Poll: Kitchen Lessons

[Jessica]

I was tinkering with a pot of black-bean soup today and I realized that, after many pots of soup, I have learned that it is very difficult to ruin soup.
What other lessons have people learned from their days-months-years of cooking?
My other one is "too much cayenne cannot be undone."

[kwormann]

...is there such a thing as too much garlic....???

[Julia1Pin]

Never fret (I can't believe I just used that word) about substitutions!

[Chefmom]

I have always lived by the immortal words of Julia Child! "Never appologize". Even if something turns out differently than you expected, don't give appologies, your guests will never know what it was suppossed to be like. Just smile and present your dishes.

Tami

[joyous]

The worst that can happen is that you throw out the hideous experiment and go out to eat.

Also, hoisin sauce can cover a lot of mistakes.

[Beth]

There's always another meal lurking in my pantry and/or freezer -- even if it's a bowl of cereal.

All bananas ripen at the same time, even if you buy yellow and green ones.

Four year olds may try to eat a watermelon almost their size, but they should not try to lift one.

[Ralph]

Originally posted by kwormann:
...is there such a thing as too much garlic....???

RIGHT ON!!!!!!! You read my mind!

[BlueMoose]

If you tend to be a messy cook, a black lab can easily be substituted for a broom and a mop http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/eek.gif .

Chrisi

[Ralph]

Originally posted by BlueMoose:
If you tend to be a messy cook, a black lab can easily be substituted for a broom and a mop http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/eek.gif .

Chrisi

Though that wasn't her real name, we often called our last dog "Hoover"!

[joyous]

Originally posted by Ralph:
Though that wasn't her real name, we often called our last dog "Hoover"!



My sister refers to her dog's cleaning assistance as "barkuuming."

[LaraW]

My lesson is that the amount of time you have available sometimes determines how long something cooks.

[kwormann]

Originally posted by LaraW:
My lesson is that the amount of time you have available sometimes determines how long something cooks.


tee hee

[SandyM]

For me:

• There can NEVER be too much garlic!!
• Dull knives suck.
• Mom's wisdom is always welcome.
• Drink wine while cooking - it makes everything easier, funner, and better.
• Don't ever try a difficult recipe for the first time for company.
• A dustbuster works well if your dog has allergies and can't have people food. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/frown.gif
• I am my own worst critic. Really.


[This message has been edited by SandyM (edited 06-14-2001).]

[Jewel]

For me?

1. I've learned the phrase "Honey, it's SUPPOSED to look like that..."

2. Never underestimate the power of a KitchenAid Mixer when mixing flour into cake batter.

3. Cake batter cleans easier off of semigloss paint.

4. Dull knives make tomatoes squirt tomato goo.

5. Siberian Huskies don't care if food is burned.

6. Never let a pan filled with 1" of water for steaming vegetables unattended for more than 5 minutes unless you don't care for the pan in question.

http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

[Vanessa]

Chefmom love your quote from Julia Child.
I have learned to rely in good cooking magazines and books. Mom always said if you can read you can cook. I must say some recipes along the way have been ok some great but trying them has been fun. The funny part is in my yrs of cooking a few have been not to my liking and DH and I have laughed about it & go out and get something to eat!

[AD]

I've learned that a good biscuit or scone recipe needs at least 1 teaspoon of salt per 2 cups of flour.

I've also learned that there must be something in the air in my house that makes yeast overactive. If I use even one granule more than 1/2 teaspoon yeast for every 3 cups of flour, the dough will almost quadruple and fill with a bunch of tiny bubbles that will not pop even when pressed or rolled out. Using less liquid helps decrease some volume and firms up the texture (which is too soft with either too much yeast or liquid). Even not letting the dough rise or keeping it refrigerated, it swells up immediately.

[m4star]

Lessons I've learned:

Presentation is half the battle.

Master at least one classic menu item (like Mom's homemade stuffed shells) so you always have something to fall back on in a pinch

A good dessert will quickly erase the memory of a not-so-great main course. So when in doubt, go chocolate.

Read the recipe all the way through before attempting to cook in a hurry.

If you start out with good ingredients, don't burn them, and keep it simple then you can't really screw up too badly.

[SusanMac]

1) A decent home-made dessert dazzles people who "don't cook" much more than you can possibly imagine. And, it does wonders to cheer you up, no matter how bad your day is going.

2) People will enjoy good old fashioned Rice Krispy Treats just as much as a souffle or pie that took you all day.

[matt]

I have thought about making manicoti and was wondering how is the best way to stuff them without them falling apart. Thanks Matt

[BlueMoose]

There is an inverse relationship between the length of time I spent making something and the amount of it that my 3 year old will eat.

[Beth]

Originally posted by BlueMoose:
There is an inverse relationship between the length of time I spent making something and the amount of it that my 3 year old will eat.

Amen to that one!

[food girl]

These are so funny. I think they would make great kitchen paintings. Can I quote you?

The things I have learned are just too many to mention. My most recent learning experience came from thinking that leaving onions in a plastic bag for "just a few days" (which turned into our 10 day vacation) will result in a stench the likes of which you cannot imagine.

[masimmons]

These are great. I share the same as some already listed - never too much garlic and a glass of wine is always helpful (or something like that). Others I have is onions are good in nearly everything, add some salt to the pan of water in which the potatos are boiling, add a little bit of vinegar to the pot when making hard boiled eggs to keep them from breaking, and keep fresh lemons around all the time.

[MelissaAS]

I'm with you, Kim and Ralph- I almost always double the garlic http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif...I learned that I love being the cook in the family because I get to choose the healthy, yummy foods we eat.

[ReneeV]

Originally posted by BlueMoose:
There is an inverse relationship between the length of time I spent making something and the amount of it that my 3 year old will eat.

The truth contained in this statement amuses me to no end! Thanks for the laugh.

Renée

[Wendy w]

The things I have learned are just too many to mention. My most recent learning experience came from thinking that leaving onions in a plastic bag for "just a few days" (which turned into our 10 day vacation) will result in a stench the likes of which you cannot imagine.

So true! add spoiled potatoes to the list. There is nothing more disgusting.

[beejayw1]

Ovens cook more thoroughly and evenly if they have been turned on.

The propensity of red fruit to leap out of the bowl in which they are sitting and onto your lap is in inverse proportion to the lightness of the slacks you are wearing.

If you have just stirred a Tbs of what you thought was cinnamon into your oatmeal cookie dough, and you find that you used the wrong spice, it will usually be either cayenne or cumin.

Expensive cheese gets moldy faster. Velveeta lives forever. (In fact, they have taken blocks of Velveeta from Egyptian tombs that was every bit as bad-tasting and rubbery as it was when it was first put in).

Broccoli-cheddar casserole will splash right onto the ceiling if you drop it on the floor. (Going along with that, I have learned that I look lovely with strings of cheddar looped in my hair and beads of cheddar standing on the ends of my lashes).

And finally:

I have learned that even a burned steak tastes good if you're eating it and laughing along with a group of good, dear friends.

Diana

[pmmahan]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by SandyM:
[B]For me:

• There can NEVER be too much garlic!!
• Dull knives suck.
• Mom's wisdom is always welcome.
• Drink wine while cooking - it makes everything easier, funner, and better.
• Don't ever try a difficult recipe for the first time for company.
• A dustbuster works well if your dog has allergies and can't have people food. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/frown.gif
• I am my own worst critic. Really.


Hear, hear about the wine! I wholeheartedly agree! (That and and all your other wisdom)

[ABB]

I have learned that college kids (I'm a college pastor's wife) don't really care how bad something tastes as long as there is plenty of it.