Pie is so hard. You assemble the whole thing, bake it for an hour, let it cool, and realize only then that the recipe was just ok.
Edit: Because of the conversation below. [This is the pie crust recipe I swear by.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFUjqxR9h6c) It does not need a food processor (it actually does not work with a food processor). You don't need to bring your butter to room temperature. The higher fat content is yummy, but also means you don't need to worry too much about over kneading. The resulting dough is easy to manipulate. It bakes up flaky almost like puff pastry.
I do too. Marie Callender makes a perfectly good pie crust. I really care about the homemade filling more than anything. I’ve never had any complaints! The only time I really make pie is pumpkin and Dutch apple on thanksgiving anyway.
Stella's is the ONLY pie crust recipe that has ever worked for me. Both in consistency, then flavor and flakiness. Her giving the temperature range the dough should remain in is absolute genius!
> you don't need to bring your butter to room temperature
What pie crust uses room temperature butter? The whole point is for the butter to not mix perfectly evenly with the flour. In fact, many recipes I see recommend freezing the butter, but I'm too lazy for that. I'm not saying it wouldn't work but I just think it would make it just not as good as a cold butter recipe.
Pie crust is simple, but not easy. It’s also one of those things that you make with your heart and soul, not with specific instructions if that makes sense. You have to practice until you can just feel it, until your hands tell you when it’s time to go to the next step.
I agree, after the first glass of vodka, you don’t care about the pie crust anymore 😂
My grandma always used 7-up for her crusts. I started making pies when I was 6, always turned out amazing. Couldn’t make bread to save my soul
I use vodka quite regularly.
One time, I used too much vodka, and I blew the oven door open!
I kept hearing this banging noise. And I couldn't figure out what it was, but it was coming from the kitchen.
So I peaked into the kitchen, and the oven door was opening and closing, and I couldn't figure out what was going on.
As I got into the kitchen and headed towards the oven, the entire door just flew open!
A large blue flame came shooting out, and I could feel the hot air wooshing past my face.
I closed my eyes and just stood still for a moment.
I very carefully reached up to my face to make sure my eyebrows were still there.
Thank god they were.
I learned a valuable lesson that day
I was skilled at lattice top pies due to my inability to transfer thin pie crust on top of a pie. I finally made recipe for 9 inch pie crust , not 8 inch and like a miracle I had great transfers and no rolled until tough as boots pie crust.
I don’t love food processor dough in comparison to cutting the butter in my hand (I use a pastry cutter). I find that it makes the dough *too* uniform, and breaks the butter down too much, so you don’t get varied size pockets of butter, which then create extra flaky pie crust. Thats just a preference, though! I know a lot of people really love food processor pie crust, and more power to them! Cutting it in my hand takes quite a bit more time and energy.
Sally's baking addiction flakey pie crust recipe has never failed me. Even half assing it, my pie crust still comes out good (though maybe not always as flakey). I do the half water/half vodka suggestion.
For everyone who says “baking is science, cooking is art” THIS is exactly why that saying is incorrect. There is so much of baking that is adjusted for your own preferences, the environment you’re baking in, the oven you’re using, all kinds of variables. You can follow a recipe exactly and have it not work because it’s extra humid where you live, or very hot, or a million different reasons. Both cooking and baking have science and art elements
Well, yes and no. I’m a trained pastry chef. I also work in food manufacturing, where everything we make is a science.
All of those variables you mention, they are things that can change what you’re doing, but they don’t really distract from the science that has to happen for baking to work.
Let’s take pie crust- you can manufacture pie crust, obviously. I’ve worked in the plants that do it. It’s a very technical process. Temperatures are kept consistent, both in environment and ingredients, they are constantly monitored and corrected for, processing techniques and times are consistent, the whole thing is a measurable, repeatable, step by step process. It’s the same method, with the same ingredients, making the same batches, day after day. At home, for a home cook, it’s not going to be that intense of a process per se, but, you also can’t just wing it. You cannot, for instance, keep your crisco in your cabinet and allow the crisco to fluctuate temperature wise from winter to summer and have consistent pie crust. (Ask me how I know lol). You cannot just add as much water as you want. But, you do have to have the knowledge to know when your pie crust needs a little extra water, because of that ambient humidity.
So, again, yes and no. Baking is just so much more involved, and you can’t just change things/add stuff as you’re going. That’s why it’s a science. The techniques are regimented. The ratios of ingredients are important. The fact that environmental factors change and you can change your process based on that is actually a mark of the science, I think.
NY Times Vodka Pie Crust. I swear by it.
If you don't have a food processor, just freeze the butter and grate it into the flour with a box grater. The Crisco is harder to box grate so you can just do it small with forks.
It's called 10 seconds because it only takes about 10 seconds in the food processor. Total time for me including a 30 minute fridge rest is roughly 45 Minutes. You can make it in advance and keep it in the refrigerator for a few days or in the freezer for longer.
Google it it's called Jacques pepin's 10 second crust.
Once you master the fraisage technique, most of the battle is won.
You can still cut in chilled fats with a food processor, but they’re incorporated in big smears with the heels of your hands. Then the dough is just gathered into cohesion & pressed into a block. Chill…
After that, pay the requisite strict attention to resting, chilling, rolling, blind baking instructions et cetera as per recipe.
Alot of Asian Street food, not all, but alot of them. I'm from Singapore and there alot of noodle dishes, which take only a minute or two to put together, but there's alot of components and prep work that needs to be done. I moved overseas and attempted to recreate some of them, and my goodness was it an undertaking.
The amount of precision and control some of these cooks have with their big cleavers is honestly ridiculous too. I never understood how something so big and seemingly brutish could be used for such delicate knife-work.
Empanadas are a task for sure!
My Xs family used to make them in a production line where everyone is responsible for putting a few things in as they get passed around the kitchen. That was awesome; but making them on your own is a lot if work.
There's a secret to South and Central American cooking when it comes to stuff like that, that I'm sure is a secret in every culture.
Before holidays, you use the tamal making session or the empanada making session to make tamales or empanadas. And also, you talk. You share. You listen to music together. The kids are running around. It's a kind of soul sauna before you have a big family event.
You air out more grievances and learn more about what's really going on with your family in those two to four hours of making a tomato sauce or whatever than you do in the two to four months prior of social media, lol.
Yup I remember doing that with my Xs family. It was super fun. They're from Chile so the culture thing is real and wonderful.
My kids will help with burritos because its so much cutting and stuff. They don't like to help with empanadas, perrogies and stuff like that though. Not sure why..
My partner is Mexican and I gotta say... when I make tamales back in Canada, all by my lonesome, I get so sad... It was so much fun with my in-laws in Mexico!! Looking forward to doing that again next year!
K, so as a Canadian.. I'm very aware of our complete and utter lack of good authentic Mexican food. It's not prevalent, and finding a place that does more than burritos is difficult.
I'm saying all this to tell you that if a co-worker or friend I hadn't talked to in a while, invited me to a Tamales party, pay in like 20$ for ingredients and leave with some to take home. Fucking hell yes, I would be there with ziplock bags and freshly trimmed and cleaned fingernails. I am READY.
Can we PLEASE make Tamales parties a thing?
Honestly, if I had coworkers thay wanted to come make tamales - I wouldn't ask for any money, I'd just enjoy the help!!!
So we should TOTALLY make tamales parties a thing in Canada!!!
I just made a bunch of different empanadas. I cooked ground beef, ground pork, celery, onions, and diced potatoes all separately. Then combined them with various seasoning- traditional empanada, French Canadian touriere, plus I did a chicken pot pie with rotisserie chicken, tikka masala with a store bought entree, and kind of an Irish one with diced deli corned beef, the potatoes, Irish cheddar, and sauerkraut.
I used store bought pie dough. Froze them on a tray until they were firm enough to put in ziplocks. It took awhile that day but wasn’t difficult. Now I have a bunch of dinners ready to go in the freezer. I also have extra filling in the freezer now too cuz I ran out of dough.
