Cooking: Is it a losing battle for you?

[sorrowscall]

I love to cook! Honestly, it's something I adore doing. However, lately, I keep failing all of my tried out recipes and my cooking is starting to become a joke amongst the better cooks in the household. I'm going to keep trying! Maybe I'm a masochist? But I do know the only way to get better is through trial and error. Just, right now it feels like a losing battle. Do any of you feel that way lately? What do you plan to do to overcome the hurdle?

 

[welsh dragon]

I have a tried and tested recipe for a victoria sponge. One that I have used many time and the sponge is always perfect. However when I made it last week it turned I to a disaster. The sponge sank in the middle and it tasted god awful.

I have found another recipe and will try that. Hopefully, it will turn out all right. I have a feeling it was the margarine. I hate to be beaten so will keep trying until it works.

 

[sidevalve]

Try something different - something you have never tried before. There can only be two outcomes 1 - it works and you feel great or 2 - it doesn't work but hey it was an experiment anyhow and you can't expect to get it right first time.
Win win !!

 

[Berties]

the first time you make anew dish is a experiment or lets call it a test and then after every time it gets easier and the dish improves ,it can take me 3 times to hit the dishes full potential ,change the recipe is sometimes needed ,like shortbreads and sweet paste i have my chosen recipe ,one recipe works better at home in my range than my all singing all dancing oven at work

 

[GadgetGuy]

I love to cook! Honestly, it's something I adore doing. However, lately, I keep failing all of my tried out recipes and my cooking is starting to become a joke amongst the better cooks in the household. I'm going to keep trying! Maybe I'm a masochist? But I do know the only way to get better is through trial and error. Just, right now it feels like a losing battle. Do any of you feel that way lately? What do you plan to do to overcome the hurdle?

Don't stop trying! Keep it up until you can get it right & be able to master the art of cooking.
It is a very nice hobby to learn.

 

[DancingLady]

For me the time involved in making something that is more complicated and actually not an embarrassment if I were to serve someone else is just not happening. Most days I just eat off of large batches of crock pot food and the only seasoning is some catchup or even just a dusting of black pepper. I used to make more creative meals, but with work and dance and more work I just end up throwing some rice, beans and veggies into a bowl, warm it up, eat quickly and wash up.

 

[missbishi]

Is your cooker working correctly? If it's getting too hot, or not hot enough, this could be causing your tried-and-tested recipes to suddenly fail.

There are certainly times when I feel like I can't get anything right in the kitchen. You are right though, trial and error is the only way forward.

 

[winterybella]

I love to cook! Honestly, it's something I adore doing. However, lately, I keep failing all of my tried out recipes and my cooking is starting to become a joke amongst the better cooks in the household. I'm going to keep trying! Maybe I'm a masochist? But I do know the only way to get better is through trial and error. Just, right now it feels like a losing battle. Do any of you feel that way lately? What do you plan to do to overcome the hurdle?

Oh dear. I feel your frustration, but I also noticed you are not one to quit and that's a step in the right direction. I have to ask if you are trying difficult dishes and if you are I would suggest you try simpler things. Sometimes I feel a little down when it comes to my baking if it's not perfect, but I keep coming to the forum and going back to the drawing often with a great result. So keep trying and sooner or later people won't laughing anymore.

I am looking forward to reading of your progress.

 

[sorrowscall]

For me the time involved in making something that is more complicated and actually not an embarrassment if I were to serve someone else is just not happening. Most days I just eat off of large batches of crock pot food and the only seasoning is some catchup or even just a dusting of black pepper. I used to make more creative meals, but with work and dance and more work I just end up throwing some rice, beans and veggies into a bowl, warm it up, eat quickly and wash up.

The irony is I actually adore rice. I do the thing where I put a wooden spoon on top of the pot in order for the water not to spill over. I'm waiting until I can get a small rice cooker; as they are small angels for those of us who like fast food without the extra dollop of unhealthy things like fries. I get the Asian toppings for rice instead of ketchup or black pepper; although sometimes I'll just pour leftover gravy on top of it and call it a day. I'm sure getting the rice cooker will actually help me with a lot of the recipes I keep messing up on too.

 

[kana_marie]

It can be. Whenever I try to cook something that isn't in a box, I have to remind myself to check for all that stuff. The craziest things always seem to happen

 

[sorrowscall]

Oh dear. I feel your frustration, but I also noticed you are not one to quit and that's a step in the right direction. I have to ask if you are trying difficult dishes and if you are I would suggest you try simpler things. Sometimes I feel a little down when it comes to my baking if it's not perfect, but I keep coming to the forum and going back to the drawing often with a great result. So keep trying and sooner or later people won't laughing anymore.

I am looking forward to reading of your progress.

No. I'm not really trying anything too out there. I don't have the confidence yet to try something like a turducken or a cooked goose. I'm trying very hard to master the things that are just slightly over the basics; like adding mushrooms and other things to eggs or stuffing a mushroom cap and baking it. So far I'm quite good at various styles of salads and jams. I think that's a rather good improvement. I learned to make fresh strawberry jam.

 

[winterybella]

No. I'm not really trying anything too out there. I don't have the confidence yet to try something like a turducken or a cooked goose. I'm trying very hard to master the things that are just slightly over the basics; like adding mushrooms and other things to eggs or stuffing a mushroom cap and baking it. So far I'm quite good at various styles of salads and jams. I think that's a rather good improvement. I learned to make fresh strawberry jam.

Well there you go. Congrats. I have been in the kitchen for decades and I have never made a jam. Thumbs up. I think the internet will provide you with lots of great ideas. I looked up tips for doing well in the kitchen or something like that and got some great results just like you will be doing in the kitchen shortly. Don't entertain any negative thought. Cooking is going to be such fun for you when you start to see more positive results. I pulled this link to share with you.

http://www.thesimpledollar.com/teaching-yourself-to-cook-at-home-ten-tips-from-my-kitchen-to-yours/