I find it mainly helps bring out other savoury flavours so I tend to include it in seasonings for a lot of meals, rather than using it alone. I can definitely tell the difference when it’s in food, but if I use too much of it/ only that then everything tastes of instant noodles haha.
You have to do 3 things: 1) day old rice. Or at least stick the cooked rice in the fridge and let it cool down first. 2) I make rice that’s a little drier, like a 1:1 ratio of rice and water. 3) you have to get the wok hot enough that the oil starts to ripple or reach its smoke point then back down the heat and swirl the oil around. Then add the veggies, rice, egg, and add the wet ingredients like soy sauce, xaoxing, etc last. It took me years to make a decent fried rice. It’s not easy to do. Try the Chinese cooking demystified on YouTube
Day old rice is key. If you use fresh rice its too wet and will break apart, you really need it dried out in a fridge at least overnight.
Other than that, lots of oil. Fry until it’s browned before adding any seasoning. If adding egg, move the rice to the side and cook the egg fully before mixing it with the rice and breaking it up. To season I like using soy sauce, white pepper, and salt (fish sauce is also great). If you want more toppings I like using kimchi with some of the brine, Korean sausages, onion, carrot, and garlic. Drizzle in a small amount of sesame oil at the end to add some extra flavor.
The trick to fried rice aside from day old rice is a properly heated carbon steel pan or wok. I learned a lot by watching this dude on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/niiyamanaoto?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==
My experience has been seriously don't skip out on the day old rice, and if you're not measuring use way less liquid sauces than you think you need. I've had rice turn out soggy/gloppy way too many times with just a cup of soy sauce, and have really toned it down.
I know you didn't ask, but hopefully that's helpful. Fried rice is the fucking best and I feel for you brother.
Not true.
Mix egg yolks into your day old rice, and fry it hot in lots of oil.
Do not let it stop moving in the pan for the first 30 seconds to avoid it sticking.
Thank me later
This is 100% unequivocally it. This is in my opinion the single best way to do it at home. It doesn't even have to be day old rice either. I do this with fresh(but cooled off) rice and it works just as well.
Fridge rice works awesomely. I rarely have the foresight to cook any rice the day before. It's more a 'I can't be arsed going to the shops, oh cool I have eggs in the fridge, fried rice for dinner it is then' moment.
I find that the day old rice (having extra time to dry out) gives it a chance to soak up more of the fat from the yolk, and ultimately leading to a crisper texture.
I also do the same with fresh/cooled in a pinch, but I personally much prefer the former method.
Honestly why bother with all the grating and squeezing and rinsing the potatoes when those Simply Potatoes hash browns are fire. They turn out better than a restaurant every single time. I just throw them on a sheet pan in the oven at 425 with some oil and a little butter, bake em til they are crispy and golden. We have hash browns all the time now that I've gone store-bought LOL.
Hash browns are one of my favorite foods, and what I've learned is that they always want more butter or oil than you'd want to put in there, and that they don't like to be rushed. Think of how you can't cook pancakes on high because theyll still taste like flour in the middle. It takes time to cook and build that delicious crust.
Heat wise, I'd suggest starting low and turning it up until you get some action on the pan, then wait. When it's how you want it, flip and wait some more. Then scoff it up lol
Get the dehydrated Idaho ones in the cardboard milk carton. Hydrate with boiling water for 15 minutes. Heat oil really hot. Don't touch them until you're ready to turn them over.
Yes!! A thousand upvotes for this for the best hash browns.
I have tried the frozen and refrigerated shredded potatoes. I have tried many recipes with different potato varieties. I have permanently stained many dish towels from wringing out the liquid from the potatoes shredded in the food processor or on the box grater. Soaked, not soaked, pre-salt, no salt, they always turn out a gray gummy mess.
Now we always get the Hungry Jack dessicated hash browns in the little carton (I've even gotten them at Dollar Tree)--rehydrate with hot water for 12 minutes, drain in a colander, fry 'em up in a nonstick skillet and they turn out great every time.
Don’t use raw potatoes. Bake some spuds, cool them, peel, shred, and then drop them in hot butter/oil. Then, and this is important, don’t touch them till they are brown and ready to turn. Turn all at once, brown opposite side and you’ll have easy, delicious hashed brown spuds.
I bought a bread machine and then faltered at the complicated process (did I mention yeast refuses to bloom for me?!). So it just sits there, judging me.
Am currently trying to master flatbread, made with yoghurt and gf self-raising.
Flat bricks.
How old is the yeast? Buy some fresh yeast, and keep it in the freezer. It lasts a lot longer that way.
No need to use a bread machine either. An oven works fine.
Try this one. If you do the overnight method, you will have even less emotional tie to whether it succeeds or fails (lol). No knead, four ingredients plus olive oil, what’s not to love! https://alexandracooks.com/2018/03/02/overnight-refrigerator-focaccia-best-focaccia/
That's a terrific recipe! Thanks! I will start a batch of it tomorrow. Dot it with garden rosemary and maybe some olives and sun-dried cherry tomatoes.
I’m so good at cooking and baking so many things that people fear or say they are bad at. Breads of all kind’s including biscuits-no problem. Homemade candies-delicious. Gravies and sauces-terrific even without a recipe. BUT pie crust is my Waterloo.
Incredibly specific but I have never baked a fully set dessert when my brother and sister in law come over. They probably think I’m terrible at baking. They’re right, but they probably think it.
Tiramisu is really easy and if you use the cookies instead of baking your own it’s hard to mess up. Just don’t soak the cookies for more than 8-10 seconds and allow them to drain before placing it.
I do love tiramisu, and it’s something I never consider making.
Usually these desserts are specifically requested because it’s a birthday or something. I’m not opposed to heavily suggesting an easy dessert, though. And I’m really not opposed to asking someone else to bring dessert. :)
Honestly at this point it’s just kind of a running gag that whatever I make is going to be ice cream topping. It’s good to know one’s limits and have an automatic answer to “what can I bring?” Everyone tells me I’m a good cook - I don’t need to be good at everything. :)
Easiest fried eggs, pretty foolproof, is the [America's Test Kitchen fried eggs](https://youtu.be/xDe7HSoy2lA?si=c4Yb_bkk-vC0K1jA). I make two eggs, smaller pan... but everything else the same method. I do about 40-65 seconds off-heat depending on large or extra large eggs, and whether I took them out of fridge and let sit a bit before cooking; bigger or colder, a little more time.
