Cooking tasks which you find boring

[jennyb]

Today I was peeling and chopping onions for a casserole dish and I realised that however much I like cooking I find peeling and chopping onions very boring. Maybe it is because I've done it so many times? I wondered if other people had particular cooking tasks they found boring. This could be a boring thread.

 

[Morning Glory]

Me too - I also hate peeling and chopping onions. Also garlic. I do it SO often that if there used to be any pleasure in it I have certainly lost the plot.

 

[Yorky]

Definitely peeling garlic. The main reason why I puree garlic for the freezer is so that I can bite the bullet one day and force myself into brain dead mode to peel a couple of dozen heads at once.

 

[Slumgullioneer]

I think potato peeling is the worst. Or maybe shelling crab husks, deveining shrimp, or frenching lamb racks, or chops. In the commercial environment, its not uncommon to have to do hundreds of any one of these in one sitting.
At home, I reward myself for doing onions, potatoes, carrots and other monotonous tasks by playing music i rarely treat myself to, or making myself a special drink, etc.
Just my way of saying "thank you self, for your sacrifice, for following through on such a boring, thankless, even tear-jerking task, all for the sake of providing a great dining experience."

 

[MypinchofItaly]

I think potato peeling is the worst. Or maybe shelling crab husks, deveining shrimp, or frenching lamb racks, or chops. In the commercial environment, its not uncommon to have to do hundreds of any one of these in one sitting.
At home, I reward myself for doing onions, potatoes, carrots and other monotonous tasks by playing music i rarely treat myself to, or making myself a special drink, etc.
Just my way of saying "thank you self, for your sacrifice, for following through on such a boring, thankless, even tear-jerking task, all for the sake of providing a great dining experience."

I agree with you @Slumgullioneer about potato peeling...and also carrots. I could fall asleep while doing it!

 

[Yorky]

I don't have a problem with peeling potatoes although I rarely peel more than two at a time. Many a time I leave the skins on anyway - I have a scrubbing brush by the sink for the purpose of cleaning them.

I never peel carrots. Just scrub them.

 

[toddhicks209]

I doubt many people like peeling and chopping onions. I sometimes wear goggles while doing this to reduce the sting to my eyes.

 

[Yorky]

I doubt many people like peeling and chopping onions. I sometimes wear goggles while doing this to reduce the sting to my eyes.

I understand what you mean. I find that washing the onion in cold water reduces the discharge of the irritant slightly but if I'm chopping a lot for a mega chili let's say (8 large onions) I use the processor. Even then, if I suffer discomfort during the process, I pour a beer, go outside in the fresh air and leave it for a while.

 

[Francesca]

I would say, prepping onions and garlic as well ..

I also run my onions under cold wáter which reduces the tearing of one´s eyes. (though I sub shallots in most of my recipes or Calçots when in season, a Catalan indigenious variety).

 

[The Late Night Gourmet]

Peeling potatoes is actually calming to me. But, shredding several pounds of potatoes to make a reasonable amount of tater tots or hash browns is horrible, even though it's a great upper-body workout. Watch out for shredded fingers when you start to get tired!

For garlic, peeling is by far the worst part. I do chop garlic cloves by hand, rather than use a garlic press, depending on how much I need. For large quantities of garlic, I'll often buy pre-peeled, vacuum-sealed garlic.

The cost is surprisingly very close to that of the bulbs at Kroger, and maybe even cheaper if you use it before they get mushy:

$1.00 = 2 bulbs of garlic = about 1.5 ounces of unpeeled garlic, or maybe 1 ounce of garlic.
$2.49 = 6 ounces of peeled garlic

 

[winterybella]

Anything that requires too much time peeling or using a grater. Those who know me here know I like a quick fix so if I had my way I'd like to snap my fingers and have all the ingredients appear ready to cook/bake. Thankfully, my husband has been quite good helping me peel things like breadfruits and also works with the garlic.

 

[MypinchofItaly]

Peeling potatoes is actually calming to me. But, shredding several pounds of potatoes to make a reasonable amount of tater tots or hash browns is horrible, even though it's a great upper-body workout. Watch out for shredded fingers when you start to get tired!

For garlic, peeling is by far the worst part. I do chop garlic cloves by hand, rather than use a garlic press, depending on how much I need. For large quantities of garlic, I'll often buy pre-peeled, vacuum-sealed garlic.

The cost is surprisingly very close to that of the bulbs at Kroger, and maybe even cheaper if you use it before they get mushy:

$1.00 = 2 bulbs of garlic = about 1.5 ounces of unpeeled garlic, or maybe 1 ounce of garlic.
$2.49 = 6 ounces of peeled garlic

Comfort food!

 

[Morning Glory]

Peeling potatoes is actually calming to me. But, shredding several pounds of potatoes to make a reasonable amount of tater tots or hash browns is horrible, even though it's a great upper-body workout. Watch out for shredded fingers when you start to get tired!

For garlic, peeling is by far the worst part. I do chop garlic cloves by hand, rather than use a garlic press, depending on how much I need. For large quantities of garlic, I'll often buy pre-peeled, vacuum-sealed garlic.

The cost is surprisingly very close to that of the bulbs at Kroger, and maybe even cheaper if you use it before they get mushy:

$1.00 = 2 bulbs of garlic = about 1.5 ounces of unpeeled garlic, or maybe 1 ounce of garlic.
$2.49 = 6 ounces of peeled garlic

I recently discovered powdered ground garlic - I think it is more common in the US perhaps. I must confess I'm now doshing it in all sorts of things rather than peel garlic!

Nice product that peeled garlic @The Late Night Gourmet. I don't think we have anything like that in the UK.

 

[winterybella]

I recently discovered powdered ground garlic - I think t is more common in the US perhaps. I must confess I'm now doshing it in all sorts of things rather than peel garlic!

Nice product that peeled garlic @The Late Night Gourmet. I don't think we have anything like that in the UK.

You have only just discovered that? I've had it for ages but it's not that impressive to me. At least not alongside the actual garlic. I am impress the way my husband sits and takes care of the garlic. Thinking about it now the garlic should be envied.

 

[Morning Glory]

I am impress the way my husband sits and takes care of the garlic. Thinking about it now the garlic should be envied.