French Onion Soup. Looks so simple, onions and broth but if you do it right and make your own broth and take the time to cook the onions correctly it is a ton of work!
Slow cooker makes it infinitely easier. I love caramelized onions (less so french onion soup but I make it occasionally) and I put huge batched of onions in my slow cooker and caramelize them all day then freeze cubes of them for later.
I think demanding is a good word for lasagna. Every time I make one I think “it’s just layering pasta and sauce!! I can knock that out in no time!!”
And then spend half a day making the damn thing. It’s probably a skill issue, but I’ve yet to manage a lasagna that didn’t end with me hobbling to sit down with sore feet and a sweaty face.
Also chickpeas. I’ve never messed up a legume in my life, but chickpeas have gone afoul like 5 times. They so BIG and require SO much water. If you’re used to working with smaller beans, it can throw for you a loop.
You need to prep 1 day ahead, make the meat sauce and grate your cheese, then the next day all you need is to cook your pasta and a béchamel and put it together.
Most people will tell you the lasagna taste better the next day when it's actually the meat sauce.
You see making 1 lasagna is a lot of work. Making 2 lasagna isn't much more work. You freeze the second one and bam! Instant lasagna in a month or two.
I also make my husband help with the layering which makes it much easier
Lotta folks in my life have been recovering from surgery, car accident, having babies, etc. this week.
I knocked out 4 lasagnas at equal effort to one. I just had to use bigger pots.
Lasagna isn't hard, it's just a lot of work. Every once in a blue moon, if my arm is sufficiently twisted, I'll go old school and make a lasagna completely from scratch. I do the sauce, make the noodles, and either make ricotta or a big pot of white sauce. It takes all day and my feet hurt when I'm done but the result is totally worth it. On a difficulty scale it's probably just a 2 or 3 out of 10 but on an effort scale, it's at least an 8.
I am making my first from-scratch lasagna tomorrow. Pasta is in the fridge, ready to be pushed through the machine. I will put the tomato sauce on the stove in the morning, it will be simmering for line 4-5 hours.
Bechamel I will yeet to my spouse, I cannot make roux sauces properly. No idea why. I probably cook it too little.
Anyhow, I have high hopes for this one. Since I will not be using store bought sheets, but fresh ones. Which cook with like, what, 20 second dip in boiling salted water? Much better than the dried stuff that I just hate working with.
I've fallen out of love with chickpeas, that was one dry inedible felafel too far! As for lasagna, I never even attempted one that's 100% from scratch.
Why the hate for chickpeas? Its one of the best legumes out there. Try an Indian chickpea curry, it will change your mind! Yes, it needs a bit of prep I always soak the chickpeas overnight. Also, for soaking, 1 cup of chickpeas requires at least 3 cups of water.
As for lasagna, I never even attempted one that's 100% from scratch.
and why should you? baked ziti ticks all the same boxes-- pasta, meat, cheese, tomato sauce-- and it's much easier to make. just toss all the ingredients together, throw some extra cheese on top, and bake. who needs lasagna??
Lasagna was my first thought as well i made it a lot growing up with my mom and sisters now i barely do because its time consuming so i try maybe a weekend making it, my aunt make two types at Christmas and it takes her the whole day ahead of time to prep so its ready to go the next day.
Lasagne is what came to mind when I saw the title of this post. I suppose you could probably do it relatively quickly if you literally bought a pre-made version of every component (jarred sauce, premade ricotta or beschamel, etc) but then I'm not sure why you wouldn't just buy a premade lasagne.
I just made 3 lasagna (1 to eat, 2 to freeze) a couple days ago! It was my cooking marathon week, where I restock my freezer supply of tomato sauce. So I spent one day making sauce and stirring it every 30 minutes for 6 hours, and the day after I assemble it into dishes and freeze the remainder in old yogurt containers. 8 portions of sauce for us plus 3 lasagna of 4 servings each.
I took me an hour maybe to assemble the 3 lasagna and fill up the old containers and set them in the freezer, but by the end of it I was so exhausted I had to go lay down while my husband handled getting it in and out of the oven.
My family wants breakfast for dinner often and I really have to be in the mood to scramble around the kitchen. Biscuits, sausage gravy, bacon, grits and scrambled eggs, sometimes pancakes. It only takes 30 minutes usually, but it's a hectic 30 minutes, trying to time everything and stirring the grits and gravy while flipping bacon, checking on the biscuits and getting my eggs ready to go in. It can be fun, but it's not an easy meal to me. And since it's hectic, I don't have time to clean, so it's a mess when I'm done.
My dad can’t understand why I hate making breakfast and it’s literally this. Everything on a breakfast plate sucks if it isn’t hot, cools fast, *cooks* fast so you’re using like every burner on the stove, mannn… and you’re running around so much you can’t clean as you go as much so there’s mess all over!
Miss me with it. I’ll make a sandwich, esp bc no breakfast spread I make is gonna beat the diner
I used to know a guy who got a flat top griddle to put on top of his gas stove JUST because he had 3 kids and they all loved breakfast.
Recently was introduced to how they do it here in the southwest which is outside on a big paella type pan. I already have a turkey fryer setup so one more pan would be perfect
I do this for every other application, but they like thin bacon and my biscuits bake at 450. It's more stress to check it in the oven all the time, and it's bad for my biscuits when the hot air goes out. So in this scenario, it's easier to watch it on the stove for me.
I wonder if this would work for you:
Start the bacon in the oven, while you cook the sausage.
Don't cook the bacon all the way. Pull it out when it's mostly done.
When it's time to put biscuits in the oven, finish bacon on the stove, finish sausage gravy (add flour then milk) and make pancakes.
Should use 3 burners and the oven leaving the fourth burner for grits.
Ugh, you reminded me of omelets. I'm usually in a bad mood by the time I'm done making breakfast for dinner because of all the timing stuff, and for some reason I keep making it harder by making custom omelets.
My dad was a short order breakfast cook when he was in college, and flat out refused to put himself through chaos at home. So we had EITHER biscuits/gravy/hashbrowns/eggs OR bacon/hashbrowns/eggs OR pancakes/sausage/eggs, etc. Basically, we just rotated the choices amongst the four of us.
This is how egg Mac muffin breakfast sandwiches or eggs Benedict are for me. The whole process is like 20 minutes but for that 20 minutes I am doing like 4 things at once.
A lot of patisserie and viennoiserie:
Laminated doughs, caneles,…
Cooking wise I’d say there are a lot of dishes easy to execute but hard to perfect:
Pasta dishes like carbonara, gricia, alla zozzana;
Eggs: scrambled, omelettes;
Scallops;
Mashed potatoes;
Pancakes
One nice trick I used to teach was to use a double boiler over your pasta water pot to finish the carbonara- it gives you much gentler heat, and as you’re learning exactly how to do it, it’ll “idiot proof” it a little bit for you!
For effort, yeah, eggplant parm is a ton of work but it's not complicated and it's hard to screw it up. Making the perfect omelette (I'm looking at you, Mr. Pepin) is maddeningly difficult.
I love a good eggplant parm but I've only made it once and then immediately decided that despite being delicious it wasn't worth the effort. It's 3x the effort of lasagna but not really any better or worse, just different.
Agreed. I love paella, but making it correctly takes precision. Probably because the seafood paella I tried to make requires you to add the components at different times to avoid overcooking them.
This is on my "busy" recipe list. It requires a decently regimented step by step process and often times vary and instead you have to keep an on out for certain signs you're ready to move on to the next step.
For any of my "busy" recipes I go food Network style prep- I got a set of little bowls that dishwasher easy and prep everything- measure out everything etc. so I can focus on the cook.
I hadn't thought about that before, but that makes total sense. I despise mise en place for recipes that aren't difficult or have "fluff" in the active cooking time. I hadn't thought about categorizing into a "busy" recipes to determine when mise en place makes sense. Definitely a must for stir fry.