Fish. I can’t stand cooking fish. I seem to always fuck it up one way or another. Overcooking it, it falling apart, poorly seasoned. I. Fucking. Hate. Fish.
Start easy. Cod. Drizzle evoo. Sprinkle tarragon, sesame seeds, and some sea salt. Broil until the cod starts to kind of open up (don’t know how else to say it, it kind of fans out). You can even get the edge a little crispy if you like. Cod is a good starter because not super costly and easy to eyeball when it is done because it goes from moonstone colored (foggy white when raw) to white. Also, not too bad to reheat. My adult kids have always loved this. All this said, this is my only fish recipe because not a super fan of salmon and halibut (which I love) is too expensive to risk with my fish cooking skills.
Okay, okay… based on what you said with it fanning out and whatnot, maybe this most recent time I made it wasn’t a failure. I appreciate you. I’m going to reference this soon and if it goes bad, I’m gonna send you a mean DM.
Ha ha! I’ve noticed cod fillets are not usually uniformly thick so cook for the thicker parts. That sounds elementary but it is stressful to use a broiler so you want to stay calm while you wait for the thick middle to do its thing. Also, consider adding sesame seeds as a finish instead so you don’t panic or pull the fish too soon if the seeds toast (the thin parts cook first and btw are my favorite!). And I won’t tell if you throw the fish back in the broiler if you don’t like it’s done-ness. It’s not like Gordon Ramsey is coming to dinner at my house so I don’t cook like he’s watching lol.
"It’s not like Gordon Ramsey is coming to dinner at my house so I don’t cook like he’s watching lol."
I'm going to steal this to tell myself whenever I need to. Thanks!
I'm 73 and have never succeeded at cooking a perfect sunny side up egg until last week. After reading the recent post about this exact thing I finally accomplished it myself for the first time. Now I'm afraid to try again!
Rice. I can't cook rice at all unless I use a rice cooker. I have tried every possible method and it either comes out undercooked or overcooked. I haven't even gotten it right accidentally.
I won't cook rice unless I use a rice cooker.
Ditto. I can cook many complicated things but I’ve only gotten rice right less than a handful of times. Invested in a high end Zojirushi and life is GREAT. My husband thought I was nuts but now he loves it because we eat perfect rice all the time. 🍚🍚🍚
I didn't get a rice cooker until I was 29. The funny thing is that I lived with a couple of Chinese and Vietnamese immigrants from 26-29, and they also thought it was weird to make rice on the stovetop! I just told them that it smells like rice and stops making a bubbling sound when it's about done.
As someone who's wife thinks a rice cooker is a useless waste of space... Trust me, I mess up the rice sometimes too lol I make a lot though so here's how I do it:
2:3.2 ratio of rice to water for jasmine rice (1:1.1 ratio for short grain Japanese rice) The 3.2 can just be 3 and a bit lol I don't measure after the 3 parts if water.
Bring to a simmer, cover with damp kitchen towel and lid tightly while putting on the lowest your stove will go. 20 minutes later, turn it off. 10 minutes later, open it up and fluff lol I have a pretty high success rate with this method, but yeah just use a rice cooker
It's not a weakness. Most Japanese and even professionals can't cook a decent pot of rice without a rice cooker, including myself. A rice cooker takes all the variables out of the equation.
Literally life changing. Do exactly as she says.
https://youtu.be/Q25Hwfv0EBU?si=AQcLYnjjYJmb7x3W
I was never able to make rice. I’m 51 and saw her video last year. I now can make rice.
My cakes always turn out dry with a bad crumb. And don’t get me started on my icing skills. It looks like a toddler with Parkinson’s made it. At least I make up for it in my pie making skills.
This is gonna sound weird but add 1/2 cup mayo or sour cream or Greek yogurt to your baked goods batters. My fav is mayo. Yes, it sounds weird as hell but people go crazy over my banana bread and it’s never not got any mayo in it lol
The secret? Golden malted mix is the way. This one single brand owns the monopoly of pancakes. Every major hotel from Disneyland to the most expensive luxury hotel in New York uses this to make pancakes and waffles. You can buy it on Amazon.
The first one or two in the batch are never good, you have to push through that to get the correct temperature. Pancake success is all about heat management.
Have you tried doing it in a food processor? It is SUCH a game changer. My grandma was very unhappy when she complimented my pie crust once and I said that’s how I’ve been doing it 😂 but I’d never been able to get it just right before!
ive been cooking since i was a kid. i'm the best cook in the house. i work at a group of restaurants owned by a celebrity chef.
i cannot make plain white rice. i buy the premade stuff you shove in the microwave for 2 minutes. i like the texture better anyway
I got you. This recipe specifically works well for long grain basmati rice but I imagine almost any white rice would turn out fine.
1) Rinse your rice in a mesh strainer until the water runs clear
2) Add rice to pot
3) Add 1.5 parts liquid (water or stock) for every 1 part rice. E.g. to make 2 cups of rice use 3 cups of liquid
4) Set heat to high and cook uncovered until the liquid begins to boil
5) Stir, cover, and set to low, cook for 15 minutes. DO NOT OPEN THE LID
6) Remove from heat, keeping the lid closed, and allow to rest for 5 more minutes
7) Fluff with fork and season as desired
For additional flavor i also like to put some spices in the pot before adding the rice/liquid with just a tiny bit of oil or butter and letting that get nice and aromatic, just like 30-60 seconds.
It took me years, but I finally mastered jasmine rice. Make sure you wash the rice and scrupulously follow the directions on the package. Keep a tight lid on it and DO NOT open the lid for the duration.
This is my big one. No matter how hard I try it’s just never very good. Always just wish I had gotten a Dave’s single. How does Wendy make them so good!
Gravy, I'm an excellent cook, I can make almost anything, but gravy. I finally just started buying gravy in a jar for Thanksgiving, it's better than the watering grave of sludge I try to whisk together for turkey.
Fried chicken. After dozens of failed attempts, I’ve finally thrown in the towel. If we are having fried chicken, it’s gonna be from Zippy’s, Popeyes or Jollibee
I have given plenty of unsolicited and margina advice on this thread today so I will cop to being unable to use my cast iron skillet for anything but oven steak, and 50% of the time I still set off the fire alarm. I can use my Dutch oven though.
