Post Punk Kitchen Forum

I just need to get better at thoroughly reading the instructions. All at once before beginning and step-by-step. I constantly make silly little mistakes because of it.

And I'm kind of crepe at kneading. I usually overdo it.

I should work more on using the knife - dicing, cutting, mincing etc.
And really on crepes - I just can't make them, they always tear apart or stuck to the pan. My boyfriend is a good crepe-maker but I can't relay only on him.

I am afraid of making any pastry dough, pie crust type thing. It's not the rolling out that is the problem; it is incorporating the cold shortening into the flour. I do not understand the cutting in technique.
Also measuring things. I am a horribly lazy measurer and very imprecise. This is not so much a problem with familiar recipes but doesn't always bode well with the new ones.

You need one of these. My mom always called it a pastry cutter, but I've also heard the term pastry blender or dough cutter.


You can find them just about anywhere. Amazon has a bunch. They really help to incorporate the fat. I've been making a bunch of stuff in the last week where I've needed one. It's on my list of essential things to buy asap.

For some reason I can't manage to cook tofu in a pan (like, for a stir-fry) without it sticking and becoming a huge mess. Doesn't matter what kind of pan, how much oil, or what the temperature, it always sticks.

So I usually cheat by putting it under the broiler for a few minutes first, but I'd like to get away from the kind of cheating that takes me MORE time, instead of less.

I've never succeeded making seitan

PANCAKES. Every attempt is a failed one, for some reason. =(

Seitan made the time-consuming way (i.e. washing dough). Still looks kind of brain-like and mushy when I make it.
Also, I can't make fluffy bread. Bricks, yes. Fluffy, not really.

I used to love this as a kid. Whenever I helped my granny make this sort of dough, she'd take a lump of really cold margarine and scrape off small slivers with a knife and let them fall into the bowl containing the flour. And I'd be ready and crumble everything between my fingers until all (or most) of the margarine was incorporated into the dough.

I need to learn how to make hummus properly. Every time I try it, it turns out bitter and not nearly as tasty as the hummus you get at restaurants.