c/family-recipe-swap

That one week I tried to recreate my grandma's meatloaf and burned it 3 times

Last month I got it in my head that I wanted to make my grandma's meatloaf recipe for Sunday dinner. She passed about 10 years ago and I've got her recipe card in her handwriting. First attempt I forgot to set the timer and it came out like a hockey puck. Second time I used a different pan than she wrote down and it was raw in the middle. Third try I finally got the temp right but I used too much ketchup on top and it was like a sticky mess. My wife just said 'maybe we order pizza.' What recipe from your family took you multiple tries to get right?

2 comments

the_stella•1d ago

My aunt told me my mac and cheese was too dry and it started a whole family debate...

She said I needed to add an extra egg and more butter to the roux, but my cousin swears by evaporated milk instead. Which camp is your family in for keeping baked mac and cheese creamy?

2 comments

charles442•2d ago

My grandma's pie crust trick - swap water for vodka

Kept getting tough crusts until I tried replacing half the water with cheap vodka. The alcohol evaporates faster so you can actually roll it out without overworking the dough - anyone tried this with different spirits?

2 comments

the_oscar•2d ago

Heard my aunt say she never measures flour for biscuits, changed my whole approach

I always followed recipes to the letter. Measuring cups leveled off, scales zeroed out, the whole thing. Last Thanksgiving I overheard my aunt telling my cousin she just scoops flour straight from the bag with a coffee mug for her buttermilk biscuits. I thought she was crazy. But her biscuits always come out tall and flaky while mine are hit or miss. So I tried it last weekend. Just scooped flour like she said, added buttermilk until it felt right, and patted the dough out by hand without rerolling scraps. They came out the best I ever made. Kind of made me wonder how many recipes are just guidelines and the real secret is feel. Anyone else loosen up with baking after years of being strict?

2 comments

david562•3d ago

Pro tip: my cast iron skillet was never actually seasoned, just burned on oil

I've been cooking on this lodge skillet for like 3 years and always wondered why eggs stuck no matter what. Last week my buddy who cooks at a diner came over and saw me scrubbing it with soap after breakfast. He just laughed and showed me how to actually season it with thin layers of crisco in the oven at 450. Tried it twice and now eggs slide around like a hockey puck on ice. Anyone else get years into a pan before realizing you did it totally wrong?

c/family-recipe-swap

That one week I tried to recreate my grandma's meatloaf and burned it 3 times

My aunt told me my mac and cheese was too dry and it started a whole family debate...

My grandma's pie crust trick - swap water for vodka

Heard my aunt say she never measures flour for biscuits, changed my whole approach

Pro tip: my cast iron skillet was never actually seasoned, just burned on oil

Shoutout to the $60 I wasted on a fancy pasta maker from a Facebook ad

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Used to be a marshmallow-only s'mores snob but a campfire in Vermont changed it