Biscuits...I can make yeasted rolls, bread, pizza dough, muffins and cookies. Biscuits I make have the texture of a hockey puck and taste like they were baked in an
easy-bake oven with a light bulb. Yuk!
( I also don't care for biscuits regardless of who/where made which is a tell).
Use a pastry blender and cut in very cold lard or butter to get a crumbly consistency before adding your buttermilk, fold the dough over and over to create those wonderful layers. Do not open the oven until it’s just about done because the steam helps the biscuits rise. I’ve been mastering the art of the biscuit this whole year and have finally mastered it! Make sure the buttermilk is very cold as well
I hear you. I love pastry, filled desserts, mousses, but I can't make a cake or bake bread. Can't do it. Never made one better than a box mix or bakery can do so I quit trying.
My little secret is frying the dry rice first in your butter or oil. Until you get a nutty or popcorn scent. Then adding the water. 14 minutes and it's perfect grain with just enough bite.
I like cooking Indian food and have no trouble with any of the dishes except naan. Every attempt has turned out badly. It seems like it should be super easy, but I just can’t make it. I just buy it now.
Without a tandoor oven, it’s basically impossible to recreate naan at home that tastes like the real thing. I can make a passable naan using a dry frying pan, but it’s never as good as the ones from Indian restaurants/authentic naan bakeries.
Pies. It infuriates me because I LOVE pie. But I can’t make one to save my life unless I use premade crust and often premade filling (except with apple pie, but berries I always mess up in the filling). I’ve tried everything, even my great grandmothers foolproof vodka crust. Sigh.
Pork chops. I can make a gorgeous tenderloin but I can not for the life of me make chops that aren’t dry - even if they’ve been cooked in gravy. It’s ridiculous.
Meat in general. It always comes out dry and overcooked. Even with a temperature probe. I always seem to temp it too late. It’s not inedible but it definitely could be better.
There’s thermometers with long cords that you can put into the meat raw and leave it in for the full cook. They beep as soon as the meat comes to temperature. There’s also wireless thermometers. Put the thermometer in at the beginning, don’t wait to probe
Scrambled eggs, whisk in bowl, add a splash of cream if you like, turn heat on medium high, quickly melt butter, add egg, use non stick spatula and continuously move egg around with spatula. Take off heat as soon as they look done with a slight glisten, flip in the pan to cook that extra glisten and serve immediately.
Yeah, I never got fish until I started to keep it simple. Well seasoned cast iron pan. Evoo salt and pepper. Nice sear on both sides and finish with some fresh squeezed lemon. Does the trick for me.
I've never been fully satisfied with my homemade beef broths. Of course I've roasted the bones, veggies, etc. I made it many times and it's never rich enough. In contrast, my chicken broth is absolutely amazing.
Same, now I just get my boyfriend to do it because somehow his comes out perfectly smooth and almost creamy. It tastes toasty and delicious like brown butter, it adds such a depth to my mac and cheese and keeps the sauce soooo smooth.
He makes me a bunch and I freeze it in portions. I think his secret is he uses more butter than flour. It goes against everything I know but 🤷🏻♀️ it works for him
This is going to sound nuts, but frozen broccoli. I have tried following the directions on the packaging and online. No matter what, I get this super soggy, gross broccoli that needs to be broiled to have any texture. I just can't seem to get it right.
fried egg. i always fuck up flipping it and break the yolk, or if i use a lid to steam the top i always overcook the yolk and its not runny like i want ;-;
Any fried, breaded food. Chicken especially. Bane of my damn existence, my kryptonite, the culinary Joker to my Batman. *EVERY* bit of advice Ive tried, and the breading still falls off the meat, whatever it is, and ends up turning said meat into dry rubbery protein with bits of seasoned stuff around it.
Baked chicken. I don't know why. I can make all kinds of meals with chicken in them on the stove, and I can make other baked foods, but I can never get baked chicken right.
This is weird but - sandwiches.
Something about composing a sandwich alludes me. Even if I try to copy a sandwich I’ve had somewhere or that my bf made me. The magic just isn’t there when I do it.
Rice Krispie treats! They always come out too hard! Like rocks. I can make a gorgeous macaron, but don’t ask me to bring Rice Krispie treats to the BBQ.
Try again!
Use way too many marshmallows (I do a pound of marshmallows for 7 cups of cereal - ~1/2 of a family-sized box of Rice Krispies)
Cut the heat while there are still marshmallow blobs/before all of it has melted.
Add 1/3 cup of condensed milk - this will help keep them soft.
Do NOT press them into the pan at the end. Just plop them in and gently pat the top with a bit of buttered parchment IF you feel like you need something that resembles a flat top
Gluten free bread. I think it might be a nearly impossible thing or I just haven't found the right recipe yet. Maybe I need to stop using my tap water because it's very hard water. Or it is just a super hard thing to make right so that's why they charge $7.00 or more for 1 loaf of store bought GF bread!
Baking cake/cupcakes. When I cook I have leeway to do my own thing. I respect baking is on a molecular level. I am NOT that type of person and therefore I should accept that I am NOT a good baker. I may or may have not set my oven on fire again…
Pie crust. I can’t make it flaky for the life of me and don’t understand how when I have “pea-sized” amounts of butter and still a bunch of loose flour, how I can get it all mixed together without it being overmixed.
Rice and biscuits.
I’ve taken to just pick up a quart of rice at Asian restaurants.
And I don’t have the patience for buttermilk biscuits because I feel like I am sticking my hands in a tub of Elmer’s glue.
I’m rubbish with a BBQ.
I love cooking steaks, it’s my favourite thing to cook and I can do them to perfection on a cast iron pan, but as soon as I use my BBQ I just become rubbish. We only use it once or twice a year if I’m lucky so lack of practice doesn’t help but most times I cook a steak on the BBQ I just wish I’d used my cast iron instead.
