Name 3 things you have trouble cooking?

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black chef

Senior Cook
Joined
Jul 2, 2006
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383
for me, it's the following:

1. toasted garlic. first, i just can't ever get it right. i've tried it in the oven and on the stovetop (with & without oil), and I just can't get that GREAT toasted flavor correct.

2. perfect basmati rice. i'm from louisiana, and we eat a LOT of rice. i often get tired of the usual long grain rice, and I reach for the jasmine or basmati for a change-up. for some reason, i just can't get the basmati just right.

3. baked (roasted) chicken. OK, this is my biggest confession. i often do a sear then roast method on my chicken, but for some reason, i just can't seem to get it right... to the point where the skin is crispy but the chicken is cooked thru and moist. i did it once, and i've never done it again.

any suggestions are welcomed, esp. with #1. i'm determined to toast garlic perfectly, but i'm struggling.
 
1) Cheesecake-just can't do it-won't even try anymore. Its easier and cheaper for me to go out and buy one.

2) A steak that is as good as the ones they serve at high end restaurants. No matter how good a cut of meat I buy, it always seems to fall short of those at Ruths Chris, etc

3) Kolaches-A czech pastry that my mother, and my grandmother (god rest their souls) used to make. When they are made properly, they are delicious. Sadly I don't posess the skills and/or patience to pull them off. Hey, that gives me an idea for a new thread............
 
Someone else can help out on #1...I am already in enough trouble over garlic in another thread!!:LOL::LOL:

But I got an answer for #3...

Shove an onion in it!

I know it sounds silly...Stuffing is used to absorb the oils and juices and give off flavour etc, etc. But, you can flavour with sauce (gravy) and keep the bird moist by not using stuffing.

Prepare the bird as normal. Then for the stuffing part, just shove an onion in there...OK, you can use some garlic and herbs too if you want...but don't use any bread or anything else that will soak up the juices.

When the bird is cooked, place on one of those wire thingy's and catch the juice. Use the juice to make a pan gravy. Mash up all the onion and add it to your pan gravy. Don't forget to use all the sticky stuff from the roasting dish too!

For browning / crispy skin... (Home cook trick)...for every 100grams microwave for 1 minute. That is at 700watt. Then it's half cooked. So a size 12 (1.2 kg) bird will take 12 minutes to microwave. Then pop in the normal oven and when browned, it's cooked! Which will be about 15 to 20 minutes.

Oh...PS...Use an oven bag for the microwave and dont use them wire ties. Use a rubber band or tape or string etc.

:chef:
 
for me, it's the following:

3. baked (roasted) chicken. OK, this is my biggest confession. i often do a sear then roast method on my chicken, but for some reason, i just can't seem to get it right... to the point where the skin is crispy but the chicken is cooked thru and moist. i did it once, and i've never done it again.

any suggestions are welcomed, esp. with #1. i'm determined to toast garlic perfectly, but i'm struggling.

there's no need to sear the chicken before roasting. I cant imagine what that would really do for the chicken. Try this:

Perfect Roast Chicken

makes 4 to 6 servings, depending upon what you serve with it

1 free-range roasting chicken (5 to 6 pounds)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 whole heads plump fresh garlic, unpeeled, cut in half horizontally
Several sprigs of fresh rosemary
Several sprigs of fresh thyme
Several sprigs of fresh marjoram
Several sprigs of fresh lavender greens (if you can find a plant)
1 cup cold water or white wine (to baste the chicken)