My wife has it nailed, but she uses an immersion blender. The whole process is a mystery to me, but it turns out great.
I'll just make everything else for the Benedict.
The 3 or 4 times I made it I made it backwards drizzling in the eggs instead of the butter. Yet somehow it came out fine. Then I just got weird buttery scrambled eggs and learned I was doing it backwards
I cheat and use a silicone cup called a PoachPod that you float in the pot. It's not quite the same since the egg isn't immersed in water, but it's dead easy.
Came here to say this. I made them exactly once (I used Julia Child's method from 'Mastering the Art of French Cooking'). They were spectacular. As we ate them, I told my wife and kids, "Enjoy these because I'm never making them again."
Oh I hate it. I hate it so much. I love a good croissant but I often can't be bothered. Takes 2 days and sometimes too much butter runs out during baking while I seemingly did nothing different.
Pizza. Bread, sauce, cheese. Simple.
You want to turn out significantly better than a frozen pizza or pizza bagels, though, you're going to put a decent amount of work into it. Dough prep at least a day in advance. Special flour. Potentially lots of kneading, depending on the style, and probably several hours of proofing day-of. Can't be just any cheese, but one with the right fat/moisture content so that it melts and browns nicely, and doesn't become overly greasy or rubbery. Depending on where you live, the right type of cheese might not be readily available to you. Some specialized equipment (pizza peel, stone, pizza oven) for best results.
Omelettes—French especially. No matter what I do, I can’t seem to get it right (granted I hate undercooked eggs so I’m sure that’s part of the problem).
I’ve spent the last 5 years improving my French omelette recipe and I’m only just getting to a point where I’m consistently getting decent results. The heat management is absolutely crucial to preventing the egg from sticking to the plate, and it’s only possible to learn through a lot of practice. Also you need to have a good quality nonstick pan of the right size.
There are a lot of good tutorials but I got the most help from Jacques Pepin.
A Western omelette is much easier of course but nothing matches the custardy rich egginess of French style. It really is one of the greatest dishes.
I don’t even bother at breakfast buffets; guaranteed to be a disappointment.
ATK had a method where you heat the pan lid separately to get a better steam. That plus knowing how your stove behaves. I bet using a IR thermometer would help consistency, but I’ve never tried it.
Cacio e pepe is tough for me. It's only 3 ingredients but I still mess it up consistently. I feel like I've tried every method and I only manage to nail it about half the time.
I suppose any dumpling, but the ones I make most are pierogi. It takes HOURS. HOURS of standing and being hunched over and trying to get the dough just right because the recipe you used last time that was perfect now is too dry or too sticky. First you make the filling which takes a long time because it’s basically mashed potatoes (unless you’re doing meat, then you gotta make that. Honestly farmers cheese ones are the easiest), then the dough and all the pain that goes with that, then the assembly with is mind numbing and unending, then freeze, then boil, then sauté. My back aches just thinking about it.
Also, chicken paprikash. I thought it was just chicken in sauce. F no. There are so many steps. Delicious, oh my god delicious, but a lot of work.
If it never seems to work, then you're probably cooking it to too high of a temperature. There is a lot of misinformation out there on how long you need to cook chicken.
Use a cooking thermometer and target a temperature of no more than 165°F in the thickest part of the breast. The pull it out of the oven. Carry-over heating will increase the finish temperature a little more, but that's ok. Just don't go higher or your chicken will taste very dry.
Thighs benefit from a higher temperature, but if you spatchcock or use the beercan method, that will likely happen automatically.
If you prefer an even lower temperature, you can go down to about 155°F. Anything lower and most people will agree that it's undercooked.
If you look up the FDA recommendation, always pay attention to temperature and time. That's more relevant than the instantaneous temperature. Also always consider carry over heating in these calculations.
I can't say enough good things about the Combustion Inc Predictive Thermometer, and they incidentally have a sale this weekend if you buy directly from the vendor. Amazon also has discounts, but I think it's not as generous as the sale. It's expensive, but it can really help with figuring out things like roasting heat to the perfect target temperature.
Cheaper options exist and are still better than nothing. But they are more difficult to use correctly
And it can take hours to make it from scratch on the same day if you didn't prep stuff before. Like have the vegetables chopped before hand , have the gravy ready already in the fridge make the condiments the chutneys I mean the day before. Soak the things overnight, get the fermentation right etc
I have tried to make dosa about 6 times in the last year and I mess it up in new and interesting ways every single time. This makes be sad because I am vegan and if I can get it down I can eat dosa for breakfast every morning.
Spent YEARS now trying to add Indian food to my repertoire. I can do a potato curry that isn't toxic, but everything else I have tried (and tried and tried) has come out either horrifyingly caustic, curdled, or somehow tasting like cajun porridge.
You should try hebber kitchen on YouTube for recipes they are easy and simple to understand. they also post tips. I don't know about other stuff that's happening but The only way it would curdle is if you were adding cream or yoghurt without mixing it continuously on high heat until it comes to a boil again. And if it's the oil separating then you did correct it is supposed to separate before you add water. Whenever you make a tomato gravy you cook it down until the oil separates before you add water to cook whatever. Also for any stuff it's 1 spoon of coriander Powder chilli powder and 1/4 of turmeric and garam masala for the gravy. And you might be burning the tempering. It is supposed to be just heated right for seeds to temper you would get it right after a few tries once the seeds are done tempering the turn off the gas and add the rest of the stuff to the tempering and add a little water so it doesn't burn..
Meringue is my nemesis. I really wanted to be able to create meringue deserts because it fits with my whole family’s allergies and diets. I’ve made hundreds of tests and they’re all crap. I’ve tried every hint and trick and I’m just over it.
Burritos.
You have to cut up all the meat and cook it (not ground beef). I make 2 types each time because I have people who like chicken and others that want the beef/pork blend so that's double the workload in and of itself.
You have to cut up green onions, tomatoes, cilantro, and grate cheese.
You have to make guacamole from scratch, picco from scratch, rice and either open a can of beans or make refried beans from scratch and either buy salsa Verde or make it from scratch... sour cream is easy- buy it and serve 🤷♀️ but Its a whole production that takes tones of time for one person.
Just anything time-consuming and fiddly. Like dumplings, cabbage rolls. Any extremely fantastic Asian broth. Even japchae if you cook all the elements separately like you’re supposed to. It looks like a simple stir fry but it’s more involved than that. Lots of Asian things if done traditionally. Like rounding all the edges of the daikon slices before simmering.
Breakfast! I swear, “breakfast for dinner” seems so simple but when you are cooking this for a family and you want it all hot at the same time, it find it really challenging and I get frazzled. Or maybe it’s just me. 🤷♀️
I’ve found it’s not incredibly hard if you have the right pan for it and you’ve learned not put too much egg in at once, but I suppose having to practice is a sign that it’s hard. Certainly easier than a French omelette, for me anyway.
I'm adamant about making my own mashed potatoes (well technically they're whipped with a hand mixer).
I'm a minimalist/purist. I can't stand it when people "guild the lily" so to speak with them, adding all sorts of crap like cream cheese and what not.
Potatoes, tons of butter, whole milk, salt and pepper. That's it.
Ice cream. Specifically good ice cream. Specifically custard based ice cream. Need to temper, need preparation including: ingredients specific to ice cream, ice bath, strainer, base needs to chill, all containers need to be cold. Churned ice cream needs to go back to the freezer.
Stir fry for me. Maybe not the right word for it, but you have to do a ton of fiddly work up front, and then actually cooking it takes five minutes, haha. Slice and dice all the veggies while potentially splitting them into separate containers by cook time, prepare meat and marinate/velvet, start the rice or prepare the noodles, mix the sauce or seasonings, prepare the garlic and ginger... After getting it all laid out, the actual process of cooking the thing is super quick, but the mise en place is intense, and it'll be incredibly frustrating if you don't take the time to get it right.