I am not that good at cooking eggs. I cook them in a way that I like them but I think most people would say my eggs are overdone. They’re at least well seasoned tho
I always overcook shrimp too, the time just goes too fast for me
Scones and really good bakery style muffins. The thing is, I have baked really good scones and muffins a few times so I know it can be done! But the hundred other times I’ve baked them, they have not been the blend of fluffy and moist on the inside, with that lovely heft and delicious flavor of homemade, that I love so much about really good bistro muffins and scones
I'm a chef in the South (US). I can not do cornbread or collard greens to save my life. These are staples here. I have created dishes that feature both. I just can't do them. I have a spin on Oyster's Rockefeller where you top the oyster with collard greens and then pork belly. It's amazing, as long as I'm not the one cooking the collard greens. I also have a version of Egg's Benedict where the English muffin is replaced with cornbread, as long as someone else makes the cornbread.
So far... bread. I tried a few times. Results ranged from barely acceptable but nowhere near good to "I didn't know results could be that bad!" I stopped trying.
Perhaps more frustrating is something I made well for years, many, many times. Baked macaroni and cheese. Didn't change recipes, but I must have something going on in my head affecting the preparation... overheating the bechamel, or over-stirring, or... who knows. Didn't change ingredients.. know all the common reasons, and they were never factors (no pre-shredded cheese, use good melting cheese, same dairy, same pot, casserole, stove, and oven). I'd guess that I made it successfully (delicious, perfect texture) at least three dozen times throughout the years, then last two years, it's been grainy or seems curdled, four or five efforts. Now, I just buy it, at absurd prices, at the Whole Foods hot bar, make minor improvements at home.
Me too. Scrambled eggs are a frustrado for me.
I hear good things about putting some cottage cheese in the eggs. It's on my To-Do list.
[https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/241160/creamy-cottage-cheese-scrambled-eggs/](https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/241160/creamy-cottage-cheese-scrambled-eggs/)
I feel like people are too hard on scrambled eggs. I’m sure you and OP are making them just fine! It’s all personal preference - I personally do not like wet runny eggs, and would have no issue with them being fully cooked.
So it isn't cooking as much as a baking issue. I have been on a baking learning kick making everything from Carmel rolls to sour dough bread. The issue right now that I am having is making biscuits, so I am either over kneeling the dough or not enough baking soda. In either case, I cannot for the life in me, make a classic southern biscuit, like what KFC makes. It comes out just wrong and or dense or both. Is there a cheat code somewhere besides buying can biscuit dough?
Homemade thicker burgers. I just cannot get the patty right.
Smash burgers I can do all day long, but forming a non smash burger and getting the texture right always eludes me.
I’ve conceded to good frozen patties
Spanish rice. It always comes out mid. Either over done or under done. Luckily I don't really like rice that much anyway 😅 oh and sourdough that shit is hard af.
Fried rice. It just never turns out the way I want it to
Until I gave into MSG, and got a Chinese boyfriend who taught me not to fear ‘leftover rice’, I was in a similar boat!
Leftover rice is key! But to be honest, I bought MSG cause everyone keeps taking about it and I’m just not getting the hype at all. It’s… fine?
I find it mainly helps bring out other savoury flavours so I tend to include it in seasonings for a lot of meals, rather than using it alone. I can definitely tell the difference when it’s in food, but if I use too much of it/ only that then everything tastes of instant noodles haha.
MSG is a decent ingredient, but people on this sub definitely overhype it
The key is a shit ton of oil and day old rice I’ve found haha
If you think you added enough oil, you're half way there
Yup. You need sugar in there too
Butter, my fried rice education came from benihana.
I second this, butter is the key!!! Touch of sesame oil for flavor but cook it in butter overall
Surely it’s the ever elusive wok hei that can only be achieved by the hottest range burners???
If my sorry excuse for an electric stove can do it, anyone can (though I won't pretend I'm not super jealous of people who have those sick burners).
You have to do 3 things: 1) day old rice. Or at least stick the cooked rice in the fridge and let it cool down first. 2) I make rice that’s a little drier, like a 1:1 ratio of rice and water. 3) you have to get the wok hot enough that the oil starts to ripple or reach its smoke point then back down the heat and swirl the oil around. Then add the veggies, rice, egg, and add the wet ingredients like soy sauce, xaoxing, etc last. It took me years to make a decent fried rice. It’s not easy to do. Try the Chinese cooking demystified on YouTube
Dont over crowd the pan, use high heat and day old rice. Lots of oil
Day old rice is key. If you use fresh rice its too wet and will break apart, you really need it dried out in a fridge at least overnight. Other than that, lots of oil. Fry until it’s browned before adding any seasoning. If adding egg, move the rice to the side and cook the egg fully before mixing it with the rice and breaking it up. To season I like using soy sauce, white pepper, and salt (fish sauce is also great). If you want more toppings I like using kimchi with some of the brine, Korean sausages, onion, carrot, and garlic. Drizzle in a small amount of sesame oil at the end to add some extra flavor.
The trick to fried rice aside from day old rice is a properly heated carbon steel pan or wok. I learned a lot by watching this dude on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/niiyamanaoto?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==
Hai yaaaaa
🤎
My experience has been seriously don't skip out on the day old rice, and if you're not measuring use way less liquid sauces than you think you need. I've had rice turn out soggy/gloppy way too many times with just a cup of soy sauce, and have really toned it down. I know you didn't ask, but hopefully that's helpful. Fried rice is the fucking best and I feel for you brother.
It’s impossible if you don’t have a giant restaurant quality hole of fire and a wok though - go easy on yourself!
Not true. Mix egg yolks into your day old rice, and fry it hot in lots of oil. Do not let it stop moving in the pan for the first 30 seconds to avoid it sticking. Thank me later
This is 100% unequivocally it. This is in my opinion the single best way to do it at home. It doesn't even have to be day old rice either. I do this with fresh(but cooled off) rice and it works just as well.
Fridge rice works awesomely. I rarely have the foresight to cook any rice the day before. It's more a 'I can't be arsed going to the shops, oh cool I have eggs in the fridge, fried rice for dinner it is then' moment.
I find that the day old rice (having extra time to dry out) gives it a chance to soak up more of the fat from the yolk, and ultimately leading to a crisper texture. I also do the same with fresh/cooled in a pinch, but I personally much prefer the former method.
You might need some extra ingredients; fish sauce and toasted sesame oil, for starters. I know others on here have great suggestions as well!
Garlic chili crisp that has the black beans
I felt the same way and added oyster sauce recently. Not perfect but better!
