What is your most loathed cooking terminology?

[thymeless]

While it's not the term I hate, it's the related timing instructions. Reduce for 5 minutes to 1/3 cup. These writers must have rocket stoves because even on my 14,000 BTU home burner, it won't have reduced that much on my stove in that time. They need to test on more home realistic stoves, as much of a pain as they can be to cook on.

 

[Linda0818]

So weird. Did she have blonde hair? I saw one like that.... blonde hair.

I honestly don't remember. I wish I could recall who it was, but my mind is a blank.

 

[dragnlaw]

You nailed that one thymeless! How about "stir the sliced garlic constantly until golden brown - about 5 to 8 minutes.... WHA???? What are they using for a burner... a match?

 

[Andy M.]

Times in recipes are unreliable. There are too many variables. I learned a while ago to by the desired result rather than the time.

 

[Linda0818]

You nailed that one thymeless! How about "stir the sliced garlic constantly until golden brown - about 5 to 8 minutes.... WHA???? What are they using for a burner... a match?

Right? If I let mine go more than a minute or two, I've burned it and have to start over.

 

[taxlady]

Times in recipes are unreliable. There are too many variables. I learned a while ago to by the desired result rather than the time.

I consider the times as an estimate.

 

[dragnlaw]

Of course they are an estimate, quantities, thicknesses, pans and heat.... but I take exception to the fact that something that should not take more than a minute or two at the very most... be suggesting that it may take 8 minutes!

It makes me think that they are either completely ignorant of cooking and/or more likely - they are copying and established restaurant's recipe for doing (as an example) 5 bulbs of garlic to be used in various recipes during the evening.

If you are reducing a recipe - say so - and better still - make sure you've actually tried it in the quantities stated on a "home" stove. (as previously mentioned by thymeless)

Nope, there are even established chefs/cooks whom I admire who do this and it really lessens my respect. Home cooks are looking to improve their skills by watching, emulating admired and established cooks. It is a blatant mistake that really should be addressed by them.

 

[taxlady]

I agree that 8 minutes to sauté garlic is ridiculous. That doesn't even give a useful estimate. If you are new to cooking garlic and think, "Well, if it says 8 minutes, I'll check at 4 minutes to be on the safe side.", you will likely still be dealing with burnt garlic. I prefer something I have seen, "Sauté the garlic for about a minute, until it is fragrant."

 

[KatyCooks]

Wow, an interesting thread! Three things:

1. I have no concept of "dyed" citrus. I only know of waxed or unwaxed lemons. (Waxed to preserve the fruit for longer since lemons don't grow naturally in the UK - and acceptable if you are only using the juice. Unwaxed if you are zesting.) Unwaxed cost more and don't last as long.

2. Timing for cooking things. Yes, what an annoyance!

3. Garlic. It burns in nano-seconds! I always put it in last (for instance where the recipe says to add it with onions, specially when on a high heat.)

 

[taxlady]

Other than putting garlic on last, I find it's handy to put it as the last thing before some liquid that will be in the dish. The temperature drops enough and quickly with a good splash or more of stock.

 

[Linda0818]

Other than putting garlic on last, I find it's handy to put it as the last thing before some liquid that will be in the dish. The temperature drops enough and quickly with a good splash or more of stock.

Speaking of garlic, have you ever had roasted garlic? Where you roast a whole head of garlic in the oven until the garlic inside the cloves is soft and squeezable? Holy moly, that's some good stuff. Just squeeze the garlic out of the cloves onto a piece of toasted bread of your choice, then spread it around and eat to your heart's content.

A garlic lovers paradise

 

[taxlady]

I haven't done a whole roasted garlic. But, I often put whole cloves of garlic, with their skins on, in tray bakes, so they get roasted. They get soft and creamy and lose their bite. They are nice, but I miss the strong garlic flavour with them.

 

[Linda0818]

I haven't done a whole roasted garlic. But, I often put whole cloves of garlic, with their skins on, in tray bakes, so they get roasted. They get soft and creamy and lose their bite. They are nice, but I miss the strong garlic flavour with them.

I personally think that flavor is amazing.

 

[pepperhead212]

Another way of doing that, that I got from Rick Bayless, is to leave the skins on the cloves of garlic, and tossing them in a medium to med-high skillet for about 7 minutes. They get some dark spots on them, and taste incredibly like roasted garlic.

 

[taxlady]

I just find that it's hard to get all the cloves off the garlic head without at least some of the skins coming off individual cloves. Often just on one side.

 

[larry_stewart]

Times in recipes are unreliable. There are too many variables. I learned a while ago to by the desired result rather than the time.

I agree. Problem is, my wife is a ' word for word' recipe follower. She has no cooking common sense. If it says 8 minutes, she literally will set a timer, and go read he paper or do a crossword puzzle until the timer goes off. I tried to explain to her, that unless its in aa slow cooker, cooking is a hands-on activity, and you always have to keep a watchful eye, as things can turn on you in seconds.

One of my favorite cooking stories of hers was, I was working late and she offered to cook up some sauce to go on pasta for when I got home. I went over step by step ( over the phone, as I was at work) how to put together a basic sauce ( garlic, onion, tomatoes ...). When I got home and opened the door, all I smelled was burned garlic. I looked on the kitchen table and there was a pizza . She never made it past the garlic step. Ordered a pizza, and that was the last attempt of her making a sauce. But on a happy note, she finished the crossword puzzle!

 

[dragnlaw]

I was thinking about how I first started cooking/baking. I was always told that if you follow the recipe without deviation, step by step - it would be perfect.

No wonder so many, who would like to cook, get discouraged by things like this.

 

[Andy M.]

Speaking of garlic, have you ever had roasted garlic? Where you roast a whole head of garlic in the oven until the garlic inside the cloves is soft and squeezable? Holy moly, that's some good stuff. Just squeeze the garlic out of the cloves onto a piece of toasted bread of your choice, then spread it around and eat to your heart's content.

A garlic lovers paradise

As a matter of fact, I am making a roasted garlic and Kalamata olive focaccia today.

 

[GotGarlic]

You

I just find that it's hard to get all the cloves off the garlic head without at least some of the skins coming off individual cloves. Often just on one side.

You can separate the cloves before roasting to prevent that.

 

[taxlady]

You

You can separate the cloves before roasting to prevent that.

I was actually writing that about separating them before roasting. I find that at least one side of the skin comes off of about a quarter of the garlic cloves when I separate them from a raw garlic bulb. Seems to me that it was far fewer that did that with soft neck garlic, which I don't see nearly as often nowadays.