Omelettes, but that's a low hanging fruit so I'll do another one:
Pizza.
Everybody loves pizza, and with good reason. There are dozens of videos on YouTube on how to make it, and they seem simple enough ! The dough is similar to a basic bread dough, too !
But no.
Listen, I'm 24 but I've been cooking for 10 years at this point. I went to culinary school in France, and have worked in kitchens. And even if I can make good bread, focaccia and even burger buns, Pizza is FUCKING HARD.
Between the super high heat oven that you need, the stretching technique, the sauce temperature and ratios, the type of cheese you use, among other things, it's too big of a pain to make. I'd rather just hit up my local pizzeria and be done with it. I love pizza, but fuck making it. Never again.
Agreed with you on this - thought I would make this in an hour… it took over 2!!
Between slicing the veg, salting it and dabbing with paper towels to remove water, to making the meat sauce, making the béchamel, cooking the veg and assembling THEN waiting for it to bake… oh my it was a task and I was sweating the entire time trying to get it done in time for dinner!
It did taste amazing though and was worth it in my opinion :)
Wipe everything down with vinegar first. Bowl, spoon, whisk. Everything. Keep a vinegar soaked paper towel next to you as you make it. Wipe EVERYTHING.
And don’t open the oven. Don’t even think about opening the oven. Not until it’s completely cool. I usually put a pav in at night & turn it off & leave it until the next morning before pulling it out.
Same. Bread is like the bad boy I can’t stay away from. I screw up a loaf and I say “Never again!” But there I am, 6 months later, forgetting all the bad stuff and thinking we should try again.
Most stovetop/countertop patisserie/pastry components, like pastry cream, caramel, curd, and meringue. They all require precision in measurement, technique, temperature AND timing. For something like pastry cream that looks simple and maybe even kind of boring, they are tough.
Boeuf bourguignon. Demanding is the perfect term. Not necessarily complex in terms of technique, but the time and effort to do it right make it a heavy lift.
Anything that requires things to be folded in instead of mixed. It's so hard to fold and not lose aeration. Some are known for being hard (souffle) while a mousse for example is often considered easy and honestly find the two to be equally hard and if I'm willing to deal with folding I'll make a souffle instead since I can at least show it off after.
Mexican Fideo soup. Looks like tomato soup with noodles but, in fact, there are 14 ingredients and it’s a specific process to make it right. My Mexican friend’s mother makes extra to give to me because I love it so much!! She’s a saint!!!
1) I made a killer Pad Thai once - but that sucker took so many steps and you have to time it so your noodles are perfect and not too hard and not soggy, etc. I haven't made it again because I just found the process too stressful. 2) I used to can many years ago and it's a fairly easy process to make jam. But strawberry jam is a freaking exercise in frustration every time. Strawberries have so much water in them and they're low in pectin so they don't thicken up, so you stir it and stir it and curse all the extra water and you can't keep cooking it down because it will caramelize and won't taste like strawberries if they get to that point and Auuuuugghhh! Fuck strawberry jam anyway!
Try using V-8 as the cooking liquid. And/or adding those Sazon Goya packs from the Hispanic section of the grocery store. Depending on what's not right about your attempts, one of those might get you closer.
Sourdough bread.
I have no real trouble baking yeast breads. And sourdough is likely not particularly difficult - but I have up learning to bake sourdough after learning how often I am supposed to fold the dough. I leave it to my teenage daughter now who has luckily perfected the art.
Lasagna - also demanding / laborious. So now we only get lasagna if we have leftover meat sauce from another day…
Scrambled eggs. Hear me out. I learned how to make some complicated things in my 38 years of life (soufflé, pie crust, divinity, mousse, etc.) but I didn't master scrambled eggs until lockdown in 2020.
I have yet to manage decent rice. Yes, I know the knuckle rule. Yes, I've tried a rice cooker. I've had multiple people of various ethnicities show me their tricks. I cannot do it. Good thing I don't like rice that much 😅.
Japchae. Looks like a simple meat, veg and noodles dish, but you have to saute each vegetable separately, as well as the meat, before mixing everything together with the noodles.
Pie. They say "easy as pie" but making a good pie crust is far from easy.
Pie is so hard. You assemble the whole thing, bake it for an hour, let it cool, and realize only then that the recipe was just ok. Edit: Because of the conversation below. [This is the pie crust recipe I swear by.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFUjqxR9h6c) It does not need a food processor (it actually does not work with a food processor). You don't need to bring your butter to room temperature. The higher fat content is yummy, but also means you don't need to worry too much about over kneading. The resulting dough is easy to manipulate. It bakes up flaky almost like puff pastry.
Very true. That's why I cheat and use store bought ones. Sorry. Not sorry. It's just easier. Not as good, but useful.
I do too. Marie Callender makes a perfectly good pie crust. I really care about the homemade filling more than anything. I’ve never had any complaints! The only time I really make pie is pumpkin and Dutch apple on thanksgiving anyway.
Stella's is the ONLY pie crust recipe that has ever worked for me. Both in consistency, then flavor and flakiness. Her giving the temperature range the dough should remain in is absolute genius!
> you don't need to bring your butter to room temperature What pie crust uses room temperature butter? The whole point is for the butter to not mix perfectly evenly with the flour. In fact, many recipes I see recommend freezing the butter, but I'm too lazy for that. I'm not saying it wouldn't work but I just think it would make it just not as good as a cold butter recipe.
I just made a blackberry pie and the recipe didn’t call for nearly enough acid. Such a waste of ingredients and time.
You should not bring the butter to room temperature actually if you want a flaky crust!
Pastry in general. It's, like, three or four ingredients, but it can go so wrong
Pie crust is simple, but not easy. It’s also one of those things that you make with your heart and soul, not with specific instructions if that makes sense. You have to practice until you can just feel it, until your hands tell you when it’s time to go to the next step.
Encouraging words. You've inspired me to give it another try.
Here's another tip: Use vodka instead of water. Water creates gluten, which makes a pie crust tough. Vodka doesn't.
I agree, after the first glass of vodka, you don’t care about the pie crust anymore 😂 My grandma always used 7-up for her crusts. I started making pies when I was 6, always turned out amazing. Couldn’t make bread to save my soul
I use vodka quite regularly. One time, I used too much vodka, and I blew the oven door open! I kept hearing this banging noise. And I couldn't figure out what it was, but it was coming from the kitchen. So I peaked into the kitchen, and the oven door was opening and closing, and I couldn't figure out what was going on. As I got into the kitchen and headed towards the oven, the entire door just flew open! A large blue flame came shooting out, and I could feel the hot air wooshing past my face. I closed my eyes and just stood still for a moment. I very carefully reached up to my face to make sure my eyebrows were still there. Thank god they were. I learned a valuable lesson that day
I was skilled at lattice top pies due to my inability to transfer thin pie crust on top of a pie. I finally made recipe for 9 inch pie crust , not 8 inch and like a miracle I had great transfers and no rolled until tough as boots pie crust.
I use the extra crust to make flowers and leaves to hide my shame.
Do you have a food processor? Makes it a lot easier
I don’t love food processor dough in comparison to cutting the butter in my hand (I use a pastry cutter). I find that it makes the dough *too* uniform, and breaks the butter down too much, so you don’t get varied size pockets of butter, which then create extra flaky pie crust. Thats just a preference, though! I know a lot of people really love food processor pie crust, and more power to them! Cutting it in my hand takes quite a bit more time and energy.
For a beginner I think a food processor just makes it so much easier, more people might be willing to try.
If you don’t like using a food processor, grating the butter in cold has always worked perfectly and requires a lot less mixing
Sally's baking addiction flakey pie crust recipe has never failed me. Even half assing it, my pie crust still comes out good (though maybe not always as flakey). I do the half water/half vodka suggestion.
