QOTD 8/10: I've got to cook WHAT?

[Chef Mongo]

Let's open that Closet of Horrors in your culinary subconscious, folks. Let's peer deep down, past all your foodie confidence, past your basic cooking knowledge, down to the Stephen King regions of your food mind. Pennywise is there, and he's holding a recipe ... it's using the one food or the one cooking technique that has always intimidated/flummoxed/confounded you.

What is it? Speak, and banish the evil clown!

[vickatina]

One word:






pancakes

[chefshawn]

In fact, I suffered again with this just two days ago, and continued this morning, as I had the leftovers for breakfast:

In 18 years of professional cooking, I've yet to make a good squash casserole. I've tried simple dump-and-stir methods, I've tried fresh and frozen squash, I've tried scratch methods. Maybe I just don't like squash casserole?

I think my main problem is that I try to focus on the squash and nutrition of it, rather than just makin' potluck slop like I ought to. I think I may be trying to hard.

This week's batch is about as slimy as can be. I can't believe I ate more of it!

[Myrealana]

Two things.

Vichyssoise - I tried it on a lark once. It was disgusting. I've never cared enough to try it again.

Chocolate cake - I can NOT make a good chocolate cake from scratch. I've tried at least a dozen recipes - adjusted for high altitude and not - with no success. I've made hot chocolate soup, chocolate rocks, chocolate cardboard. Never anything I would be willing to call a cake.

[Kinsley]

Bread.

[gypsy]

In fact, I suffered again with this just two days ago, and continued this morning, as I had the leftovers for breakfast:

In 18 years of professional cooking, I've yet to make a good squash casserole. I've tried simple dump-and-stir methods, I've tried fresh and frozen squash, I've tried scratch methods. Maybe I just don't like squash casserole?

I think my main problem is that I try to focus on the squash and nutrition of it, rather than just makin' potluck slop like I ought to. I think I may be trying to hard.

This week's batch is about as slimy as can be. I can't believe I ate more of it!

I have a terrific recipe for a butternut squash gratin casserole with spinach that I make almost every Thanksgiving. It uses lots of Gruyere cheese and some heavy cream and has never come out "slimy" in the least. It's yours if you want it.

[okbye]

If it's that scary I just don't make it. Creme Brulee is one of the few things I will make that intimidates me. It's just so easy to get the texture wrong.

[LucyLu]

Red Velvet cake

Blehhhh

[gypsy]

LIVER.

[Kristina]

I can't get hummus right. I've tried so many times. Sigh. It's not even COOKING.

[n8urebabe]

Bread.

This. It's usually edible but it's not very good. I don't know if I over knead or don't knead enough but I can't get a decent texture out of my bread. Not even with Party Flavor coaching me.
When it cools off, I'll try again. I love focaccia bread and his looks so amazing.
I can also relate to okbye's concerns about creme brulee.

[gypsy]

Wait, now that I think about it, I completely ruined the one time I ever attempted pesto. It came out all weird and stiff. Making pesto still scares me.

[Catherine]

I don't usually have issues cooking most foods... deep frying I dislike, because you have to get rid of the oil....

[Butterbean]

Chiles Rellenos. I have made them in the past & they are wonderful, but they are so labor intensive: roasting the poblanos, removing the skin & removing the seeds while leaving the pepper in tact is difficult enough. Then you have to stuff them with sticks of jack cheese, make a batter involving whipped egg whites, & fry them without the cheese busting out. The cleanup is horrific, too. As much as I love them, I have not made them since my husband passed in 2004.

[beenie]

I can't get hummus right. I've tried so many times. Sigh. It's not even COOKING.

Erin has an amazing hummus recipe, you should hit her up on FB.

Mine is bread.

[new cook]

I think the only thing that had ever intimidated me was biscuits, but with the help of Lee I overcame that fear and now I can make a pretty decent batch. Individual recipes don't scare me, but putting together a large, complex meal make me very anxious. I'm still working out how to time all the different dishes so they're ready at the same time.

I don't usually have issues cooking most foods... deep frying I dislike, because you have to get rid of the oil....

Ugh! Yes, I have this dislike, too. As a result, I almost never deep fry. Nowadays my quest for maintaining good health is also discouraging factor.


Shawn, I don't know if you're talking about winter or summer squash, but either way have you tried roasting the squash before layering it in a casserole?

[Marz Epan]

Candy. I just can't get it right.

I used to shy away from making anything with yeast. I am the Cinnamon Bun queen now (well, at least in my house). I absolutely love the whole process and can't wait until the days are cooler again so I can get back to it. I've made my first souffle and now I can't wait to try another variation. I might even try Angel Food cake.

[sadiedog]

There is no way in hell I'm cooking anything handed to me by a clown.

END!
OF!
STORY!


Other than that, I am really trying hard to find something I'm intimidated to cook. Sure many recipes don't come out well, my baking leaves much to be desired, but I can't say that I've ever been afraid to try.

Correct that: I used to be afraid to try lots of stuff. Now that I have learned many basics in cooking, I find that most recipes are based on a few standard techniques. Makes cooking a lot less scary.

[CopperTop]

Octopus.

To this day, almost 40 years later, I STILL have nightmares about when my first boss asked me to prepare the octopus for the Feast of 7 Fishes he was doing for Christmas eve. Silly me, I assumed the cooler was taped shut because the product was packed on dry ice.

It never occurred to me he'd managed to get his hands on live product... and the first one I pulled out decided to wrap itself around me. I sported the bruises from the suckers for a week.

[nlkdavid]

^^ CT wins!

[carla]

Lots of things, starting with shellfish & crustaceans, as simple as they are. I don't trust myself cooking them; I like eating them in restaurants as a treat.
I've barely even pan fried, let alone deep fried. I bake crumb-crusted chicken. I just wasn't brought up with any frying. I now eat bacon when I go out to b-fast because I don't want to clean up after it. This is also a good dietary limit.
I have a true and silly, soft spot for octopus (octopi?). I think they're so cool. I'm not comfortable eating them. I know, totally illogical, as I'll eat a rabbit, lamb or pig...

[Gipper]

I've never ran into anything that's really intimidated or flummoxed me, honestly, but I haven't really gone out of my way to try anything "weird," so...

[Cheez-Wiz]

Pastry dough/pie crust. Never mastered the art of rolling the dough to the right thickness. It's either paper thin and falling apart, or thick as a board.

[Holly]

This southern belle is quaking as she admits this....,..

FRIED CHICKEN.

Never made it, prolly never will.

Actually, I should put that on my bucket list.

H

[thatchairlady]

Probably couldn't produce a GOOD pie crust if PENNYWISE held a gun to my head!! If he was holding that gun to said head and said cook liver... I'd say, just shoot me, ain't gonna happen!

[Esther C]

AAAAAAAPPLES!!! O-O

I'm quite fond of the computers. Quite allergic to the edibles.