Do you have a recipe you just can’t make?

[gramercie]

My dad made the best French toast. He just had some sort of gift for it.

I know how to make it, but it’s just not the same!

I was going to say: you can laugh at this one, gravy! My DH is in charge of the gravy in this house, I never make it right. And first reply is gravy! I feel less alone now

Anything with mince in it, it either tastes greasy or totally bland, can't seem to find a happy medium....

@evilharpy

Flapjacks. They always fall apart into a crumbly mess.

Try Googling Soupdragon's iconic recipe on here from way back when. The key ingred is condensed milk which holds them together.

Scones

I can make good pastry, toad in the hole, lasagne, moussaka, everything pp’s have mentioned, but I just can’t make nice scones.

@BoxAndKnife you need to leave the lasagne out of the oven to rest for a good 10-15 mins to almost 'set'. It was a revelation .

I used to make lovely Yorkshire puddings etc. But since I've divorced I can't do them anymore! Always a disaster. My dds take great delight in telling me how good their dad's are .

Any recipe containing coconut milk tastes like sick when I make it. I have no idea what I'm doing wrong

Flapjacks. Every single time and every single recipe turns out like tarmac.

Dauphinois potatoes. No matter what I do I curdle the cream or evaporate it entirely

Just plain white rice . Even in a rice cooker I balls it up every time .

That and macarons . Other people’s look all beautiful , like they should be in a Parisian patisserie. Mine look like tiny shrivelled turds of temper.

Beef stew is my nemesis! I've tried about 8 different recipes and they all come out watery and bland. Love the idea of a warming stew, but not happening in this house!

@plominoagain for 4 people I use 1 cup rice to 2 cups cold water. Put them in a pan, bring to a boil then turn to low and put a lid on and LEAVE for 10 minutes. Once the timer is up lid off, fluff and it's ready. Never fails me

Rice pudding. Tried it twice, cooked low and long, once in oven and once on job. Both times rice barely cooked. Gave up.

Cracking never goes crispy or just a tiny corner

@plominoagain

Just plain white rice . Even in a rice cooker I balls it up every time .

That and macarons . Other people’s look all beautiful , like they should be in a Parisian patisserie. Mine look like tiny shrivelled turds of temper.

Are you rinsing the rice through a colander until the water runs through clear before you put the rice and water in the rice cooker. Could also be that your rice cooker needs replacing. Mine did.

I think ovens have a lot to answer for.

I had a gas oven and just about everything I cooked turned out brilliant.

I moved and the next house had a fan oven. Some of my cakes turned out dry and I couldn't get my timings right. Most recipes worked.

The next house I moved to had another fan oven but I think the seals have gone slightly. It either cooks too quickly or takes forever. Things need covering or the top gets burnt. It's really difficult to work with.

There’s a cook called Felicity Cloake who did a column called The Perfect..., I think it’s a book as well. She cooked different recipes of the same dish, some basic some complicated. It was always interesting to see the all the different outcomes.

Potato dishes that go wrong are often because of the variety. Oven temps aren’t reliable, eggs are the wrong size, pans and tins are wrong. Cookery is tricky and frustrating, but also satisfying and rewarding.

My cakes are awful because I find measuring things tedious and I never make a note of the time.

Arrrrrgh SOURDOUGH!!

Yorkshire puddings and pancakes

Can't make Yorkshire puddings rise properly.
I make ace bacon butties though

Oh goodness, I am not alone with the Yorkshire Puddings!
I tried to impress my now wife with Toad in the Hole on one of our first dates....it didn’t go well, she still talks about it 22 years later!!

My ex’s mother in Halifax made the most glorious Yorkshire Puddings, I can taste them now! For 10 people and always enough to go round with lashings of gravy too.

The other dish I can’t get right is Potatoes Dauphinois, oh and Lancashire HotPot! The potatoes are always raw and hard.

I want Yorkshire Pudding and gravy now, was going to have courgette cream pasta tomorrow but I think it might have to be a roast dinner now 😊
Even though the Yorkshire will be more like pancakes they will taste good and I make excellent gravy.

@Kernowgal I've been trying to make the rock buns I used to make with my granny from that book. The first lot were flat as pancakes but the second lot rose a bit more but still more like biscuits. They taste perfect, but I just can't get them to look right. It's so frustrating

I am sure someone mentioned this but I can't find the post, it is important to leave the Yorkshire pudding batter to rest for at least half an hour before cooking. I think it swells the grains of flour or something.

Also heat the oil until it is insanely hot before pouring in the batter.

Do unlucky Caulie Cheese makers cook the cauliflower in advance? That is vital.

Still can’t do meringues.

I am from Lancashire. Are you par-boiling the potatoes first, @IamEarthymama ?

breadcakebiscuits
Yes I do parboil there potatoes
I am quite impatient though so I am going to try again and be more mindful

I lived in St Helens for 20 years snd was ashamed of my inability to master the recipe
I don’t eat meat now so I will substitute some lentils or beans and see how I get on.

My wife loves potatoes dauphinois, maybe if I get that right I will heat the end of the Toad in the Hole disaster 😉😊

Porkandbeans - I’m no expert but James Martin’s recipe was a game changer for me.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/carrot-cake-cinnamon-frosting%3famp