Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:While I don't find thanksgiving dinner hard per se, I find the traditional meal to be...not worth the effort you put in?

Yes! I’ve come to realize I don’t really like that meal. I find it boring and repetitive to eat the same thing every year in the name of “tradition”. DH agrees with me. We have made some changes over the years but it’s still just meh to me.

I agree with PP, but my kids and DH want no changes. So every year it's the same. I fiddle with desserts but even there, it's just adding to the traditional meal, nothing is replaced. This year I taught DS to make the gravy and DD to make the turkey. Slowly this will become a family effort and we'll see.

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.

We all have our hangups.

I can make impeccable French macarons and brioche loaves and still can’t do mashed potatoes that I like.

And frozen ar better🤢?

Yes, if you get the ones that are just potatoes, butter, cream, and salt. No peeling, no cooking potatoes, no mashing, no lumps.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mashed potatoes. These days I just buy the frozen kind and reheat.

What is hard about mashed potatos?

I don’t even peel mine- just wash and cut up, boil, drain, add milk butter and salt and smash with hand
Smasher

It’s harder than boiling rice, and yet somehow rice is an acceptable thing to list here?

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.

We all have our hangups.

I can make impeccable French macarons and brioche loaves and still can’t do mashed potatoes that I like.

And frozen ar better🤢?

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.

We all have our hangups.

I can make impeccable French macarons and brioche loaves and still can’t do mashed potatoes that I like.

Anonymous wrote:For the deviled egg poster: have a big bowl ready, full of cold water and ice cubes. When you take the eggs off the stove, immediately put them in the cold water to blanch them. The shells will expand and the eggs will contract. Wait a few minutes. Knock them against the counter to break the shells and peel.

I boil the water, put the eggs in, turn down the heat to a low boil and cook for 12 minutes.

Thank you. I will try this.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I find lasagna to be a PITA

Yes. Definitely if you are making your own red sauce with meat and béchamel sauce and have to par boil the noodles. Total PIA and makes huge kitchen mess

YES. boiling those impossible large flappy noodles makes it just a no-go. The move is no-boil noodles and use sausage. That gives enough energy to make your own marina if desired.

I'll let you in on a secret...you don't have to boil the noodles. Even if you are using the regular kind, not the no-boil kind.

Really?? Tell me more.

You just layer the lasagna up just like you would if they were boiled except be careful to make sure they are covered with sauce and make sure to cook it with foil over the top and it will need a little extra cook time. If this makes you nervous, you can take the extra step of soaking them in hot water for a bit. Just put them into a tray and boil water in the kettle and pour it over the noodles and soak them while you are getting everything else together. You really don't need to, though.

Very helpful, thank you!

Anonymous wrote:While I don't find thanksgiving dinner hard per se, I find the traditional meal to be...not worth the effort you put in?

Yes! I’ve come to realize I don’t really like that meal. I find it boring and repetitive to eat the same thing every year in the name of “tradition”. DH agrees with me. We have made some changes over the years but it’s still just meh to me.

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.

I honestly don't get that. Flour, salt, work in whatever fat (I do combo of shortening and butter) with pastry blender, fork in some cold water, that's it. The typical ratio is 3 parts flour to 1 part fat, but I go more than one part fat, like if I use a cup and a half of flour I'll probably have at 2/3 to 3/4 c total on the fats. I've never done it in a food processor (cleaning kitchen appliances is way more work than using simple tools).
Now, I can never get it to roll in a circle and it tends to break apart at the edges when I'm rolling, but then I just take some from an edge that sticks out to far and stick it on with a couple of drops of water, patch the edges if I need to once in the pie pan. I have never tasted a premade crust I cared for and it's really no work at all to make it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Deep frying. It takes SO much oil, no matter what I do I can't avoid splatters, and it's one of the few things I can't do better than a restaurant. Not worth it.

And you and the house stink afterward. I agree its' not worth it.

I also hate deep frying anything. The breading / batter / coating always falls off. Things get dark brown before they're cooked through, or get fully cooked before they're brown enough, even if I'm using a thermometer in the oil. And the mess to clean up afterwards....

Fried chicken, fish & chips, and donuts are three things that I will 100% buy rather than make.

Fluffy scrambled eggs: you have to add milk. Without milk, the texture is rubbery. Also, stir and flip and break up the eggs. Also recommend adding Cholula hot sauce and garlic and onion. And shredded cheddar cheese at the very end.

For the deviled egg poster: have a big bowl ready, full of cold water and ice cubes. When you take the eggs off the stove, immediately put them in the cold water to blanch them. The shells will expand and the eggs will contract. Wait a few minutes. Knock them against the counter to break the shells and peel.

I boil the water, put the eggs in, turn down the heat to a low boil and cook for 12 minutes.

Anonymous wrote:

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.

OMFG, I hate cleaning my processor. For grating cheese in bulk, or doing a giant vat of hummus or pesto, I'll do it.

For pie crust? F no. Pastry knife, or even just two knives. Or, if you're really feeling lazy, freeze and grate your butter.

Yes! I hate cleaning food processor too. Plus I feel like it doesn’t get clean enough by hand washing and needs to go in dishwasher but takes up so much space that I end up having to hand wash a bunch of dinner dishes.

But I’ve tried to make pie crust by hand and can’t seem to get it right. Explain exactly, if you would please!

Anonymous wrote:Mashed potatoes. These days I just buy the frozen kind and reheat.

What is hard about mashed potatos?

I don’t even peel mine- just wash and cut up, boil, drain, add milk butter and salt and smash with hand
Smasher

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.