What kind of basic recipe can you not cook?

[OnlineMadNess]

Omelettes :( They either burn or they're raw in the middle.

Forgot to say, the melted butter in the recipe isn't needed (I often forget if making before the caffeine kicks in!)

Rice ✔️
Poached eggs ✔️
Boiled eggs ✔️

Banana bread. Nope.

No matter what recipe I do, it always turns out a complete mushy mess.

I give up.

Not too great at scones either.

@DuckyMcDuck, if white sauce tastes floury but is otherwise OK it needs to be cooked a few minutes longer after it has thickened.

anything in a slow cooker - I have tried. Really I have tried and followed recipes etc, and no, always comes out less good than the same thing cooked in the oven.

@steppemum - that is so nothing to do with your cooking and everything to do with what slow cooker food tastes like. It has this universal slurry flavour. I've given up on it.

Pastry.

I'm a good cook, and good at baking. My pastry is dire.

All these cooking tips that you seem to find out with trial and error like after cooking rice leaving for a bit before serving etc. I wish I could find a cookbook online cooking guides that details the little things that most cooking instructions miss out like a beginners guide. Although beginners guides don't always every cooking detail. If anyone has found any thorough detailed cooking guides let me know.

For those of you struggling with omelettes watch Jamie's YouTube video. Mine always used to be grey and scrambled but turn out perfectly every time since I watched this.

I have no problem with pancakes, Yorkshires or meringues but for the life of me I cannot make gravy!

I'm a very competent cook but cannot poach eggs for the life of me. Ive tried so many different methods but they're always crap. My husband does lovely poached eggs, it's literally the only thing he can do in the kitchen except toast!

Rice! My nemesis

Lasagne for me is always a disaster. The mince is always dry and not really juicy and saucy. Yet it tastes cooked but is a bit cool in the middle rather than piping hot.

@steppemum We're having meatloaf for tea! I've just put it on.

Fry up an onion for a few minutes. Get a large bowl and mix together 3/4lb mince and 1/2 pound of sausage meat. Add about 3 slices of white bread, breadcrumbed (I just throw in food processor for a couple of mins). Add a beaten egg, 1tsp mixed herbs, 1tbs of ketchup and 1tbs of BBQ or brown sauce. Salt and pepper to taste.

Mangle together with your hands into a sloppy mess then shove into a greased loaf tin. Put a bit of foil on top of sloppy mess.

Put in a Gas Mark 6 oven for 1hr and 15 mins (ish). Can take the foil off for the last 15 mins or so to brown up.

It's fab. We're having with mash and roast veg. You can make gravy if you like, but it's fine without.

(Sorry about the lack of elegant phrasing in recipe instructions!)

Lasagne for me is always a disaster.
How long do you cook it for before assembling the lasagne? Should really be at least 2 hours.

Lasagne (meat soup) and rice (too much, too little, too sticky)!

As soon as I saw your title I was going to say omelettes. Horrible things anyway but I can't cook them for toffee.

Pastry. I’m completely useless at making it. Mum says I have ‘hot hands’, which is apparently a bad thing 🤷🏻‍♀️.

Fortunately, Waitrose sell much better pastry than I could ever make at very reasonable prices.

Yes, you need cool hands for good pastry. Which doesn't really explain why mine is still not much good when I use the food processor!

@Sometimesonly

Lasagne for me is always a disaster. How long do you cook it for before assembling the lasagne? Should really be at least 2 hours.

You mean cooking for 2 hours before layering up with pasta and cooking in oven I presume. I've never tried this way. After browning meat and onion and then adding the rest to make the red sauce straight away I add to a dish with pasta and transfer to oven

That's why it's not working! You need to fry the onion (and celery, carrots if using), add and brown the meat, season, add a tin of tomatoes in some form and/or tomato puree. Turn down low and cook for about 2 hours. THEN use it for the lasagne - it should taste a lot better!

Shortcrust pastry - it always shrinks on me! Even jus-roll. 😢

The Hairy Bikers recipe for poached eggs works a treat.

Paul Hollywood's scone recipe has changed my life, I adore scones and never felt they were any good, though I'm a decent baker.

I've found if you add an extra egg to yorkshire pudding mix, they are astoundingly big.

I can't get flapjack right, no matter how I try.

Yorkshire puddings are always a bit hit and miss - sometimes they just turn into big puffy balls rather than proper yorkies with a dip in the middle.

Roast beef. I think it's that I cook it so seldom that I haven't had enough practice. But the cost of "practice" and the pretty awful results are so depressing.

@mamaduckbone

Yorkshire puddings are always a bit hit and miss - sometimes they just turn into big puffy balls rather than proper yorkies with a dip in the middle.

They're the best ones!

@goldpendant

Lasagne (meat soup) and rice (too much, too little, too sticky)!

I've tried everything to cook rice (white) over the years, rice maker, simple packet instructions and always failed. Until I chef on Ready, Steady, Cook, years ago (tall, slim, Scottish man) gave a ripe for perfect (white) rice.

Add any amount of rice to pan and cover with boiled water from kettle. The rule is 7-4-2. Boil for 7 minutes, drain, return to pan and cover with lid for 4 minutes. Fork through then leave for 2 minutes. Perfect rice, every single time.

@SummerOfComedy

Rice ✔️ Poached eggs ✔️ Boiled eggs ✔️

Banana bread. Nope.

No matter what recipe I do, it always turns out a complete mushy mess.

I give up.

Not too great at scones either.

Try this recipe. I made one yesterday and it's nice and firm.ngs.org.uk/banana-loaf/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMInrWdl9eq7gIVmuvtCh3xaw8LEAAYASAAEgKWVPD_BwE