I'm a good home cook - if "being a good home cook" means that I can make good tasting food from what I have with 90% improvisation at all times.

But I cannot make it look nice, my food has 0% sophistication, and I rarely have the time or patience to cook a "proper" meal from a recipe.

Today's example: I made leftover baked pumpkin and leftover tofu into a sauce with the rest of my bacon and some maple syrup. Then I improvised sage-butter potatoes, tossed in some fried pork steaks and gnocchi, and there you go.

I'm a 1-person-household, so my daily main concern is, "what needs to go?"

All the flavors fit, and I browned, toasted, and deglazed All The Things. But it's a punch to the face (everything everywhere all the time at 120% flavor) and it looks like baby food. I love this shit. My parents would love this shit. I'd never be able to serve this to anyone. The first and only time I tried, the feedback was "well, it's a lot".

So basically, I can feed myself really well, but I can never spontaneously invite someone to dinner. Am I the only goblin on in this sub?

After discovering the error, she added cinnamon and even more sugar.

I tasted it, and it’s… not terrible. It screams “use me with pork”. I have thus volunteered to turn the 2 cups or so of homemade cumin applesauce into something delicious. Ideas and recipes please?

I have 20 cans of condensed milk. I'm not trying to use everything all at once, but what are some recipes that require a lot condensed milk?

I recently made Guy Fieri’s Mac Daddy Mac ‘n Cheese and was completely disappointed! There were so many steps (roasting shallots and garlic, frying bacon, cooking cream until it reduced), and yet it was so bland.

Are all of his recipes like this — all hype and flair but little substance? Or are there other recipes of his I should try?

See title. Savoury or sweet would work :)

The way i was taught is to split the shrimps and remove all the gunk inside, do yall do that? Is it even necessary?

I improvised using a slow cooker, figuring it can't be that bad. Butter chicken curry. Done it before in a pan a bunch of times.

It was revolting. Absolutely horrible. Looked and tasted like a bright yellow chicken soup.

What is the deal?

My instinct is it's not pre-frying the onions, garlic etc. getting a load of the veg liquid out?

Approach:

Threw in chicken thighs, onion, garlic, ginger, spices, tomatoes and cooked for 5 hours. Added cream for the final 30, as well as wet cornstarch.

Update:

Thanks for the feedback. Learn much more from mistakes like this than years of daily ok cooking.

In summary, the slow cooker is only useful for the middle section, the slow cooking of the meat.

1. Fry onion, garlic, tomatoes down first to remove bitter liquid
2. Maybe sear meat
3. Slow cook
4. Remove meat
5. Reduce sauce in pan
6. Combine

Main benefit of slow cooker is I can leave the house while it cooks.

My partner and I love Indian food and I always serve some naan bread with our curries. The store bought options suck, and I can never get my homemade to the same softness you get at a restaurant. Are there any tricks for cooking naan so you get that restaurant texture and taste?

I wish I could post a pic of the beautiful beef short ribs I'm searing rn for this recipe short ribs over creamy polenta. It's fantastic.

This may be a stupid question but I'm growing peas in my garden. I like making pea soup but I've only used the dried split peas in the grocery store and have never grown peas before. Can you make soup using fresh peas? Or are there better ways of using them?

I was going to bring macaroni salad, deviled eggs, and pies to a potluck on Sunday. I wasn't aware until about 20 minutes ago that the person hosting the potluck has arfid and can't eat anything with the word salad in it, chicken, and mayonnaise. I will still be baking pies tomorrow and although those should be enough, the rest of the people coming are not bringing enough food. Our list of foods that aren't baked goods is a fruit platter and PB&j sandwiches. Its happening around lunchtime so I'd like for everyone to be able to have a good lunch. I need to leave very early so I have to make the food the night before, does anyone have any suggestions for foods I can make?

Requirements for foods:

- no salads, mayonnaise, or chicken

- must be able to stay out or in the fridge overnight

Any help is appreciated, thank you so much!

edit: SO many hateful comments. No, I don't want to be in this situation and I understand where some of you are coming from with "just don't go" or "just bring whatever you want." This is a group for a very niche interest that I only get to see about 2-3 times a year for a single day each time. Everyone else has been accommodating, if I'm the one causing problems I would not be invited to events anymore. It's just one person who has been giving these extreme requests each time we meet and I seem to be the only one with issues about it. I don't want to lose my connections with this hobby I love, and all the people I like in the group, just because I'm going to be rude about this one persons requests. Please stop commenting opinions on the matter, I am going to this meet up, I'm going to be accommodating, end of discussion. If you have food suggestions your comment is greatly appreciated! I'm still trying to have a fun time.

So I’m interested in making a nice chili this weekend. I still have to run up to the market so please hit me up with your favorite recipes. It’s a nice chilly weekend up here in Central Maine and I’m just thinking it would be really cool for tomorrow to make a chili with all kind of melted cheese on top for dinner tomorrow night.

I like adding not just ground beef, but also chopping up some steak to put in there. Beans are good, but I don’t like to overdo them.

Anybody have any tips and tricks that make all the difference? Thanks in advance!

My parents had a chest freezer. I have an upright freezer in my basement. It’s an archeological dig site.

