A lot of times I don't put enough hot peppers in things, but I can always add more.
Seriously though, after a while, you'll be able to tell when something like that 1/4 c of thyme is too much, and they probably mean 1/4 tsp instead. Only a few spices will be added in that amount - things like pure chili powders, or paprikas, unless, of course, you are making massive amounts of something.
I agree. The fist thing that caught my eye when reading the post was 1/4 CUP of Thyme. I cant remember ever adding more than 1 Tsp to a recipe for a norma seed dish.
Does remind me of a story of my Sister in Law making Tomato sauce. She was a following a recipe, and mistook Tsp for Cup. The Recipe called for 1 Tsp of Dried Oregan, Dried Basil and Dried parsley. ( She put a cup of each in). Luckily, she made it for her immediate family and I never tried it ( although I heard the story over and over, I think it still circulates). My brother said there was so much dry spice in there , that the sauce was crunchy.
So, cup for spice should be a red flag ( unless you're making a huge amount).
This brings me to the reasons Ive had failures.
1)
Poor recipe/ recipe choice. The recipe just may be crap, poorly written or written with mistakes. Some mistakes are easy to pick out ( typos). Some are just common sensical that can be fixed due to cooking experience ( like knowing cup for spices is usually not the case), and some times the recipe just plain old stinks ( also, over time, you acquire the ability to be able to get a good sense of what the recipe will be like just by reading it ( before even making it). As I get older and more experience , I have less an less failures like this due to my increased insight and ability to read a recipe . Getting recipes from good sources that you know are reliable can avoid these kind of errors.
2)
Carelessness:
- Not paying attention with the amounts. Eyes not as good as they used to be so mistaking 1/4 for 1/2 ..., just because im too lazy to put glasses on or squint. - - Pan too hot or not keeping a watchful eye and burning Or over cooking things. - Not setting a timer and forgetting to notice your start time, therefor overcooking/ burning the dish.
- Getting halfway through a recipe then realizing you dont have a major ingredient, forcing you to make a off the top of your head ( whatever I have in the house) substitute which is going to AFFECT the outcome of the dish.
- Not checking to see if an ingredient that has been sitting on the shelf Orr in the fridge is spoiled prior to adding it to everything else.
-
Common mistakes we still make from time to time: Too much salt, too spicy, over cooking, sticking to the pan, falls through the grill grate , uneven cooking, left out on the counter while cooling and forgot to put it in the fridge so spent the night becoming inedible ( happened to me a few weeks ago with my mushroom barley soup. all went to the chicken). Just search the threads. Every week someone starts a tread on how to fix one of the above situations.
3)
Technique, Wrong equipment, Bad Equipment
Most of us here, although have been cooking for ever, are not professional cooks and dong have the same professional cooking equipment to achieve certain results ( But we try our damn hardest). Wouldn't necessary call som of thee dish results failures, just not at the level we hoped or expected.
4) Being vegetarian/ Vegan (wife), I am put in a situation where I have two try and vegetarianize / veganize regular recipes to its vegetarian/ vegan counterpart, and still be edible. Not that Im going for an exact duplicate ( its impossible), but something that resembles the original dish I am trying to duplicate. I feel like a hero when I present something that is good, but I can assure you, many of the dishes come out as trash. But as the great Bugs Bunny himself said.
" if you try and don't succeed, try, try again"
The most important thing is not to get discouraged. As long as you have made something in the past that you have considered a success, that proves that you are capable of doing it again. If something fails, the most important thing is to figure out where the problem was and how you can fix it. This forum, and the people in it have been coaching, advising, guiding, encouraging and critiquing each other for the sole purpose of increasing our abilities, skills and culinary outcomes.
I welcome the challenges and failures of cooking. I feel it only makes me more knowledgeable, increases my skill and overall makes me a better cook.
Good luck with your future cooking and you took the first step by posting in this forum and asking for advice and insight.
(PSSST....today is my pre Thanksgiving recipe trial day. Making a fewness recipes to see if they are worthy of bringing on the big day. I'll put money on it that I screw something up, which is why Im trying it out first
)