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It never has the right texture. Its either too dry or too moist.
Oh I have to agree here. A couple of years ago I tried to make my own but broke it so my mom had to step in to help me fix it. Ever since then I just buy stuff premade and stir in some of the drippings to spruce it up.
My problem with fried chicken is that the outside comes out perfect, but the middle of the chicken is still raw.
I accidently found a way to fix this problem. I was expecting company and they arrived late so I had put the fried chicken in the oven to keep it warm. It was delicious. So fry it long enough to get the crust to stay good and have the golden color and then finish it up in the oven.
For me it's pie crust. It always seems to break apart or just doesn't fit on correctly. Then when the pie is done, the crust seems dry to me.
What is your cooking nemesis?
You have bought into the lore that too much liquid is bad, and too much flour is bad.
Use enough water to make the dough a bit tacky, then use a lot of flour on your board and on top of the dough as you roll it.
I use 3 cups flour, 1 cup shortening, and 13-14 T water. Go boldly and show it who's boss. I know you can do it.
Pinto Beans - My best friend Karen makes the best Pinto Beans - soaks them, cooks them with cilantro, jalapeno, seasonings etc... all day long. I replicate her recipe - but they never taste the same. Now I just buy Bushes canned pinto beans and add all that Karen uses - but dang it - I absolutely LOVE Karen's beans and now that I'm in AZ and she is in TX I won't have them again in years I'm sure. :-(
Have you ever tried making beans in a pressure cooker? I have an electric pressure cooker and the beans come out like heaven. They are so creamy. yum yum.
Another challenge that I have is homemade bread. I love to cook from scratch but my bread is so darn dense. Taste is good but it's just not fluffy. I had been using AP flour and recently bought bread flour but haven't used it yet for homemade bread.
I am still looking for a good meat loaf recipe. I think there is another thread about this.
My mother used to do stacks of pies and she would cut them like a layer cake. I can't make even one so I resort to cobbler too. Equal parts of sugar, self-rising flour and milk after melting butter in the bottom of the dish and adding pre-made pie filling. Pour the flour mixture over the pie filling and bake until done.
My mother made the best biscuits that did not get hard when they got cold. We used them for tomato and cucumber and onion biscuits all day long. Mine are not as good but I have found a way to make them that tastes pretty good and is acceptable.
2 cups self-rising flour, 1/4 cup real mayonnaise and one cup milk stirred together just until mixed. Biscuits are things that should not be mixed too much or they get hard.
I either drop these in a 9X13 pan or put just a little extra flour in them and pick them up with a tablespoon and pat into a biscuit with butter on my hands. Butter the pan before putting them in. If you want the biscuits to be golden on top, drop little pats of butter on them before they cook. Not necessary though.
Pinto Beans - My best friend Karen makes the best Pinto Beans - soaks them, cooks them with cilantro, jalapeno, seasonings etc... all day long. I replicate her recipe - but they never taste the same. Now I just buy Bushes canned pinto beans and add all that Karen uses - but dang it - I absolutely LOVE Karen's beans and now that I'm in AZ and she is in TX I won't have them again in years I'm sure. :-(
Honestly I think the real trick is lard. If you look at what seperates good mexican restaurants beans from the homemade ones (or some from a can) its the fat they use, which is lard.
You know, I think I'll get some lard if I can find it, and see how it is in pie crust and some other things. I am not opposed to using natural ingredients like that instead of vegetable shortening. It's not like you'd eat it every day.
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