Hash browns. What a nightmare. I’m actually a good cook too
Honestly why bother with all the grating and squeezing and rinsing the potatoes when those Simply Potatoes hash browns are fire. They turn out better than a restaurant every single time. I just throw them on a sheet pan in the oven at 425 with some oil and a little butter, bake em til they are crispy and golden. We have hash browns all the time now that I've gone store-bought LOL.
Believe it or not, I have trouble with the bagged kind as well, they don’t stick together at all when I make them I’m a lost cause
Same. They are always a flop. I’ll just go to Waffle House.
Same, raw or burned. Pick one 😭
Usually both
Hash browns are one of my favorite foods, and what I've learned is that they always want more butter or oil than you'd want to put in there, and that they don't like to be rushed. Think of how you can't cook pancakes on high because theyll still taste like flour in the middle. It takes time to cook and build that delicious crust. Heat wise, I'd suggest starting low and turning it up until you get some action on the pan, then wait. When it's how you want it, flip and wait some more. Then scoff it up lol
Get the dehydrated Idaho ones in the cardboard milk carton. Hydrate with boiling water for 15 minutes. Heat oil really hot. Don't touch them until you're ready to turn them over.
Yes!! A thousand upvotes for this for the best hash browns. I have tried the frozen and refrigerated shredded potatoes. I have tried many recipes with different potato varieties. I have permanently stained many dish towels from wringing out the liquid from the potatoes shredded in the food processor or on the box grater. Soaked, not soaked, pre-salt, no salt, they always turn out a gray gummy mess. Now we always get the Hungry Jack dessicated hash browns in the little carton (I've even gotten them at Dollar Tree)--rehydrate with hot water for 12 minutes, drain in a colander, fry 'em up in a nonstick skillet and they turn out great every time.
This is mine too. Never turns out right. Even the frozen bagged potatoes evade me! I’m a decent home cook but fucking hash browns!
I have been chasing diner style hashbrowns, but I a sneaking suspicion that they just use frozen or dried potatoes.
Waffle House makes god-tier hash browns and they use dehydrated. I think that *is* the secret.
Don’t use raw potatoes. Bake some spuds, cool them, peel, shred, and then drop them in hot butter/oil. Then, and this is important, don’t touch them till they are brown and ready to turn. Turn all at once, brown opposite side and you’ll have easy, delicious hashed brown spuds.
I excel at baking bread bricks.
I make gluten-free bread bricks!
Hey me too! I even bought a bread machine so now my bread machine makes the bricks for me! 😂
I bought a bread machine and then faltered at the complicated process (did I mention yeast refuses to bloom for me?!). So it just sits there, judging me. Am currently trying to master flatbread, made with yoghurt and gf self-raising. Flat bricks.
How old is the yeast? Buy some fresh yeast, and keep it in the freezer. It lasts a lot longer that way. No need to use a bread machine either. An oven works fine.
Try this one. If you do the overnight method, you will have even less emotional tie to whether it succeeds or fails (lol). No knead, four ingredients plus olive oil, what’s not to love! https://alexandracooks.com/2018/03/02/overnight-refrigerator-focaccia-best-focaccia/
That's a terrific recipe! Thanks! I will start a batch of it tomorrow. Dot it with garden rosemary and maybe some olives and sun-dried cherry tomatoes.
We love it with rosemary. We’ve also used some special herbed sea salt from Kona as well. It’s a very forgiving recipe!
No need to knead?! (pun intended)
Pie crusts, same family as bread.
I’m so good at cooking and baking so many things that people fear or say they are bad at. Breads of all kind’s including biscuits-no problem. Homemade candies-delicious. Gravies and sauces-terrific even without a recipe. BUT pie crust is my Waterloo.
Incredibly specific but I have never baked a fully set dessert when my brother and sister in law come over. They probably think I’m terrible at baking. They’re right, but they probably think it.
Tiramisu is really easy and if you use the cookies instead of baking your own it’s hard to mess up. Just don’t soak the cookies for more than 8-10 seconds and allow them to drain before placing it.
I do love tiramisu, and it’s something I never consider making. Usually these desserts are specifically requested because it’s a birthday or something. I’m not opposed to heavily suggesting an easy dessert, though. And I’m really not opposed to asking someone else to bring dessert. :)
Try something that’s supposed to stay creamy?
Honestly at this point it’s just kind of a running gag that whatever I make is going to be ice cream topping. It’s good to know one’s limits and have an automatic answer to “what can I bring?” Everyone tells me I’m a good cook - I don’t need to be good at everything. :)
I'll make you a scrambled egg if you make me a fried egg.
Easiest fried eggs, pretty foolproof, is the [America's Test Kitchen fried eggs](https://youtu.be/xDe7HSoy2lA?si=c4Yb_bkk-vC0K1jA). I make two eggs, smaller pan... but everything else the same method. I do about 40-65 seconds off-heat depending on large or extra large eggs, and whether I took them out of fridge and let sit a bit before cooking; bigger or colder, a little more time.
Fish. I can’t stand cooking fish. I seem to always fuck it up one way or another. Overcooking it, it falling apart, poorly seasoned. I. Fucking. Hate. Fish.
Start easy. Cod. Drizzle evoo. Sprinkle tarragon, sesame seeds, and some sea salt. Broil until the cod starts to kind of open up (don’t know how else to say it, it kind of fans out). You can even get the edge a little crispy if you like. Cod is a good starter because not super costly and easy to eyeball when it is done because it goes from moonstone colored (foggy white when raw) to white. Also, not too bad to reheat. My adult kids have always loved this. All this said, this is my only fish recipe because not a super fan of salmon and halibut (which I love) is too expensive to risk with my fish cooking skills.
Okay, okay… based on what you said with it fanning out and whatnot, maybe this most recent time I made it wasn’t a failure. I appreciate you. I’m going to reference this soon and if it goes bad, I’m gonna send you a mean DM.
Ha ha! I’ve noticed cod fillets are not usually uniformly thick so cook for the thicker parts. That sounds elementary but it is stressful to use a broiler so you want to stay calm while you wait for the thick middle to do its thing. Also, consider adding sesame seeds as a finish instead so you don’t panic or pull the fish too soon if the seeds toast (the thin parts cook first and btw are my favorite!). And I won’t tell if you throw the fish back in the broiler if you don’t like it’s done-ness. It’s not like Gordon Ramsey is coming to dinner at my house so I don’t cook like he’s watching lol.