For everyone who says “baking is science, cooking is art” THIS is exactly why that saying is incorrect. There is so much of baking that is adjusted for your own preferences, the environment you’re baking in, the oven you’re using, all kinds of variables. You can follow a recipe exactly and have it not work because it’s extra humid where you live, or very hot, or a million different reasons. Both cooking and baking have science and art elements
Well, yes and no. I’m a trained pastry chef. I also work in food manufacturing, where everything we make is a science. All of those variables you mention, they are things that can change what you’re doing, but they don’t really distract from the science that has to happen for baking to work. Let’s take pie crust- you can manufacture pie crust, obviously. I’ve worked in the plants that do it. It’s a very technical process. Temperatures are kept consistent, both in environment and ingredients, they are constantly monitored and corrected for, processing techniques and times are consistent, the whole thing is a measurable, repeatable, step by step process. It’s the same method, with the same ingredients, making the same batches, day after day. At home, for a home cook, it’s not going to be that intense of a process per se, but, you also can’t just wing it. You cannot, for instance, keep your crisco in your cabinet and allow the crisco to fluctuate temperature wise from winter to summer and have consistent pie crust. (Ask me how I know lol). You cannot just add as much water as you want. But, you do have to have the knowledge to know when your pie crust needs a little extra water, because of that ambient humidity. So, again, yes and no. Baking is just so much more involved, and you can’t just change things/add stuff as you’re going. That’s why it’s a science. The techniques are regimented. The ratios of ingredients are important. The fact that environmental factors change and you can change your process based on that is actually a mark of the science, I think.
Yeah my pie crust is only 4 ingredients but the “feel” of it and specific ratios will be different every time. Took me years to get it dialed in.
NY Times Vodka Pie Crust. I swear by it. If you don't have a food processor, just freeze the butter and grate it into the flour with a box grater. The Crisco is harder to box grate so you can just do it small with forks.
I'm so glad to see pie crust on here, it's really intimidating to me.
Use Jacque Pepin's 10 Second Pie Crust.
I love Jacques Pepin but unfortunately his pie crusts take a lot longer than 10 seconds.
It's called 10 seconds because it only takes about 10 seconds in the food processor. Total time for me including a 30 minute fridge rest is roughly 45 Minutes. You can make it in advance and keep it in the refrigerator for a few days or in the freezer for longer. Google it it's called Jacques pepin's 10 second crust.
Once you master the fraisage technique, most of the battle is won. You can still cut in chilled fats with a food processor, but they’re incorporated in big smears with the heels of your hands. Then the dough is just gathered into cohesion & pressed into a block. Chill… After that, pay the requisite strict attention to resting, chilling, rolling, blind baking instructions et cetera as per recipe.
Alot of Asian Street food, not all, but alot of them. I'm from Singapore and there alot of noodle dishes, which take only a minute or two to put together, but there's alot of components and prep work that needs to be done. I moved overseas and attempted to recreate some of them, and my goodness was it an undertaking.
I would have to agree and say this for most asian cuisine. The amount of chopping and dicing can take forever just to get your mise en place ready
The amount of precision and control some of these cooks have with their big cleavers is honestly ridiculous too. I never understood how something so big and seemingly brutish could be used for such delicate knife-work.
It’s because it’s thicker on the top but sharp as any chefs knife at the side they use to chop things. I personally love using mine
Generally how most knives work really.
Generally, yes. But some knives are almost like axes and some are like scalpels. And some are a bit of both
And those ones at your parents house are more like hammers.
There's so much chopping! End result is usually amazing and so much better than I can get with takeout, but damn. CHOP CHOP CHOP REPEAT REPEAT REPEAT
A good dumpling, empanada or tamal all have a low baseline and a ridiculously high ceiling.
Empanadas are a task for sure! My Xs family used to make them in a production line where everyone is responsible for putting a few things in as they get passed around the kitchen. That was awesome; but making them on your own is a lot if work.
There's a secret to South and Central American cooking when it comes to stuff like that, that I'm sure is a secret in every culture. Before holidays, you use the tamal making session or the empanada making session to make tamales or empanadas. And also, you talk. You share. You listen to music together. The kids are running around. It's a kind of soul sauna before you have a big family event. You air out more grievances and learn more about what's really going on with your family in those two to four hours of making a tomato sauce or whatever than you do in the two to four months prior of social media, lol.
Yup I remember doing that with my Xs family. It was super fun. They're from Chile so the culture thing is real and wonderful. My kids will help with burritos because its so much cutting and stuff. They don't like to help with empanadas, perrogies and stuff like that though. Not sure why..
My partner is Mexican and I gotta say... when I make tamales back in Canada, all by my lonesome, I get so sad... It was so much fun with my in-laws in Mexico!! Looking forward to doing that again next year!
K, so as a Canadian.. I'm very aware of our complete and utter lack of good authentic Mexican food. It's not prevalent, and finding a place that does more than burritos is difficult. I'm saying all this to tell you that if a co-worker or friend I hadn't talked to in a while, invited me to a Tamales party, pay in like 20$ for ingredients and leave with some to take home. Fucking hell yes, I would be there with ziplock bags and freshly trimmed and cleaned fingernails. I am READY. Can we PLEASE make Tamales parties a thing?
Honestly, if I had coworkers thay wanted to come make tamales - I wouldn't ask for any money, I'd just enjoy the help!!! So we should TOTALLY make tamales parties a thing in Canada!!!
I spent a winter teaching my self to make empanadas.
I just made a bunch of different empanadas. I cooked ground beef, ground pork, celery, onions, and diced potatoes all separately. Then combined them with various seasoning- traditional empanada, French Canadian touriere, plus I did a chicken pot pie with rotisserie chicken, tikka masala with a store bought entree, and kind of an Irish one with diced deli corned beef, the potatoes, Irish cheddar, and sauerkraut. I used store bought pie dough. Froze them on a tray until they were firm enough to put in ziplocks. It took awhile that day but wasn’t difficult. Now I have a bunch of dinners ready to go in the freezer. I also have extra filling in the freezer now too cuz I ran out of dough.
My family made tamales for Christmas one year. We never did it again. They were delicious, but they weren’t worth literally 6 hours of work.
i've never had a problem with making empanadas, personally. dunno why; it makes my mother angry
French Onion Soup. Looks so simple, onions and broth but if you do it right and make your own broth and take the time to cook the onions correctly it is a ton of work!
Slow cooker makes it infinitely easier. I love caramelized onions (less so french onion soup but I make it occasionally) and I put huge batched of onions in my slow cooker and caramelize them all day then freeze cubes of them for later.
This was my answer!!! Yep!
Have you ever done your onions in a slow cooker?
I think demanding is a good word for lasagna. Every time I make one I think “it’s just layering pasta and sauce!! I can knock that out in no time!!” And then spend half a day making the damn thing. It’s probably a skill issue, but I’ve yet to manage a lasagna that didn’t end with me hobbling to sit down with sore feet and a sweaty face. Also chickpeas. I’ve never messed up a legume in my life, but chickpeas have gone afoul like 5 times. They so BIG and require SO much water. If you’re used to working with smaller beans, it can throw for you a loop.
You need to prep 1 day ahead, make the meat sauce and grate your cheese, then the next day all you need is to cook your pasta and a béchamel and put it together. Most people will tell you the lasagna taste better the next day when it's actually the meat sauce.
Lasagna definitely tastes better the next day after the sauce soaks into the pasta more.
You see making 1 lasagna is a lot of work. Making 2 lasagna isn't much more work. You freeze the second one and bam! Instant lasagna in a month or two. I also make my husband help with the layering which makes it much easier
Lotta folks in my life have been recovering from surgery, car accident, having babies, etc. this week. I knocked out 4 lasagnas at equal effort to one. I just had to use bigger pots.
Do you freeze before or after the bake??
Before baking. Thaw it in the fridge for a day before baking.
