Last Thanksgiving at my sister's place in Portland, I finally figured out that the 'keep warm' button on her GE oven isn't just for show. I always pulled the bird out too early and it got cold before we sat down, but last month I set it to 170°F for 45 minutes while the rolls finished baking. Has anyone else missed a simple feature like this and felt like a total idiot afterwards?
I was at my mom's house in Cleveland last Sunday, and somehow I turned flour and butter into this stretchy, gross blob instead of a smooth sauce. I just microwaved some leftover pizza instead and called it a night. Anyone else ever get completely owned by a basic cooking step like this?
She swore it saves time but the spaghetti turned into a sticky paste brick and I had to order pizza for everyone, has anyone else fallen for a kitchen shortcut that backfired this bad?
After 40 years of making rubbery or burnt eggs I tried taking the pan off the heat a full minute before they looked done and they finished cooking in the residual heat.
I always thought fresh garlic was the only real option for pasta sauce, but after burning my third batch of minced garlic in a row last Thursday I grabbed my roommate's dusty powder jar. Threw a teaspoon into my ruined sauce and it actually saved the whole thing without any burnt taste. Has anyone else had their snobbery backfire like this?
I was always a pan person until I read that you can bake bacon at 400 degrees on a sheet tray, so I tried it and it came out perfectly crispy without me having to babysit it, has anyone else made the switch and found it works better?
My $15 frozen pizza ended up as a smoky, melty mess inside my toaster oven last night because I forgot to check the heating element clearance, and now I'm wondering if anyone else has a go-to trick for rescuing dinner after a kitchen fail like that?
I always thought making chili from scratch was the only way to go. Last week I was in a hurry and grabbed a packet of chili seasoning from the grocery store in Phoenix. I followed the instructions exactly and honestly it tasted way better than my usual blend of 8 different spices. I think I was overcomplicating things all along. Has anyone else had a store bought version beat their homemade recipe?
I was trying to make gravy from scratch for the first time ever and I left the butter on medium instead of low. The whole pan caught fire inside my apartment in Chicago. Had to open all windows and sit outside for half hour. Anyone else have a holiday dish go totally sideways like that?
I read on Serious Eats that table salt has finer grains so it dissolves quicker in boiling water and after ruining three dinners last month with undissolved kosher salt clumps I switched back and my pasta actually tastes seasoned now, has anyone else noticed the texture difference actually matters?
Honestly, I've been making pancakes for years and they always came out flat and sad. Last weekend I accidentally used baking powder instead of baking soda in my batch and the pancakes actually puffed up. I thought they were the same thing but nope, baking powder has acid in it already. Has anyone else mixed them up and had a total fail?
She saw me beating the flour into the blueberries like I was angry at them. She said just fold it 10 times and stop. I thought she was crazy because the recipe said mix until combined. I tried her way last weekend with a basic blueberry muffin recipe and they came out so soft and fluffy. Now I barely stir my pancake batter too and everything is way better. Has anyone else had a family member call out a bad habit in the kitchen that you just accepted?
After a neighbor told me my pasta was always too salty, I cut the salt to one teaspoon per gallon and it made the dish balanced for the first time in 4 years - has anyone else found the 'sea salt' rule is overkill?
I always go for chocolate because I figure I'll ruin it anyway but yesterday I tried banana peanut butter instead and it was actually drinkable. Has anyone else found a swap that just clicks one day?
I was feeling ambitious last Tuesday, so I pulled out my grandma's old recipe for basic white bread. I followed every step, but I guess I added too much water because the dough turned into this sticky puddle that wouldn't hold any shape. Then I tried to patch it with more flour, but it just made a huge mess all over the counter and my shirt. I finally shoved it in the oven anyway, and 45 minutes later I pulled out this flat, rock-hard disc that could probably break a window. Has anyone else had a bread project go completely sideways like that?
I always ruin pasta. Mushy or crunchy, no in-between. Last week I tried pulling it out 2 minutes before the box said and dropping it in cold water right away. Textures came out perfect. But my buddy says that ruins the sauce sticking. He uses the pasta water trick instead. Which method is the real winner here? Anyone else struggle with this?
My buddy Matt watched me dump a whole can of kidney beans into a pot of chili and he just stared at me. He asked if I liked eating bean sludge. I said what bean sludge. Turns out the liquid in the can is basically bean juice that makes everything taste like dirt and gives you gas. Now I have to choose: rinse them and lose flavor, or keep doing my old way and admit Matt was right. Which side are you on, rinse crew or no rinse crew?
I was at my aunt's house in Portland last weekend and she's a real baker, like makes bread for a living. She saw my kitchen and said "you keep your salt and baking powder right next to the stove? That heat kills them." Never thought about it before. She also said my vanilla extract has been sitting on that shelf over the oven for 2 years and is probably useless now. Has anyone else stored stuff wrong for years without knowing?
After 3 years in this group I finally got that smoke alarm to chime in perfect sync with my timer, has anyone else reached a dumb milestone that made them oddly proud?