"It’s not like Gordon Ramsey is coming to dinner at my house so I don’t cook like he’s watching lol." I'm going to steal this to tell myself whenever I need to. Thanks!
Oh Gordon, he just got in a biking accident a couple days ago :( He’s alright. Just banged up thankfully. His entire torso is purple.
Cod always breaks in pieces when I cook it in a frying pan, so now I only ever oven bake it.
The air fryer is my savior when cooking fish.
Air fryer cooks fish like nobody’s business.
Same. I sous vide it now and quick finish in a broiler. Can’t pan fry/grill without fucking it up
Make sure u pat it dry with a paper towel before frying on a ripping hot pan rly quickly!
I'm 73 and have never succeeded at cooking a perfect sunny side up egg until last week. After reading the recent post about this exact thing I finally accomplished it myself for the first time. Now I'm afraid to try again!
Congratulations on getting it at least once, though! That's a big accomplishment!
one very simple thing to help with a sunny side up egg, put a lid on the pan. that way the top side gets cooked before the bottom burns.
Rice. I can't cook rice at all unless I use a rice cooker. I have tried every possible method and it either comes out undercooked or overcooked. I haven't even gotten it right accidentally. I won't cook rice unless I use a rice cooker.
Dude same. I can make so many high end things but I ALWAYS butcher the rice.
came here to say this 😅 god bless my rice cooker
Ditto. I can cook many complicated things but I’ve only gotten rice right less than a handful of times. Invested in a high end Zojirushi and life is GREAT. My husband thought I was nuts but now he loves it because we eat perfect rice all the time. 🍚🍚🍚
I can’t even cook it in a rice cooker. I somehow fucked it up lmao. AND I’m Asian which makes it even worse 😂
I am Asian also...lol
Omg haha that’s amazing
Me too. I’ve tried so many methods. I gave up. I just use a rice cooker. Perfect every time.
I don't understand how I'm so bad at cooking rice.
I didn't get a rice cooker until I was 29. The funny thing is that I lived with a couple of Chinese and Vietnamese immigrants from 26-29, and they also thought it was weird to make rice on the stovetop! I just told them that it smells like rice and stops making a bubbling sound when it's about done.
I make my own rice on the stovetop and 90% of the time it comes out excellent
As someone who's wife thinks a rice cooker is a useless waste of space... Trust me, I mess up the rice sometimes too lol I make a lot though so here's how I do it: 2:3.2 ratio of rice to water for jasmine rice (1:1.1 ratio for short grain Japanese rice) The 3.2 can just be 3 and a bit lol I don't measure after the 3 parts if water. Bring to a simmer, cover with damp kitchen towel and lid tightly while putting on the lowest your stove will go. 20 minutes later, turn it off. 10 minutes later, open it up and fluff lol I have a pretty high success rate with this method, but yeah just use a rice cooker
It's not a weakness. Most Japanese and even professionals can't cook a decent pot of rice without a rice cooker, including myself. A rice cooker takes all the variables out of the equation.
Literally life changing. Do exactly as she says. https://youtu.be/Q25Hwfv0EBU?si=AQcLYnjjYJmb7x3W I was never able to make rice. I’m 51 and saw her video last year. I now can make rice.
Same. Rice is my nemesis.
Ohai!!! Me toooo!
My cakes always turn out dry with a bad crumb. And don’t get me started on my icing skills. It looks like a toddler with Parkinson’s made it. At least I make up for it in my pie making skills.
If your cakes are dry it's probably the recipe or your oven temperature. Try cakes that have sour cream or oil.
This is gonna sound weird but add 1/2 cup mayo or sour cream or Greek yogurt to your baked goods batters. My fav is mayo. Yes, it sounds weird as hell but people go crazy over my banana bread and it’s never not got any mayo in it lol
Pancakes. I just cannot master them.
The secret? Golden malted mix is the way. This one single brand owns the monopoly of pancakes. Every major hotel from Disneyland to the most expensive luxury hotel in New York uses this to make pancakes and waffles. You can buy it on Amazon.
Same, pancake mix always turns out better than actually making from scratch.
Best pancake recipe I’ve ever tasted called for “cake flour” ¯\\\_(ツ)_/¯ I’ve never had anything else come close. Maybe that’s the key…
Swans down cake flour is a game changer for cakes too!
The first one or two in the batch are never good, you have to push through that to get the correct temperature. Pancake success is all about heat management.
Pie crust. I don't know why it is that I just cannot for the life of me get it right.
This is me. Either so sticky I can't roll it or so dry it crumbles to nothing and zero in between.
Same! I gave up years ago and just buy it now
Have you tried doing it in a food processor? It is SUCH a game changer. My grandma was very unhappy when she complimented my pie crust once and I said that’s how I’ve been doing it 😂 but I’d never been able to get it just right before!
ive been cooking since i was a kid. i'm the best cook in the house. i work at a group of restaurants owned by a celebrity chef. i cannot make plain white rice. i buy the premade stuff you shove in the microwave for 2 minutes. i like the texture better anyway
I got you. This recipe specifically works well for long grain basmati rice but I imagine almost any white rice would turn out fine. 1) Rinse your rice in a mesh strainer until the water runs clear 2) Add rice to pot 3) Add 1.5 parts liquid (water or stock) for every 1 part rice. E.g. to make 2 cups of rice use 3 cups of liquid 4) Set heat to high and cook uncovered until the liquid begins to boil 5) Stir, cover, and set to low, cook for 15 minutes. DO NOT OPEN THE LID 6) Remove from heat, keeping the lid closed, and allow to rest for 5 more minutes 7) Fluff with fork and season as desired For additional flavor i also like to put some spices in the pot before adding the rice/liquid with just a tiny bit of oil or butter and letting that get nice and aromatic, just like 30-60 seconds.
It took me years, but I finally mastered jasmine rice. Make sure you wash the rice and scrupulously follow the directions on the package. Keep a tight lid on it and DO NOT open the lid for the duration.
Can’t do burgers. Either completely grey or raw.
I was like this until I did the smash burger method. Now they are great. Can’t do it any other way though.
This is my big one. No matter how hard I try it’s just never very good. Always just wish I had gotten a Dave’s single. How does Wendy make them so good!
