Post Punk Kitchen Forum

i really suck with savory gluten-free bread. every attempt is an epic fail. sadface.

I can't believe so many people have problems with pancakes! I've never had an issue with them.

Onion chopping is one of life's little evils. I can finally chop one correctly, but still tear up every time.

Still need to work on the "doing the dishes afterwards" bit.

This is definitely my greatest downfall.

PANCAKES!
cupcakes, mostly their icing
muffins - sometimes i overmix the batter (there are still clumps of flour i want to get out) but the muffins end up being really dense and tough. or...you know...full of cobwebs (if fruity)

Please come over and make a batch of pancakes for me! I haven't had good pancakes in ages.



Have you tried blooming your yeast? Sprinkle some yeast into a small bowl of warm water (should be 115 degrees F), stir, and set it aside for about ten minutes. After ten minutes, the yeast mixture should be quite bubbly. If not, I think it's time to get new yeast. Yeast last for about 6 months when stored in the fridge and one year when stored in the freezer. How long have you had yours?

For those who are pie dough challenged, give Cook's Illustrated's Foolproof pie dough a try. http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2007 ... ecipe.html The vodka makes the dough really supple and easy to roll out, but it bakes up really flaky and tender. It totally solved my pie dough struggles.

Knife skills.

I really need to have someone sit me down and step me through some basic knife skill training. I prep too slowly for my taste and still have issues getting uniform pieces. I also have no idea how to sharpen my own knives.

I have a sharpener but still don't feel comfortable. The place I bought my knives gave me a voucher for 2 free sharpens so I am holding on to them for when I need them. My brother did them for me recently when he was here, he's a chef.

I can't make waffles, but I think my waffle iron might just suck. No matter what I do, or how much I grease the iron, they stick and fall apart.

Mainly I need to work on getting less angry. I'm clumsy, so I'm always dropping things or doing stupid things like propping up my mini-whisk on the inside of a pot of nooch sauce while I do something else, only to turn around JUST as it slides in and sinks to the bottom. Even though I do it every time, I still get angry and make some kind of exasperated yell-noise. I do it so often that Boyfriend has actually come to differentiate my 'I dropped something', 'I spilled something', 'I measured something wrong' yells. That can't be a good sign.

I am terrified of making a roux or gravy - it generally ends up lumpy or burnt.

I also need help with knives and chopping - I have a nice knife block set and don't know what most of them are for.

I'm SO slow at prep.

This sounds like something I do a lot too. I yell "BLERGH!" more often than I'd like while I'm cooking.

I just bought a new jar of it, but I had no idea you were supposed to keep it anywhere but your pantry. oops. in the freezer it goes! let's hope that solves the problem. :D

I rarely have an issue with fried foods that are breaded, but Lard help us all if it's breaded and goes in the oven (even when I follow the recipe perfectly). Baked breaded foods are pretty much guaranteed to fail for me.

Seitan. I just don't get it.

My cake and cupcake decorating skills could really use some work. It always looks a bit sloppy.

I need to work on making things prettier. It is really hard for me, but I try my best. Pancakes are my nemesis. My husband jokes about it all the time. Hah.

For the pie thing, I roll mine out on cling film. Same technique as parchment, easy to remove and you don't add extra flour. Easy to flop into the pie tin with the cling film on the top then peel off the film and voila, no tears.

me too. i freak out when i forget ingredients or can't find stuff. i also spill stuff everywhere and take too long to prep.

frosting cupcakes is my nemesis. I have finally perfected vegan baking but when it comes to frosting them, whether it's with a spatula or a piping bag they always come out looking super sloppy. Their deliciousness always makes up for it but I want them to look pretty too. hmph.

This is seriously the best pie crust ever! My sister made it apple pies with it and it was perfect and super easy to roll out.

I wish I was better at chopping/slicing/mincing. Also, I'm terrible at bread making.

I would love to have pro-chef level chopping abilities.

I tend to make single pancakes in a medium skillet and put the lid to my small skillet over them so just the batter/cake is covered. This cooks them quite nicely.

I sometimes have problems with pancakes being undercooked in the middle, but I think it's more me being impatient and wanting to eat the pancake then not being able to cook them properly :).