SEEING-TO-BELIEVE
Head Chef
i'm not very good at baking
In the kitchen..what are you very good at and which areas of cooking not so?
- Thread starter SEEING-TO-BELIEVE
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If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Roll_Bones
Master Chef
I have very good technique. But I'm not the greatest chef. I spent my entire life working on technique and buying the best tools I could.
If I had spent all this time refining recipes, I might be a chef by now.......lol
I am also not a very good baker. But I am trying. I will get there.
When I graduated high school my dad gave me two choices. Get a job or go to college. So it was culinary school (his suggestion) or take the electrical apprentice job I was offered.
Like I said I'm no chef.
If I had spent all this time refining recipes, I might be a chef by now.......lol
I am also not a very good baker. But I am trying. I will get there.
When I graduated high school my dad gave me two choices. Get a job or go to college. So it was culinary school (his suggestion) or take the electrical apprentice job I was offered.
Like I said I'm no chef.
Okay...I'm in my 70s and, for my whole life, biscuits have been my nemesis. They either turned out like hockey pucks, which was good as long as I lived in Minnesota, or were of a fine quality to shingle a roof. Truly. Until recently. I conquered the nasty biscuit beast and couldn't be more pleased.
As far as to what I am good at...not sure, but I do know that I've learned to read a recipe from top to bottom before attempting it. Learned this from Julia Child. There's nothing more frustrating than to begin preparing a recipe only to discover that there needs to be more prep time or that my pantry is void of a necessary ingredient. Just sayin'.
As far as to what I am good at...not sure, but I do know that I've learned to read a recipe from top to bottom before attempting it. Learned this from Julia Child. There's nothing more frustrating than to begin preparing a recipe only to discover that there needs to be more prep time or that my pantry is void of a necessary ingredient. Just sayin'.
Sir_Loin_of_Beef
Chef Extraordinaire
The thing I am really bad at is cleaning up afterward. If I can still see the sink, washing dishes can wait.
Marlingardener
Sous Chef
I'm not very good at sauces, but I'm working on it! I'm a very good baker, and also good at making main dishes like beef stews, grilled chicken, etc.
We are all better at some things than at others, so if we get together we can make one great meal!
We are all better at some things than at others, so if we get together we can make one great meal!
I have had to pay attention to cleaning as I go because, most of my life, my kitchens were small enough to accomodate mosquitoes.
blissful
Master Chef
- Joined
- Mar 25, 2008
- Messages
- 7,245
We switched from a standard american diet to a whole food plant based foods. 4 years.
One of the areas I can't get the hang of is the plant-based 'meats', like hamburgers.
I've had good luck with making a turkey roast, and a mystery meat in gravy (both use gluten). I can make a good breakfast sausage mostly using oatmeal, a long list of spices.
The hamburger is a long recipe using some starches like rice, oatmeal, and quinoa, sometimes a few tablespoons of flour, chopped cooked or uncooked vegetables finely diced, and a long list of spices/herbs. I can't eyeball the recipe and get the moisture right, and they need to stick together and stay together.
Since I've tried at least 10 recipes, and they are hit-and-miss...then I don't feel strong in the hamburger making area.
One of the areas I can't get the hang of is the plant-based 'meats', like hamburgers.
I've had good luck with making a turkey roast, and a mystery meat in gravy (both use gluten). I can make a good breakfast sausage mostly using oatmeal, a long list of spices.
The hamburger is a long recipe using some starches like rice, oatmeal, and quinoa, sometimes a few tablespoons of flour, chopped cooked or uncooked vegetables finely diced, and a long list of spices/herbs. I can't eyeball the recipe and get the moisture right, and they need to stick together and stay together.
Since I've tried at least 10 recipes, and they are hit-and-miss...then I don't feel strong in the hamburger making area.
cookieee
Sous Chef
Katie, to me, if you are a recipe user, this is the BEST cooking advice!!!!!
What a good question! I feel like I have a fear of baking - it is very specific and reminds me too much of Chemistry lessons at school - get the mix wrong and an explosion can occur! (But more often in baking, a complete collapse..) In baking it feels like there is no room for error, or for creativity. (I am sure there is, but when you have no confidence, not so much).
I absolutely agree with Katie H - I always read a recipe through to make sure I have the ingredients, equipment and time available to make the dish.
I absolutely agree with Katie H - I always read a recipe through to make sure I have the ingredients, equipment and time available to make the dish.
Amen! Let's set the table!!
GotGarlic
Chef Extraordinaire
I felt that way when I left work about 11 years ago. Then I decided I wanted to get better at it and started learning. Now I make cookies frequently and cakes and pies occasionally. Right now, I'm concentrating on Swiss roll cakes. Like anything else, it just takes practice. I'm planning to make a lemon one this week.
Kathleen
Cupcake
In our family, we are either exceptional specialty cooks and average all-around cooks, or we are good all-around cooks with no specialties. I'm a good all-around cook. My sister is an exceptional baker. I don't really bake because one needs to measure, which I rarely do.
One thing I do very well though is to maintain my mise en place. I can clean as I go and rarely (if ever) destroy the kitchen when I cook. To do this, I need to not have anyone underfoot, but I have really got this down in my itsy-bitsy kitchen.
One thing I do very well though is to maintain my mise en place. I can clean as I go and rarely (if ever) destroy the kitchen when I cook. To do this, I need to not have anyone underfoot, but I have really got this down in my itsy-bitsy kitchen.
While I love cooking and baking, love it, it seems I have two left hands while I am a right-handed whenever comes to decorating a cake. I usually make what my family and I like, moist cakes with lots of cream. The taste, texture etc is perfect, but all my cakes look the exact same. I don't have the skill, the patience, the I don't know, to decorate a cake like you see in pictures, the ones that make you say, I must have that right now. All my cakes have a layer of cream with some chocolate flakes sprinkled on top to make it look more delicious, and that's it and they look boring.
Your kind of decoration looks more delicious to me. With an intricately decorated cake, I always think they probably spent more effort on the decoration than on making the cake taste good. I have often found that to be the case. I'm usually surprised when an intricately decorated cake is actually really good tasting.
Andy M.
Certified Pretend Chef
My weak spot is what I call "fussy work". Artfully arranging plates so they are pretty, fussing with delicate ingredients so they don't break/tear/crumble (phyllo dough). Creating decorations from food. I don't have the digital dexterity or the patience to do it. You've all seen my dinner photos, so you know.
Cooking Goddess
Chef Extraordinaire
They don't have to look pretty to be delicious, @Andy M.!
Andy, not true... they always look good to me!
GotGarlic
Chef Extraordinaire
Perfect GG - love it!
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