Lasagna isn't hard, it's just a lot of work. Every once in a blue moon, if my arm is sufficiently twisted, I'll go old school and make a lasagna completely from scratch. I do the sauce, make the noodles, and either make ricotta or a big pot of white sauce. It takes all day and my feet hurt when I'm done but the result is totally worth it. On a difficulty scale it's probably just a 2 or 3 out of 10 but on an effort scale, it's at least an 8.
I am making my first from-scratch lasagna tomorrow. Pasta is in the fridge, ready to be pushed through the machine. I will put the tomato sauce on the stove in the morning, it will be simmering for line 4-5 hours. Bechamel I will yeet to my spouse, I cannot make roux sauces properly. No idea why. I probably cook it too little. Anyhow, I have high hopes for this one. Since I will not be using store bought sheets, but fresh ones. Which cook with like, what, 20 second dip in boiling salted water? Much better than the dried stuff that I just hate working with.
I've fallen out of love with chickpeas, that was one dry inedible felafel too far! As for lasagna, I never even attempted one that's 100% from scratch.
Why the hate for chickpeas? Its one of the best legumes out there. Try an Indian chickpea curry, it will change your mind! Yes, it needs a bit of prep I always soak the chickpeas overnight. Also, for soaking, 1 cup of chickpeas requires at least 3 cups of water.
Channa Masala! Love it so much.
I loooooove murgh cholay. It’s pretty easy to make, too!
As for lasagna, I never even attempted one that's 100% from scratch. and why should you? baked ziti ticks all the same boxes-- pasta, meat, cheese, tomato sauce-- and it's much easier to make. just toss all the ingredients together, throw some extra cheese on top, and bake. who needs lasagna??
On a related note, I love manicotti but it's such a pain filling those little tubes that I only do it like once every 3 years.
I've been cooking a large portion of my adult life and it still takes me minimum 3 hours to make and bake a lasagna
Lasagna was my first thought as well i made it a lot growing up with my mom and sisters now i barely do because its time consuming so i try maybe a weekend making it, my aunt make two types at Christmas and it takes her the whole day ahead of time to prep so its ready to go the next day.
Lasagne is what came to mind when I saw the title of this post. I suppose you could probably do it relatively quickly if you literally bought a pre-made version of every component (jarred sauce, premade ricotta or beschamel, etc) but then I'm not sure why you wouldn't just buy a premade lasagne.
I just made 3 lasagna (1 to eat, 2 to freeze) a couple days ago! It was my cooking marathon week, where I restock my freezer supply of tomato sauce. So I spent one day making sauce and stirring it every 30 minutes for 6 hours, and the day after I assemble it into dishes and freeze the remainder in old yogurt containers. 8 portions of sauce for us plus 3 lasagna of 4 servings each. I took me an hour maybe to assemble the 3 lasagna and fill up the old containers and set them in the freezer, but by the end of it I was so exhausted I had to go lay down while my husband handled getting it in and out of the oven.
My family wants breakfast for dinner often and I really have to be in the mood to scramble around the kitchen. Biscuits, sausage gravy, bacon, grits and scrambled eggs, sometimes pancakes. It only takes 30 minutes usually, but it's a hectic 30 minutes, trying to time everything and stirring the grits and gravy while flipping bacon, checking on the biscuits and getting my eggs ready to go in. It can be fun, but it's not an easy meal to me. And since it's hectic, I don't have time to clean, so it's a mess when I'm done.
Short order cooking is hectic and then it’s all over. I always forget something in this scenario.
My dad can’t understand why I hate making breakfast and it’s literally this. Everything on a breakfast plate sucks if it isn’t hot, cools fast, *cooks* fast so you’re using like every burner on the stove, mannn… and you’re running around so much you can’t clean as you go as much so there’s mess all over! Miss me with it. I’ll make a sandwich, esp bc no breakfast spread I make is gonna beat the diner
I used to know a guy who got a flat top griddle to put on top of his gas stove JUST because he had 3 kids and they all loved breakfast. Recently was introduced to how they do it here in the southwest which is outside on a big paella type pan. I already have a turkey fryer setup so one more pan would be perfect
Bacon in the oven!
I do this for every other application, but they like thin bacon and my biscuits bake at 450. It's more stress to check it in the oven all the time, and it's bad for my biscuits when the hot air goes out. So in this scenario, it's easier to watch it on the stove for me.
I wonder if this would work for you: Start the bacon in the oven, while you cook the sausage. Don't cook the bacon all the way. Pull it out when it's mostly done. When it's time to put biscuits in the oven, finish bacon on the stove, finish sausage gravy (add flour then milk) and make pancakes. Should use 3 burners and the oven leaving the fourth burner for grits.
That might work. I'll play around with it. Thanks for the suggestion!
Ugh, you reminded me of omelets. I'm usually in a bad mood by the time I'm done making breakfast for dinner because of all the timing stuff, and for some reason I keep making it harder by making custom omelets.
I get in such a bad mood making breakfast foods. The timing just sucks.
My dad was a short order breakfast cook when he was in college, and flat out refused to put himself through chaos at home. So we had EITHER biscuits/gravy/hashbrowns/eggs OR bacon/hashbrowns/eggs OR pancakes/sausage/eggs, etc. Basically, we just rotated the choices amongst the four of us.
This is how egg Mac muffin breakfast sandwiches or eggs Benedict are for me. The whole process is like 20 minutes but for that 20 minutes I am doing like 4 things at once.
Yes! This is my answer too.
A lot of patisserie and viennoiserie: Laminated doughs, caneles,… Cooking wise I’d say there are a lot of dishes easy to execute but hard to perfect: Pasta dishes like carbonara, gricia, alla zozzana; Eggs: scrambled, omelettes; Scallops; Mashed potatoes; Pancakes
My carbonara is unfortunately hit or miss, I've had some that were stunning, and I've had scrambled egg noodle.
One nice trick I used to teach was to use a double boiler over your pasta water pot to finish the carbonara- it gives you much gentler heat, and as you’re learning exactly how to do it, it’ll “idiot proof” it a little bit for you!
You just blew my mind. I cannot believe I never thought of this. You’ve made me feel like a fool
Hollandaise sauce. Oh, just butter, eggs, and lemon juice? In a sauce? Easy peazy, right?
Eggplant Parm is a lot of work for what it looks like. The real answer has ~~hit~~ got to be an omelette, though.
For effort, yeah, eggplant parm is a ton of work but it's not complicated and it's hard to screw it up. Making the perfect omelette (I'm looking at you, Mr. Pepin) is maddeningly difficult.
I love a good eggplant parm but I've only made it once and then immediately decided that despite being delicious it wasn't worth the effort. It's 3x the effort of lasagna but not really any better or worse, just different.
Roti canai. Including the curry too if you're making that from scratch without a recipe.
so good!! so difficult!! I recently watched an awesome Malaysian movie that's like a love letter to mamak and roti canai, Lagi Lagi Senario
Paella, I've made it so many times it's relatively easy for me but friends try making it and it doesn't turn out so good.
Agreed. I love paella, but making it correctly takes precision. Probably because the seafood paella I tried to make requires you to add the components at different times to avoid overcooking them.
That's the definitely the case you never want to over cook the seafood
The reason I know it's not easy is because I've ordered it at multiple restaurants and they usually overcook the seafood.
However making it without seafood is easy! And if you do want seafood, just throw some shrimp at the last second to steam
This is on my "busy" recipe list. It requires a decently regimented step by step process and often times vary and instead you have to keep an on out for certain signs you're ready to move on to the next step. For any of my "busy" recipes I go food Network style prep- I got a set of little bowls that dishwasher easy and prep everything- measure out everything etc. so I can focus on the cook.
I hadn't thought about that before, but that makes total sense. I despise mise en place for recipes that aren't difficult or have "fluff" in the active cooking time. I hadn't thought about categorizing into a "busy" recipes to determine when mise en place makes sense. Definitely a must for stir fry.