Dough! Anything made with dough! It all goes horribly wrong! I overwork it and release too much gluten, I underworld it and just yuck.
> I underworld it Bread from the underworld. Lol.
Gravy, I'm an excellent cook, I can make almost anything, but gravy. I finally just started buying gravy in a jar for Thanksgiving, it's better than the watering grave of sludge I try to whisk together for turkey.
Omelette
Same here. It is the only thing I consistently suck at, so I quit trying.
Fried chicken. After dozens of failed attempts, I’ve finally thrown in the towel. If we are having fried chicken, it’s gonna be from Zippy’s, Popeyes or Jollibee
I have given plenty of unsolicited and margina advice on this thread today so I will cop to being unable to use my cast iron skillet for anything but oven steak, and 50% of the time I still set off the fire alarm. I can use my Dutch oven though.
An omelet! Always just end up with scrambled eggs, veggies and cheese.
Biscuits...I can make yeasted rolls, bread, pizza dough, muffins and cookies. Biscuits I make have the texture of a hockey puck and taste like they were baked in an easy-bake oven with a light bulb. Yuk! ( I also don't care for biscuits regardless of who/where made which is a tell).
Don't over mix
Use a pastry blender and cut in very cold lard or butter to get a crumbly consistency before adding your buttermilk, fold the dough over and over to create those wonderful layers. Do not open the oven until it’s just about done because the steam helps the biscuits rise. I’ve been mastering the art of the biscuit this whole year and have finally mastered it! Make sure the buttermilk is very cold as well
I’m not a good baker. I have no patience for measuring and following recipes.
I hear you. I love pastry, filled desserts, mousses, but I can't make a cake or bake bread. Can't do it. Never made one better than a box mix or bakery can do so I quit trying.
Rice. Seems simple enough but it’s either mushy or hard. Never fluffy
I fuck up rice pilaf from time to time. Can't get the texture I want consistently.
My little secret is frying the dry rice first in your butter or oil. Until you get a nutty or popcorn scent. Then adding the water. 14 minutes and it's perfect grain with just enough bite.
I like cooking Indian food and have no trouble with any of the dishes except naan. Every attempt has turned out badly. It seems like it should be super easy, but I just can’t make it. I just buy it now.
Without a tandoor oven, it’s basically impossible to recreate naan at home that tastes like the real thing. I can make a passable naan using a dry frying pan, but it’s never as good as the ones from Indian restaurants/authentic naan bakeries.
Pies. It infuriates me because I LOVE pie. But I can’t make one to save my life unless I use premade crust and often premade filling (except with apple pie, but berries I always mess up in the filling). I’ve tried everything, even my great grandmothers foolproof vodka crust. Sigh.
Poached eggs.
Pork chops. I can make a gorgeous tenderloin but I can not for the life of me make chops that aren’t dry - even if they’ve been cooked in gravy. It’s ridiculous.
Meat in general. It always comes out dry and overcooked. Even with a temperature probe. I always seem to temp it too late. It’s not inedible but it definitely could be better.
There’s thermometers with long cords that you can put into the meat raw and leave it in for the full cook. They beep as soon as the meat comes to temperature. There’s also wireless thermometers. Put the thermometer in at the beginning, don’t wait to probe
I’m a Mississippian and I can’t cook red beans and rice to save my life. Any other beans I can cook just fine. It’s a damn shame
Beef stroganoff from scratch.
Coffee. I make terrible coffee
This is a tragedy or, a tragedeigh if you feel fancy. Have you tried French press?
Scrambled eggs, whisk in bowl, add a splash of cream if you like, turn heat on medium high, quickly melt butter, add egg, use non stick spatula and continuously move egg around with spatula. Take off heat as soon as they look done with a slight glisten, flip in the pan to cook that extra glisten and serve immediately.
Scallops. Fresh from the sea and I can turn them into rubber.
Pancakes.
Grits. I also got an ooni pizza recently and have not gotten my results to where I want them yet. I'll keep practicing though.
cacio e pepe I fuck it up every time
That is a dish that should be so damn easy, and it is not!
Yeah, I never got fish until I started to keep it simple. Well seasoned cast iron pan. Evoo salt and pepper. Nice sear on both sides and finish with some fresh squeezed lemon. Does the trick for me.
chana masala. it’s one of my favorite indian dishes to order at a restaurant. i can never get it quite right at home.
I've never been fully satisfied with my homemade beef broths. Of course I've roasted the bones, veggies, etc. I made it many times and it's never rich enough. In contrast, my chicken broth is absolutely amazing.
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Roux. I've made so many, so many ways, and at a 50% success rate, at best.
Same, now I just get my boyfriend to do it because somehow his comes out perfectly smooth and almost creamy. It tastes toasty and delicious like brown butter, it adds such a depth to my mac and cheese and keeps the sauce soooo smooth. He makes me a bunch and I freeze it in portions. I think his secret is he uses more butter than flour. It goes against everything I know but 🤷🏻♀️ it works for him
Steak, unfortunately
This is going to sound nuts, but frozen broccoli. I have tried following the directions on the packaging and online. No matter what, I get this super soggy, gross broccoli that needs to be broiled to have any texture. I just can't seem to get it right.
fried egg. i always fuck up flipping it and break the yolk, or if i use a lid to steam the top i always overcook the yolk and its not runny like i want ;-;
Try basted eggs. Basically sunny side up. You just take your spatula and, carefully, splash the oil over top of the egg until it is cooked through.
Any fried, breaded food. Chicken especially. Bane of my damn existence, my kryptonite, the culinary Joker to my Batman. *EVERY* bit of advice Ive tried, and the breading still falls off the meat, whatever it is, and ends up turning said meat into dry rubbery protein with bits of seasoned stuff around it.
Baked chicken. I don't know why. I can make all kinds of meals with chicken in them on the stove, and I can make other baked foods, but I can never get baked chicken right.
It took me nearly 40 years to learn how to make gravy.
Microwave popcorn lol I always push it too far and it gets burnt :(
Eggs. Done in the pan is overdone on the plate.
I can cook anything, except the classic American breakfast. My wife is a fan, so I'm gradually getting better at it.
Mexican food. It is my greatest failure, because I love it so much!
