What is your biggest frustration with cooking?

[pacanis]

Space here, too.
Oh, and baking. I can't stand getting flour everywhere. If I had more space though, that frustration would be eliminated.

 

[Selkie]

After having gone to the grocery store for the week, I want to make everything I had planned... NOW!

I hate freezing proteins. I want them fresh whenever I cook, but I don't want to waste gasoline driving back and forth to the store every other day. And even in the refrigerator, I generally don't trust them after more than three days. What I have is an enigma.

 

[Andy M.]

I've learned to deal with less than my ideal kitchen. I make new dishes on a regular basis because I want to try new stuff and keep meals from getting boring. I know I'll never get to them all.

What really frustrates me more than everything else, to the point of madness, is my family - my SO, sister, BIL, two daughters, a SIL and a grandson.

They are collectively some of the fussiest eaters on the planet. The worst of it is that they all dislike different things so I can't get by with avoiding just one food or food group.

I end up exasperated and cook the same old stuff.

 

[marksteven]

If salt more over than demand in the recipes’!

 

[jabbur]

My biggest frustration is rice. I seem to have trouble making nice fluffy rice. I've even invested in a rice cooker. Rinsing it before hand, not rinsing, more water (too mushy) less water (burns). If I'm adding it to a casserole, I do okay but to make it as a side dish or to have for fried rice, I lack some essential skill.

 

[Zhizara]

You must not have ever tasted chocolate chip cookies made according to the original recipe, so hot out of the oven that they burn your tongue, so limp that you cannot pick them up, and so chocolatey that licking your fingers is a given.

Actually those cookies are what made me think I could cook other kinds. I used the recipe on the bag of chocolate chips and made them every year for Christmas. They were perfect every time.

 

[dcSaute]

My biggest frustration is rice.

get a scale.
weigh the rice
weigh the water
combine in a pot with a dab of butter & salt
bring to simmer
cover
put in preheated oven 350F for 20 minutes
remove, leave cover on, let sit 10-15 minutes


for two people
120 grams Carolina brand enriched white rice
235 grams water

other rice brands and types and sorts (brown, long grain, etc and yadda yadda) _will_ vary. that is _will_ vary - that is not "may" vary or "could" vary.

it's "adjusted" for size from Alton Brown's method. doing it for years, never fails.

keep notes - especially with different rices.

 

[mrs.mom]

My biggest frustration is the space in my kitchen. I used to have a very big kitchen in my previous house with a big table on the side and a lot of shelves for storage and two wide bars for preparing or cutting food. Now I have a small kitchen with only about 1/2 meter by 1/4 meter bar for preparing the food and no table and no shelves. So I always have a problem in storage. And when I am cooking I don't know where to put the finished pans or pots. The frustration gets bigger when I am inviting friends for dinner because I cook 5-6 items which makes me in a complete mess.

 

[DaveSoMD]

#1 Space
#2 The constantly asked question "Do you need any help?"

 

[pacanis]

Looks like space is clearly in the lead. That's probably why renovating kitchens is such a lucrative project. You tend to put money where you notice it the most.

 

[Sprout]

Looks like space is clearly in the lead. That's probably why renovating kitchens is such a lucrative project. You tend to put money where you notice it the most.

I'd gladly deal with a smaller other rooms to have a bigger kitchen. Then again, if I had more space to make all the food I wanted too, I'm sure I'd want more space to fit people to eat it!

 

[Claire]

For me it is that there are a lot of dishes I'd like to make (that I know how to do) and a lot I'd like to experiment with. BUT ... there are only two of us. Oh, I can put together a dinner party quite easily, and I have a couple of shut-in friends who I bring meals to. But I don't have a large freezer any more. The dinner parties? I love to have people over, but cleaning before and after is a pain. Actually, cleaning after isn't a big deal, even w/o a dishwasher, we simply take turns doing a sinkful here and there.

Summer can be a frustration because my kitchen is not air conditioned. It really isn't THAT big of a deal, cooking out and salads work well.

Small kitchens aren't as bad as they seem when you've had both large and small. Believe it or not, unless you're someone who has to have the very latest in modern conveniences, sometimes small has its points. Especially if you are handicapped (I'm not, but have had many friends over the years with issues). I cooked in a camper trailer (not a mobile home, not a fancy RV) for three years and it really wasn't all that bad.

 

[LindaZ]

Monotony - making the same stuff over and over again. Not having enough time to really cook - so I make the same stuff, over and over again.

Welcome to DC, you'll like it here.

 

[Rocklobster]

dishes

 

[luvs]

working w/ doughs, baking. too technical & allows for less creativy & tweaking room.

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

If salt more over than demand in the recipes’!

That's an easy fix. Make Ina Garten recipes!

 

[jdthompson]

Love exploring and experimenting with new recipes but it's difficult being married to a picky eater.

 

[buckytom]

Space here, too.
Oh, and baking. I can't stand getting flour everywhere. If I had more space though, that frustration would be eliminated.

that just means you need glasses, lol.

for me it's time. as in not enough of it to do what i like, which is to cook. i can't imagine how nice it is to wake up, shop for fresh ingredients, prep things, then produce either a tnt dish, or an experiment, or something in between.

but i have to put on a dirty jumpsuit, climb into the machine, and be flogged while i make tvs glow.

ok, that's a bit of license, but you know what i mean.

 

[LindaLou]

Time for me too. I love cooking and I really like trying out new recipes/ideas but seems I am always in a pinch for time.

I am with you that it would be so nice to get up and go shopping and spend the day cooking.

 

[Somebunny]

It's the time issue for me too! Our weeknight meals are usually mundane. No time to shop for fresh or even dream up something creative. Weekends are a little better, but they are usually jamb packed too! Once I free myself from this tiny cubicle I have great aspirations! Just hope I am not "too pooped to pop"! ;-)