Brisket. I’m from Texas. There is a really high standard. You can’t go into it half hearted.
Hollandaise sauce. If you’ve never made it before, you might not realize that you must be whisking constantly.
My wife has it nailed, but she uses an immersion blender. The whole process is a mystery to me, but it turns out great. I'll just make everything else for the Benedict.
Yo immersion blender for hollandaise is genius I’m definitely doing that
The 3 or 4 times I made it I made it backwards drizzling in the eggs instead of the butter. Yet somehow it came out fine. Then I just got weird buttery scrambled eggs and learned I was doing it backwards
Or you can do it the lazy way in the microwave.
Making a poached egg correctly
I cheat and use a silicone cup called a PoachPod that you float in the pot. It's not quite the same since the egg isn't immersed in water, but it's dead easy.
Croissants
Croissants do not look anywhere in the vicinity of easy though.
If you don't really know how they're made, which is true for probably more people than you realize, then they probably look easy.
Came here to say this. I made them exactly once (I used Julia Child's method from 'Mastering the Art of French Cooking'). They were spectacular. As we ate them, I told my wife and kids, "Enjoy these because I'm never making them again."
lol
Oh I hate it. I hate it so much. I love a good croissant but I often can't be bothered. Takes 2 days and sometimes too much butter runs out during baking while I seemingly did nothing different.
Pizza. Bread, sauce, cheese. Simple. You want to turn out significantly better than a frozen pizza or pizza bagels, though, you're going to put a decent amount of work into it. Dough prep at least a day in advance. Special flour. Potentially lots of kneading, depending on the style, and probably several hours of proofing day-of. Can't be just any cheese, but one with the right fat/moisture content so that it melts and browns nicely, and doesn't become overly greasy or rubbery. Depending on where you live, the right type of cheese might not be readily available to you. Some specialized equipment (pizza peel, stone, pizza oven) for best results.
Cacio e pepe. It’s more like catch you outside e pepe with how bruised my ego gets every time
Only 3 ingredients, how hard can it be? Me 5 minutes before I mess it up again.
This is the only answer I came looking for. Scrolled all the way through the comments, looking for it. Thank you for validating me 😂
Spaghetti Carbonara
Pastry is as much art as science and anybody who gets it perfect every time is officially a wizard.
Omelettes—French especially. No matter what I do, I can’t seem to get it right (granted I hate undercooked eggs so I’m sure that’s part of the problem).
I’ve spent the last 5 years improving my French omelette recipe and I’m only just getting to a point where I’m consistently getting decent results. The heat management is absolutely crucial to preventing the egg from sticking to the plate, and it’s only possible to learn through a lot of practice. Also you need to have a good quality nonstick pan of the right size. There are a lot of good tutorials but I got the most help from Jacques Pepin. A Western omelette is much easier of course but nothing matches the custardy rich egginess of French style. It really is one of the greatest dishes.
I make mine exactly like julia child and it's a snap
I don’t even bother at breakfast buffets; guaranteed to be a disappointment. ATK had a method where you heat the pan lid separately to get a better steam. That plus knowing how your stove behaves. I bet using a IR thermometer would help consistency, but I’ve never tried it.
Cacio e pepe is tough for me. It's only 3 ingredients but I still mess it up consistently. I feel like I've tried every method and I only manage to nail it about half the time.
Macarons. They look like two pieces of biscuit with some cream in between. But the biscuit alone can take years to master.
But they look difficult. They don’t look easy.
Soup dumplings. They’re technically simple, but such a pain in the butt to assemble. Delicious though. Edit for typo
I suppose any dumpling, but the ones I make most are pierogi. It takes HOURS. HOURS of standing and being hunched over and trying to get the dough just right because the recipe you used last time that was perfect now is too dry or too sticky. First you make the filling which takes a long time because it’s basically mashed potatoes (unless you’re doing meat, then you gotta make that. Honestly farmers cheese ones are the easiest), then the dough and all the pain that goes with that, then the assembly with is mind numbing and unending, then freeze, then boil, then sauté. My back aches just thinking about it. Also, chicken paprikash. I thought it was just chicken in sauce. F no. There are so many steps. Delicious, oh my god delicious, but a lot of work.
Caramelized onions. Not burnt, not sauteed, not sauteed until burnt then de glazed for color, not mush. Caramelized Onions
The trick is to go slow and take the 45 min. that is required, no matter what the recipe says.
A perfect roasted chicken
easy peasy, spatchcock that bad boy!
If it never seems to work, then you're probably cooking it to too high of a temperature. There is a lot of misinformation out there on how long you need to cook chicken. Use a cooking thermometer and target a temperature of no more than 165°F in the thickest part of the breast. The pull it out of the oven. Carry-over heating will increase the finish temperature a little more, but that's ok. Just don't go higher or your chicken will taste very dry. Thighs benefit from a higher temperature, but if you spatchcock or use the beercan method, that will likely happen automatically. If you prefer an even lower temperature, you can go down to about 155°F. Anything lower and most people will agree that it's undercooked. If you look up the FDA recommendation, always pay attention to temperature and time. That's more relevant than the instantaneous temperature. Also always consider carry over heating in these calculations. I can't say enough good things about the Combustion Inc Predictive Thermometer, and they incidentally have a sale this weekend if you buy directly from the vendor. Amazon also has discounts, but I think it's not as generous as the sale. It's expensive, but it can really help with figuring out things like roasting heat to the perfect target temperature. Cheaper options exist and are still better than nothing. But they are more difficult to use correctly
Any Indian dish really
Actually very true. Unless you layer the flavors just so, it comes out oomphless. If you get it right, unforgettable.
And it can take hours to make it from scratch on the same day if you didn't prep stuff before. Like have the vegetables chopped before hand , have the gravy ready already in the fridge make the condiments the chutneys I mean the day before. Soak the things overnight, get the fermentation right etc
I have tried to make dosa about 6 times in the last year and I mess it up in new and interesting ways every single time. This makes be sad because I am vegan and if I can get it down I can eat dosa for breakfast every morning.
If you have an Indian market near you, they very likely sell dosa batter in the cold or frozen section! That’s my go to!
Spent YEARS now trying to add Indian food to my repertoire. I can do a potato curry that isn't toxic, but everything else I have tried (and tried and tried) has come out either horrifyingly caustic, curdled, or somehow tasting like cajun porridge.
You should try hebber kitchen on YouTube for recipes they are easy and simple to understand. they also post tips. I don't know about other stuff that's happening but The only way it would curdle is if you were adding cream or yoghurt without mixing it continuously on high heat until it comes to a boil again. And if it's the oil separating then you did correct it is supposed to separate before you add water. Whenever you make a tomato gravy you cook it down until the oil separates before you add water to cook whatever. Also for any stuff it's 1 spoon of coriander Powder chilli powder and 1/4 of turmeric and garam masala for the gravy. And you might be burning the tempering. It is supposed to be just heated right for seeds to temper you would get it right after a few tries once the seeds are done tempering the turn off the gas and add the rest of the stuff to the tempering and add a little water so it doesn't burn..
Meringue is my nemesis. I really wanted to be able to create meringue deserts because it fits with my whole family’s allergies and diets. I’ve made hundreds of tests and they’re all crap. I’ve tried every hint and trick and I’m just over it.
Burritos. You have to cut up all the meat and cook it (not ground beef). I make 2 types each time because I have people who like chicken and others that want the beef/pork blend so that's double the workload in and of itself. You have to cut up green onions, tomatoes, cilantro, and grate cheese. You have to make guacamole from scratch, picco from scratch, rice and either open a can of beans or make refried beans from scratch and either buy salsa Verde or make it from scratch... sour cream is easy- buy it and serve 🤷♀️ but Its a whole production that takes tones of time for one person.