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Start by rinsing the chicken inside and out with cold running water. Drain it well and dry inside and out with paper towels. Make a mixture of about 2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper and 1 tablespoon of coarse sea salt in a small bowl. Place the bowl alongside a shallow 9 x 14-inch roasting pan. Put the olive oil in the pan and distribute evenly. You will also need a 3-foot length of kitchen string.
2. Put the chicken into the pan and turn to coat well with the olive oil. Season it generously, inside and out with salt and pepper. Put about half of the herbs inside the cavity. Truss with string.
3. Place the chicken on its side in the pan. Put the halved garlic heads (cut side up) and the remainder of the herbs into the pan alongside the chicken. Place the pan on a rack in the center of the oven and roast, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Baste the chicken with the water and roast for another 25 minutes. Baste again – this time with the juices in the pan -- turn the chicken to the other side, and repeat the process. This will take a total of 90 minutes roasting time. By this time the skin should be a deep golden color. Test to see if the juices run clear when you pierce a thigh with the point of a knife.
4. Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the chicken to a platter on which you have placed an overturned salad plate. Place the chicken at an angle against the edge of the plate with its tail in the air. (This retains moisture because the juices flow down through the breast meat.) Cover the chicken loosely with foil. Let it rest for at least 10 minutes or up to 30 minutes. The chicken will continue to cook as it rests. Reserve the roasted garlic to serve with the chicken.
5. To prepare a sauce, remove the herbs from the pan and skim as much fat as possible from the pan juices. Place the roasting pan over medium heat and scrape up any brown bits that cling to the bottom. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, scraping and stirring until the liquid is almost caramelized. Do not let it burn. Spoon off and discard any excess fat. Add several tablespoons cold water to deglaze (hot water would cloud the sauce), and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes.
6. While the sauce is cooking, carve the chicken and arrange it on a warmed serving platter along with the garlic.
7. Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve and pour into a sauceboat. Serve immediately with the chicken and the halved heads of garlic.
 
there's no need to sear the chicken before roasting. I cant imagine what that would really do for the chicken. Try this:

Perfect Roast Chicken

makes 4 to 6 servings, depending upon what you serve with it

1 free-range roasting chicken (5 to 6 pounds)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 whole heads plump fresh garlic, unpeeled, cut in half horizontally
Several sprigs of fresh rosemary
Several sprigs of fresh thyme
Several sprigs of fresh marjoram
Several sprigs of fresh lavender greens (if you can find a plant)
1 cup cold water or white wine (to baste the chicken)

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Start by rinsing the chicken inside and out with cold running water. Drain it well and dry inside and out with paper towels. Make a mixture of about 2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper and 1 tablespoon of coarse sea salt in a small bowl. Place the bowl alongside a shallow 9 x 14-inch roasting pan. Put the olive oil in the pan and distribute evenly. You will also need a 3-foot length of kitchen string.
2. Put the chicken into the pan and turn to coat well with the olive oil. Season it generously, inside and out with salt and pepper. Put about half of the herbs inside the cavity. Truss with string.
3. Place the chicken on its side in the pan. Put the halved garlic heads (cut side up) and the remainder of the herbs into the pan alongside the chicken. Place the pan on a rack in the center of the oven and roast, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Baste the chicken with the water and roast for another 25 minutes. Baste again – this time with the juices in the pan -- turn the chicken to the other side, and repeat the process. This will take a total of 90 minutes roasting time. By this time the skin should be a deep golden color. Test to see if the juices run clear when you pierce a thigh with the point of a knife.
4. Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the chicken to a platter on which you have placed an overturned salad plate. Place the chicken at an angle against the edge of the plate with its tail in the air. (This retains moisture because the juices flow down through the breast meat.) Cover the chicken loosely with foil. Let it rest for at least 10 minutes or up to 30 minutes. The chicken will continue to cook as it rests. Reserve the roasted garlic to serve with the chicken.
5. To prepare a sauce, remove the herbs from the pan and skim as much fat as possible from the pan juices. Place the roasting pan over medium heat and scrape up any brown bits that cling to the bottom. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, scraping and stirring until the liquid is almost caramelized. Do not let it burn. Spoon off and discard any excess fat. Add several tablespoons cold water to deglaze (hot water would cloud the sauce), and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes.
6. While the sauce is cooking, carve the chicken and arrange it on a warmed serving platter along with the garlic.
7. Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve and pour into a sauceboat. Serve immediately with the chicken and the halved heads of garlic.

Yeah...right...if you say so...!

A baby chicken...by the way... is a spatchcock.!!

