Your weakest area(s) of cooking expertise

Making waffles this morning, I'm reminded that I can't hand-whip egg whites (or cream) for crap.
 
I must be very un-American.

So you hold your fork with your right hand and knife with your left?
You are toying with me, right? No, the fork goes in the left hand, and the knife in the right. They stay there. Unless, of course you are left handed :laugh:
 
You are toying with me, right? No, the fork goes in the left hand, and the knife in the right. They stay there. Unless, of course you are left handed :laugh:
No. I am left-handed. Like I posted previously, the fork stays in my left hand and the knife stays in the right hand. No need to switch. And no I am not toying with you, almost everyone I know who is right-handed (which is nearly everyone I know) uses the right hand for the fork, and when they cut something, they switch it to hold the knife in the right hand while cutting, and then switch the fork back to the right hand to take a bite. It always seemed like a lot of work to me. Glad to know it's an American peculiarity.
 
No. I am left-handed. Like I posted previously, the fork stays in my left hand and the knife stays in the right hand. No need to switch. And no I am not toying with you, almost everyone I know who is right-handed (which is nearly everyone I know) uses the right hand for the fork, and when they cut something, they switch it to hold the knife in the right hand while cutting, and then switch the fork back to the right hand to take a bite. It always seemed like a lot of work to me. Glad to know it's an American peculiarity.

Do you normally cut with your left hand? I'm right handed and I can't use a knife or scissors with my left hand. I'm part of the American peculiarity club. ;-0
 
You are toying with me, right? No, the fork goes in the left hand, and the knife in the right. They stay there. Unless, of course you are left handed :laugh:
I'm left-handed and I've never used cutlery the wrong way round. Of course, us lefties are used to a right-handed world and are usually more capable with our "wrong" hand than right-handers...

As for cooking, I've never really got the hang of baking. I don't do it that often and what comes out is usually pleasant enough, but I've pretty much given up on having any kind of fixed idea of what I'm supposed to be making.

Otherwise, I wish I could brew beer half decently. Not that I've tried for many years. I had a few goes at it and the only really useful thing I managed to achieve was unblocking a sink.
 
Do you normally cut with your left hand? I'm right handed and I can't use a knife or scissors with my left hand. I'm part of the American peculiarity club. ;-0
Only when I am prepping food at my chopping board, then I will hold the food with my right hand and cut it with my left hand. But during a meal, the fork stays in my left hand and when I need to cut something, I pick up the knife with my right hand and cut. I do not see the point in switching hands to do this.

So for those right-handed people who are not American peculiar, do you cut your ingredients for food prep with your left or right hand?

I sense a new thread in the near future...
 
So for those right-handed people who are not American peculiar, do you cut your ingredients for food prep with your left or right hand?
I chop vegetables and slice bread using my left hand. When I'm eating, the knife stays in my right hand. In that regard, I think I'll quite normal. In other regards, there may be alternative views...
 
I chop vegetables and slice bread using my left hand. When I'm eating, the knife stays in my right hand. In that regard, I think I'll quite normal. In other regards, there may be alternative views...
I guess "normal" is quite subjective...it's interesting (to me) finding out how different people do things either the same or differently than others, though.
 
Her biggest weakness is she will not taste at any stage of cooking, this drives me nuts. I have to do it for her.I drive her nuts because I'm very very untidy.
I love making desserts, but I don't eat them, I don't even like most ingredients that go into most desserts, so I never ever taste them while I'm cooking (or after they're ready). And I also have issues with following recipes and never follow a recipe to a T. Yet my desserts almost always get big compliments. Either all my cooking luck went into desserts or my friends and family are an easy crowd to please.
 
I love making desserts, but I don't eat them, I don't even like most ingredients that go into most desserts, so I never ever taste them while I'm cooking (or after they're ready). And I also have issues with following recipes and never follow a recipe to a T. Yet my desserts almost always get big compliments. Either all my cooking luck went into desserts or my friends and family are an easy crowd to please.
We are a rebellious lot in this forum, eh? Seems like many of us do not like following recipes exactly. Glad yours have turned out well!
 
Hollandaise sauce for poached eggs, from scratch.
Hollandaise isn't really difficult - just remember not to have the bain marie too hot, drizzle your butter in very slowly, and if it looks like its about to split add a splash of water and keep whisking.

I suppose knife skills would be my weakness - I can chop and slice but its not usually very even. It'd probably help if I had a set of decent knives....they've been on the shopping list for a few years but haven't got around to it yet. My gravy is also a bit hit and miss (UK style gravy, not the white American kind).....I like chicken gravy but I'm not a huge fan of pork, beef or lamb gravy so I maybe its just a question of motivation.

I'm not too bad at baking - bread and cakes, though decoration is most definitely NOT one of my strong points. They taste good though, and that's the important thing, right?
 
My gravy is also a bit hit and miss (UK style gravy, not the white American kind).....I like chicken gravy but I'm not a huge fan of pork, beef or lamb gravy so I maybe its just a question of motivation.

I'm not too bad at baking - bread and cakes, though decoration is most definitely NOT one of my strong points. They taste good though, and that's the important thing, right?
We use mostly brown gravy here? Unless it's sausage gravy for breakfast with American style biscuits (flaky dough, not sweet) then it's whitish in color. Maybe that too is regional, I don't know.
 
Hollandaise isn't really difficult - just remember not to have the bain marie too hot, drizzle your butter in very slowly, and if it looks like its about to split add a splash of water and keep whisking.

I recently made some in the microwave - really easy. I'm not sure if I posted the recipe...

Went to look - I didn't. I was going through my 'tripping phase' hence purple eggs - the Hollandaise is deep yellow due to the egg yolks I used:

53321
 
Hollandaise isn't really difficult - just remember not to have the bain marie too hot, drizzle your butter in very slowly, and if it looks like its about to split add a splash of water and keep whisking.

I suppose knife skills would be my weakness - I can chop and slice but its not usually very even. It'd probably help if I had a set of decent knives....they've been on the shopping list for a few years but haven't got around to it yet. My gravy is also a bit hit and miss (UK style gravy, not the white American kind).....I like chicken gravy but I'm not a huge fan of pork, beef or lamb gravy so I maybe its just a question of motivation.

I'm not too bad at baking - bread and cakes, though decoration is most definitely NOT one of my strong points. They taste good though, and that's the important thing, right?

We do have more than one kind of gravy, here.

CD
 
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