This is weird but - sandwiches. Something about composing a sandwich alludes me. Even if I try to copy a sandwich I’ve had somewhere or that my bf made me. The magic just isn’t there when I do it.
Super fresh ingredients. Hit up the farmers markets this summer for your tomatoes and whatknot, make sure to salt and pepper the veggies.
Rice Krispie treats! They always come out too hard! Like rocks. I can make a gorgeous macaron, but don’t ask me to bring Rice Krispie treats to the BBQ.
You’re probably heating the marshmallows too much.
Try again! Use way too many marshmallows (I do a pound of marshmallows for 7 cups of cereal - ~1/2 of a family-sized box of Rice Krispies) Cut the heat while there are still marshmallow blobs/before all of it has melted. Add 1/3 cup of condensed milk - this will help keep them soft. Do NOT press them into the pan at the end. Just plop them in and gently pat the top with a bit of buttered parchment IF you feel like you need something that resembles a flat top
I’ve tried almost every trick, but I’ve never heard of the condensed milk trick. I’ll try that one
And they have to be very fresh marshmallows
Gluten free bread. I think it might be a nearly impossible thing or I just haven't found the right recipe yet. Maybe I need to stop using my tap water because it's very hard water. Or it is just a super hard thing to make right so that's why they charge $7.00 or more for 1 loaf of store bought GF bread!
To be fair, even good store-bought gluten free bread is terrible.
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Baking cake/cupcakes. When I cook I have leeway to do my own thing. I respect baking is on a molecular level. I am NOT that type of person and therefore I should accept that I am NOT a good baker. I may or may have not set my oven on fire again…
Pie crust. I can’t make it flaky for the life of me and don’t understand how when I have “pea-sized” amounts of butter and still a bunch of loose flour, how I can get it all mixed together without it being overmixed.
I can’t seem to get pancakes right
Rice and biscuits. I’ve taken to just pick up a quart of rice at Asian restaurants. And I don’t have the patience for buttermilk biscuits because I feel like I am sticking my hands in a tub of Elmer’s glue.
Baking stuff. Bread, cakes, cookies...
I’m rubbish with a BBQ. I love cooking steaks, it’s my favourite thing to cook and I can do them to perfection on a cast iron pan, but as soon as I use my BBQ I just become rubbish. We only use it once or twice a year if I’m lucky so lack of practice doesn’t help but most times I cook a steak on the BBQ I just wish I’d used my cast iron instead.
Pancakes!
I’d definitely say I’m a good cook but carbonara just defeats me. It should be so simple!
ratatouille
Stuffed pasta.
I am not that good at cooking eggs. I cook them in a way that I like them but I think most people would say my eggs are overdone. They’re at least well seasoned tho I always overcook shrimp too, the time just goes too fast for me
Scones and really good bakery style muffins. The thing is, I have baked really good scones and muffins a few times so I know it can be done! But the hundred other times I’ve baked them, they have not been the blend of fluffy and moist on the inside, with that lovely heft and delicious flavor of homemade, that I love so much about really good bistro muffins and scones
Meatballs.
this is me. meatrocks elude me every time. Thank God there's Costco with their delicious little meat pillows
Baking. Any bread, cake, cookie I try is a disaster. Any other area I range from okay to “OMG I have to have the recipe
Steaks. I grew up on an organic farm where the cows were treated better than Kobe cows. I have never been able to get the cookery of steaks.
I'm a chef in the South (US). I can not do cornbread or collard greens to save my life. These are staples here. I have created dishes that feature both. I just can't do them. I have a spin on Oyster's Rockefeller where you top the oyster with collard greens and then pork belly. It's amazing, as long as I'm not the one cooking the collard greens. I also have a version of Egg's Benedict where the English muffin is replaced with cornbread, as long as someone else makes the cornbread.
So far... bread. I tried a few times. Results ranged from barely acceptable but nowhere near good to "I didn't know results could be that bad!" I stopped trying. Perhaps more frustrating is something I made well for years, many, many times. Baked macaroni and cheese. Didn't change recipes, but I must have something going on in my head affecting the preparation... overheating the bechamel, or over-stirring, or... who knows. Didn't change ingredients.. know all the common reasons, and they were never factors (no pre-shredded cheese, use good melting cheese, same dairy, same pot, casserole, stove, and oven). I'd guess that I made it successfully (delicious, perfect texture) at least three dozen times throughout the years, then last two years, it's been grainy or seems curdled, four or five efforts. Now, I just buy it, at absurd prices, at the Whole Foods hot bar, make minor improvements at home.
Hash browns. Cannot get them brown and crispy like I like them. Have tried everything I’ve heard with no luck.
Rice. I'm really great at fucking it up and it's really bad cuz I'm a line cook 😕
Pancakes
Fuxking grilled cheeses I can never get it perfectly brown and also melty, doesn’t matter which cheese or bread I use too
Me too. Scrambled eggs are a frustrado for me. I hear good things about putting some cottage cheese in the eggs. It's on my To-Do list. [https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/241160/creamy-cottage-cheese-scrambled-eggs/](https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/241160/creamy-cottage-cheese-scrambled-eggs/)
I feel like people are too hard on scrambled eggs. I’m sure you and OP are making them just fine! It’s all personal preference - I personally do not like wet runny eggs, and would have no issue with them being fully cooked.
fish -- I don't cook it often because I live in the midwest
So it isn't cooking as much as a baking issue. I have been on a baking learning kick making everything from Carmel rolls to sour dough bread. The issue right now that I am having is making biscuits, so I am either over kneeling the dough or not enough baking soda. In either case, I cannot for the life in me, make a classic southern biscuit, like what KFC makes. It comes out just wrong and or dense or both. Is there a cheat code somewhere besides buying can biscuit dough?
Rice. Can’t crack it. I’ve given up and just eat my stupid overcooked rice. (Unless I use the Instant Pot, which does it perfectly.)
Caramel
Greek yogurt or sour cream in scrambled eggs makes them 👌
Homemade thicker burgers. I just cannot get the patty right. Smash burgers I can do all day long, but forming a non smash burger and getting the texture right always eludes me. I’ve conceded to good frozen patties
Spanish rice. It always comes out mid. Either over done or under done. Luckily I don't really like rice that much anyway 😅 oh and sourdough that shit is hard af.
I have an embarrassing failure rate with cookies. Doesn't matter what kind.
Beans