My lunch sandwiches always turned into a wet mess by noon until I tried this trick last Tuesday, has anyone else found a simple fix that actually makes a difference in their daily cooking?
I keep a little spiral notebook of every dish I've made from scratch since I moved to Austin in 2019. Yesterday's lentil soup was number 500, which caught me off guard (I thought I was maybe around 400). It was just a simple pot of soup with some smoked paprika and carrots, nothing fancy. Has anyone else tracked their cooking milestones like that, or am I just a weirdo with too many notebooks?
I spent all afternoon layering everything just right, homemade sauce and all. When I pulled it out of the oven it looked perfect, but as soon as I cut into it the whole thing slid apart like a gooey mess. Any tips for keeping lasagna layers from shifting around?
I saw a video last week where the cook only mixed until the ingredients just came together and my latest loaf came out so tender I couldn't believe it. Has anyone else had a "wait that's not how you do it" moment with a basic dish?
Was making tonkotsu ramen from scratch yesterday in my tiny apartment in Denver. Had the pork bones simmering for like 6 hours when I went to strain the broth and the colander I bought for $3 at a garage sale completely collapsed under the weight. Broth went everywhere including into my shoe and down into the floor vent. Spent the next hour sopping up pork fat from my linoleum while my place smelled like a weird soup sauna. Anyone else ever had a cheap kitchen tool just give up on you at the worst possible moment?
I tried making salted caramel sauce last Tuesday for a pie and ended up with a smoky kitchen and a pot that took an hour to soak. Then yesterday I thought I'd try again, got distracted by my kid asking for help with homework, and came back to black sludge. Three years ago I could whip this up no problem, but now I can't seem to walk away from the stove for even two seconds. Anyone else feel like their timing is completely off lately?
I was torn between getting a cheap pull-through sharpener or saving up for whetstones. Ended up buying the affordable gadget and it took chunks out of my blade after three uses (totally my fault for trusting it). Now I'm out the cost of the sharpener plus the knife repair. Anyone else have luck with those budget sharpeners or am I just bad at using them?
I grilled 24 thighs at 425 for 35 minutes at a cookout in Arlington last Saturday and three people told me dry chicken is the only safe chicken, so I asked them why their own thighs were pale and rubbery.
I bought this thick cordierite baking stone from a kitchen supply store downtown to up my pizza game. Followed the instructions exactly, preheated it slow, never put cold dough on a hot stone. After maybe six bakes, I pulled it out to cool and heard a loud ping, then a crack straight down the middle. $40 down the drain. Anyone else have better luck with steel instead of stone?
For months every stew I made was thin and sad, then last Tuesday I let the onions caramelize for a full 20 minutes before adding anything else and the difference was night and day. Has anyone else had that one small step change everything about a dish they make all the time?
I used a recipe from my grandma's 1970s church cookbook with vegetable shortening before, but trying leaf lard from the butcher on Main Street gave me a crust that actually held its shape without shrinking - has anyone else switched fats and noticed a big difference?
So I was at my friend Maria's apartment last Tuesday and she insisted I don't salt my eggplant slices before frying them. She said it just draws out moisture and makes them soggy, but I've always done it to remove bitterness. Her final dish came out pretty good but mine always has that slight bitter edge if I skip the step. Anyone else run into this debate and settle on one method?
He insisted on low heat and constant stirring for 20 minutes, said anything else is a sin. I told him I just crank the heat and don't touch them, and he looked at me like I kicked his dog. Anyone else think the whole gentle egg thing is overrated?
I kept a tally on my fridge and never thought I'd get this far, but number 100 came out with the best oven spring I've ever had. Has anyone else tracked a baking milestone like that and noticed a big jump in quality?
I bought a tiny jar of saffron threads for 20 bucks, used half like the recipe said, and the whole dish came out tasting like bitter medicine and nothing like the restaurant version, has anyone else found saffron to be a total scam or did I just get a bad batch?
I tried something different last Tuesday after reading some random blog. Instead of soaking my black beans for 8 hours I just boiled them for 2 minutes then let them sit for 1 hour covered. They came out just as soft as the overnight soak batch I made last week. For real the texture was basically the same and I saved like 7 hours. But some people swear the overnight soak reduces gas better. What do you guys think is the 1 hour quick soak method legit or am I just lucky?
Honestly, I've been making banana bread for years and every single time the center would collapse into a wet mess. Last week I compared using all-purpose flour vs bread flour in two identical batches. The bread flour loaf actually held its shape perfectly because the extra protein gave it more structure. Anyone else have a basic swap like that totally change their baking game?
Back in 2009 I kept a starter alive for about 6 months before I just got tired of feeding it. Figured I'd give it another shot last week since my kids wanted to bake bread. Thought I remembered the basics but my kitchen is way colder in the winter than my old apartment was. Day 3 it smelled like nail polish remover and I almost tossed it. Let it ride for 2 more days and it finally got that tangy yeasty smell. The first loaf came out flat as a pancake though. Anybody else have their starter take way longer to get going the second time around?
She said "you've been feeding that thing for 8 months and your bread still comes out like a hockey puck" and honestly it stung because she was right. I was so proud of keeping the starter alive that I never stopped to ask if it was actually any good. Has anyone else had a family member call them out on something they were doing completely backwards?
My old mandoline was a hand-me-down from my mom, blade was dull and the guard was long gone. I kept nicking my knuckles and just dealt with it until last week I sliced the tip of my finger off shredding potatoes for latkes. Picked up a basic OXO one for $45 at Target and holy crap, I never knew a sharp, stable slicer made this much difference. No more bandaids and the cabbage for coleslaw came out paper thin and even. Anyone else put off replacing a kitchen tool way too long and regret it?