonymous wrote: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.
I bought one of these long ago and it makes all the difference. It's a birch to clean though. My kids love it and always volunteer to do the apples.
https://www.amazon.com/lasting-Magnesium-Stainless-Powerful-Suction/dp/B09BKTSJFJ/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2AXEMR223AGKI&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.5sV9DmiUbvSEgX10gpPTdU5RfTGn02lr3RVQksiU3WcMjScrZW38cWTCVLwb9zqUizp4TAkB_d_5E4wTyborvsXqJBom88JWTUpz6E351vXk3zEYz0vfpNftUKGaM5ZPCcdEWUqSUHgf5ZJLxkfxFv-Ez7FuHKvjSerfC-DcdVgquMna4RA_QbKFr8eicGHGNIuQjyyLrdXF_3ePWLPsTtxMQ3nv2lRGTAVnpOP9BhAeryQVECXsMorQey-IYFpy5ChzU2Diz7eUHOkf_SQKaWeTOzW2ExYw2aN0sUlJ8ZGon88lmtZO8VeZZps1f-FrrSyzpWRWiWWezc6M4YXT4dcUt45W2dedBsYPXpcrqkrNf6Zmf6UD5t1ykjCywBOMiDx9j-bCM61xhQA62NBaR6mywLQVfV9_VqGAPQTNihZoZHPEnVAjSVFa3q-ocR_J.XvwG3ccmjDMuBuh3CPbdGDkh25yIc1fK22w4w-PrWSQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=apple%2Bpeeler%2Bcorer%2Band%2Bslicer%2Bbest&qid=1739892712&sprefix=apple%2Bpeeler%2Caps%2C82&sr=8-2&th=1
I've made a million pie crusts and agree they are a pita. I also use an extra large pie pan so I have to adjust the recipes. In November I usually spend a day making a bunch of pie crust dough to freeze to use during the holidays.