I made stew last year with meat I discovered in the freezer that was dated 2020. It tasted fine. None of us died. Now I’m eyeballing that bottom shelf.

So confess: how old is the oldest frozen thing you’ve cooked? How’d it go?

I bought a liter of 35% two weeks back with good intentions. Didn't use more than 1/2 cup. Best before date is today. Luckily, I have time today to do something to use it. I'd prefer not to freeze for another day.

What should I do? What would you do?

Can someone help or explain to me why my steaks and chicken and basically everything just sticks to my pans even when I put a bunch of butter and oil, am I just using to high of heat someone please explain

Good morning,

My wife’s birthday is Monday and I want to make her chicken pot pie. I’d love to hear your ultimate chicken pot pie recipes.

...and it was delicious. It did affect the smoothness. The gravy is, well ...not "lumpy" ...not "gritty" ... uh... textured?

Anyway. Wife wanted chicken & gravy over rice so I insta-potted the chicken thighs, two cups of water, my mirepoix stuff, & then I removed the chicken & blended all the liquid with garlic, salt, & pepper and some corn starch.

Definitely the best tasting gravy I've made but I think I might be going to heck for this.

ETA: Anyone else agree that black pepper and chicken are a great combo? I always want more pepper than the family wants.

I'm Indian, so I'm used to bold, spicy flavours. Lately, I've been trying recipes from other cuisines, and I'm realizing how little I know about balancing flavours beyond adding more spice!

How do you develop the ability to taste something and know it needs more acidity, salt, or something else entirely? Sometimes I can tell a dish tastes off, but I wouldn't know what to add or change to fix it.

I want to become a good cook who understands flavours, rather than someone who just follows recipes. How do you develop that skill?

All I ever make is carnitas. I don't mind if it takes a while to cook, but prefer not too much hands on work. What's your fav recipe like this?

I’m a primary caretaker for an elderly woman with stage 4 Metastatic breast cancer. No dietary restrictions but a lot of chemotherapy-imposed restrictions (tastes, textures etc).

Her diet is currently soups and cream of wheat. She creates almost no saliva so everything has to be a soup-like consistency. But she’s tired of soups. I’m thinking maybe creamy casserole type foods? I don’t know. Help?

Here’s what we need:

1. Packs protein without meat or eggs. Bone broth is okay, yogurt is okay. Eggs are okay as an ingredient but not as a main dish (texture). Chicken and salmon are off the table but can be in the dish, she just can’t eat them. Jury is still out on red meats but we’re willing to try.

2. Calorie dense wherever possible.

3. Potassium rich foods are a plus.

4. Beans can participate but they’re hit or miss with digestion so not a rock solid first choice.

Some things I’ve made: very soft creamy Mac and cheese, creamed chicken and veggies to go over biscuits (biscuits were a pass and she ate around the chicken), sloppy joes of all things, Italian “penicillin” soup was okay but not great for her. She’s also tried pretty much all the “high end grocery store” soup varieties that come prepackaged.

It’s a tall order but I’m soliciting any ideas. Bonus if I can freeze it, and if you have access to a link with the recipe.

Basically that. I have a ton of shallots and fresh mozz. Halfway through making the Roman recipe I started to wonder if I couldn't convert it.

Anybody tried this? Or see any obvious hazards?

Hey everyone! I really enjoy cooking, and enjoy homemade food even more, but work long hours 4 days a week, so I try to batch cook and batch prep more often so I'm not tempted to order takeout during the week or when I'm just busy and tired. I've seen so many people suggest frozen burritos and breakfast burritos when someone asks here about making easy to make frozen meals for postpartum donations, surgeries, funerals, etc. Would that translate well to meal prepping for chimichangas? I love Mexican food and make tacos, enchiladas, birria tacos, fajitas and quesadillas often. All of which can be batch cooked and/or meal prepped at least in part. Could I just make the burritos, vacuum seal and freeze, then thaw and fry my chimichangas for when I'm really craving them but don't have time or energy for a lot of work that day? It seems the obvious answer should be yes, but often freezing something with certain components can give altered results depending on the finishing cooking method. Does anyone do this? Do frozen then thawed flour tortillas fry well?

I will do my first catering event for 30 people soon. I will not be cooking on site, however there's electricity there.

It's for a dinner, its a buffet, I will not be serving anyone. But I do need to come 1,5-2h earlier to set everything up.

I'm not worried about the cold dishes, but I have four dishes I am worried about, that I want to keep warm and out of "danger zone".

Baked beans, meatballs in mushroom sauce, mushroom and cheese stuffed peppers in thick tomato sauce and pulled pork baked in beer.

Is it best to buy chafing dishes? Its a bigger investmnet for me, when I am not sure that I will keep doing catering.

Are insulated food carriers reliable enough to keep the food at the right tempetature?

Any other suggestion?

Trying to make beef stew today. Realized when i started that i have two things of beef stock in my fridge. Both are half full but for the life of me i cant remember when i used them last. The box says they dont expire unitl November 17th but they say use within two weeks of opening. They look and smell fine. Is it safe to eat if it is older than two weeks? Does cooking it for 8 hours in the crockpot make it safer or is that not how food works