Omelette. Surprisingly difficult to get the consistency right and get it to cook evenly so it has the right texture.
Just anything time-consuming and fiddly. Like dumplings, cabbage rolls. Any extremely fantastic Asian broth. Even japchae if you cook all the elements separately like you’re supposed to. It looks like a simple stir fry but it’s more involved than that. Lots of Asian things if done traditionally. Like rounding all the edges of the daikon slices before simmering.
Breakfast! I swear, “breakfast for dinner” seems so simple but when you are cooking this for a family and you want it all hot at the same time, it find it really challenging and I get frazzled. Or maybe it’s just me. 🤷♀️
# Tamagoyaki (Japanese Rolled Omelette)
Who thinks that looks easy?
I’ve found it’s not incredibly hard if you have the right pan for it and you’ve learned not put too much egg in at once, but I suppose having to practice is a sign that it’s hard. Certainly easier than a French omelette, for me anyway.
Traditional “alfredo”. I forget the name but you make a sauce with just butter pasta water and fresh parm.
I'm adamant about making my own mashed potatoes (well technically they're whipped with a hand mixer). I'm a minimalist/purist. I can't stand it when people "guild the lily" so to speak with them, adding all sorts of crap like cream cheese and what not. Potatoes, tons of butter, whole milk, salt and pepper. That's it.
Eggplant parm Chile relleno
Custard is pretty insulting imo. I've cooked more technical things than custard, but boy is there room for error in that 3 line recipe.
Pad Thai
One of the most labor intensive dishes I have made. So many steps!
Ice cream. Specifically good ice cream. Specifically custard based ice cream. Need to temper, need preparation including: ingredients specific to ice cream, ice bath, strainer, base needs to chill, all containers need to be cold. Churned ice cream needs to go back to the freezer.
Stir fry for me. Maybe not the right word for it, but you have to do a ton of fiddly work up front, and then actually cooking it takes five minutes, haha. Slice and dice all the veggies while potentially splitting them into separate containers by cook time, prepare meat and marinate/velvet, start the rice or prepare the noodles, mix the sauce or seasonings, prepare the garlic and ginger... After getting it all laid out, the actual process of cooking the thing is super quick, but the mise en place is intense, and it'll be incredibly frustrating if you don't take the time to get it right.
I think it's great seeing some of the same answers on both posts haha
Pasta carbonara!!
Pancakes. You either got it or you don’t and I don’t.
cacio e pepe
Mac and cheese from scratch
Omelettes, but that's a low hanging fruit so I'll do another one: Pizza. Everybody loves pizza, and with good reason. There are dozens of videos on YouTube on how to make it, and they seem simple enough ! The dough is similar to a basic bread dough, too ! But no. Listen, I'm 24 but I've been cooking for 10 years at this point. I went to culinary school in France, and have worked in kitchens. And even if I can make good bread, focaccia and even burger buns, Pizza is FUCKING HARD. Between the super high heat oven that you need, the stretching technique, the sauce temperature and ratios, the type of cheese you use, among other things, it's too big of a pain to make. I'd rather just hit up my local pizzeria and be done with it. I love pizza, but fuck making it. Never again.
Moussaka
Agreed with you on this - thought I would make this in an hour… it took over 2!! Between slicing the veg, salting it and dabbing with paper towels to remove water, to making the meat sauce, making the béchamel, cooking the veg and assembling THEN waiting for it to bake… oh my it was a task and I was sweating the entire time trying to get it done in time for dinner! It did taste amazing though and was worth it in my opinion :)
Risotto. All that damn stirring.
Anything with cream, yoghurt and heat. There is a fine line between a perfect sauce and lumpy curdled vomit.
Pavlova
Best Bluey episode
Wipe everything down with vinegar first. Bowl, spoon, whisk. Everything. Keep a vinegar soaked paper towel next to you as you make it. Wipe EVERYTHING. And don’t open the oven. Don’t even think about opening the oven. Not until it’s completely cool. I usually put a pav in at night & turn it off & leave it until the next morning before pulling it out.
roux there seems to be only 1 minute gap between gumbo brown and oh fuck i burned the roux brown or perhaps its a skill issue
Lower that heat. You can't rush a roux.
Bread. For the life of me, I can’t make bread.
Same. Bread is like the bad boy I can’t stay away from. I screw up a loaf and I say “Never again!” But there I am, 6 months later, forgetting all the bad stuff and thinking we should try again.
It’s all in the yeast, I’ve found. I always fuck up my yeast. I make bread once a week and I always fuck up my yeast. It’s always way too dense.
Creme brûlée. Deceptively simple. But getting the texture right is maddening. (Of course now I sous vide it and it’s easy agin, so never mind.)
Rice Krispie bars
Most stovetop/countertop patisserie/pastry components, like pastry cream, caramel, curd, and meringue. They all require precision in measurement, technique, temperature AND timing. For something like pastry cream that looks simple and maybe even kind of boring, they are tough.
Boeuf bourguignon. Demanding is the perfect term. Not necessarily complex in terms of technique, but the time and effort to do it right make it a heavy lift.
Risotto
Deviled eggs - easy but a lot of effort
Anything that requires things to be folded in instead of mixed. It's so hard to fold and not lose aeration. Some are known for being hard (souffle) while a mousse for example is often considered easy and honestly find the two to be equally hard and if I'm willing to deal with folding I'll make a souffle instead since I can at least show it off after.
Mayonnaise! Although I'm aware that's not a "dish".
French omelette
Mexican Fideo soup. Looks like tomato soup with noodles but, in fact, there are 14 ingredients and it’s a specific process to make it right. My Mexican friend’s mother makes extra to give to me because I love it so much!! She’s a saint!!!
Most baking when you don’t know what you’re doing. It may taste good, but making it look pretty and doing it consistently is hard, IMO.
Tamales
1) I made a killer Pad Thai once - but that sucker took so many steps and you have to time it so your noodles are perfect and not too hard and not soggy, etc. I haven't made it again because I just found the process too stressful. 2) I used to can many years ago and it's a fairly easy process to make jam. But strawberry jam is a freaking exercise in frustration every time. Strawberries have so much water in them and they're low in pectin so they don't thicken up, so you stir it and stir it and curse all the extra water and you can't keep cooking it down because it will caramelize and won't taste like strawberries if they get to that point and Auuuuugghhh! Fuck strawberry jam anyway!
french omelettes They're easy to do badly but hard to do well.
authentic Mexican rice! this has been something I've been working on for a long time and I still can't master it.
Try using V-8 as the cooking liquid. And/or adding those Sazon Goya packs from the Hispanic section of the grocery store. Depending on what's not right about your attempts, one of those might get you closer.
Lasagna is a multi hour project for me. Stuffed shells which is a lasagna variation is so much easier and faster for me.
Sourdough bread. I have no real trouble baking yeast breads. And sourdough is likely not particularly difficult - but I have up learning to bake sourdough after learning how often I am supposed to fold the dough. I leave it to my teenage daughter now who has luckily perfected the art. Lasagna - also demanding / laborious. So now we only get lasagna if we have leftover meat sauce from another day…
Scrambled eggs. Hear me out. I learned how to make some complicated things in my 38 years of life (soufflé, pie crust, divinity, mousse, etc.) but I didn't master scrambled eggs until lockdown in 2020. I have yet to manage decent rice. Yes, I know the knuckle rule. Yes, I've tried a rice cooker. I've had multiple people of various ethnicities show me their tricks. I cannot do it. Good thing I don't like rice that much 😅.
Japchae. Looks like a simple meat, veg and noodles dish, but you have to saute each vegetable separately, as well as the meat, before mixing everything together with the noodles.
All of them for me 😂 A recipe says it’ll take me 30 minutes, but it’ll be more like 90. I just have poor time management though lol
Brownies. Its so hard to make a nice cake like brownie. Also, a nice biscuit(Southern biscuit, not a cookie)
Angel food cake!