I don't know what one would call a 5 to 6 pound (2.5 kilo) chicken...Maybe one would call it an emu, big turkey, or ostrich.

Black Chef, if you can find a free range 2.5 kilo chicken then go for the above!!!...Cos I aint never seen nor heard of such a bird...!!!

Oh... and PS...Herbalife has enough customers...So if you do happen to find such a bird, go with a more realistic 200 grams (about 1/2 pound) per serve which would give 12 to 15 serves based on above...Not the 4 to 6 as stated!

Or, of course, you could just go with spatchcock, which is baby chicken.

;);):chef::chef:;);)
 
Here's my suggestion for #1 Roasted Garlic Express - White : Target
There was a thread, too, lots of posts on how to roast garlic. Maybe you saw it....

I don't think I can list three things I have trouble cooking. I usually cook the same things, and they come out just fine. If I have trouble cooking something and can't get it right after a few tries, I don't make it again.
 
1. Chicken fried steak
2. Butter Chicken
3. Biscuits

Those are the 3 I have not been able to master!
 
Well, Kiss the Cook, as entertaining as your post was (really, I did get a huge kick out of it :LOL:), we get 5-6 pound roasting chickens all the time here.

ChefJune, your recipe looks wonderful, and I have all those fresh herbs in my garden. And who doesn't love roasted garlic?!

I'm saving that technique for this fall. Thanks!

Oh, three things:

1) grilled steak
2) crispy french fries
3) rice pudding

Lee
 
Smoke,

That steak secret your looking for is simple...

Seasoned with salt and pepper

and Butter!!!

not sure on how they do it at ruths but its marked on the grill to get the cross hatching and then throw on a sizzle platter (the metal oval thing) topped with butter and cooked to order.


Roasting garlic is a breeze once you do it.

I take whole cloves peeled and remove the root nub thing. put in a tin foil pouch, drizzel a decent amount of oil and season with kosher salt

throw in a 300 degree oven on a sheet pan and then give it a toss evey 15 20 minutes.

My issues:

1) Rice: I dont eat it but i can make rice pillaf really good, anything else is a problem

2) confidence: not a food but in a commerical kitchen its a problem for me

3) Bad Self Critic: I always know my food can be better and im never happy with it. drives the wife nuts.
 
1 - Tortillas - Took 4 batches that turned into Dog Biscuits. Finally got 'em dialed in.
2 - Fried Eggs - Love 'em usually end up hard fried, break when turning or runny.
3 - Biscuits have been a problem lately

Lots of Steak info here. As I recall, pan sear and finish in the oven was the "secret" ticket.

Rice - I just keep sampling asit is cooking till I taste what I am after.

Chef June - That chicken sounds out of this world
 
2 - Fried Eggs - Love 'em usually end up hard fried, break when turning or runny.

Try low heat and setting a pot lid over them. Check often, they will still cook faster than it takes a toaster to make your toast.
 
The one thing that comes to mind is roasted vegetables. There was a long thread here once. I read it all. I tried this and that. I can't make them like my mother did.
 
I can't make homemade bread...can't get it to rise the way it should. I finally just gave up on it and settled for fresh bread from the deli.
 
:)Biscuits can't make em to save my life. It's so simple but I just don't get it.
Tortillas another one that just escapes me.
 
Rice - I just never manage to get it right especially brown rice
Reducing Pan sauce with wine - usually a disaster sometimes edible never really good
Custard - Always have a hard time gettinig it to set right
 
Try low heat and setting a pot lid over them. Check often, they will still cook faster than it takes a toaster to make your toast.


or try flipping them. shake your eggs to front of pan, a quick flick of your wrist & a teflon pan.
 
Like JP, I can't make flour tortillas either - and I've spent a lot of time trying.

I have a terrible time with a roast in the oven (uncovered). It always comes out dry with the texture of leather. I can do it in the slow-cooker, but it's not the same flavor.

Fish. I always overcook it.
 
Pie crust! I can't make it round without it breaking and giving me horrible edges. Although my pies taste good, they look ugly all the time.
 
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