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Food you can cook better than a restaurant

75 replies

Saracarbonera · 28/08/2016 20:23

I love eating out but there are a few dishes that I have stopped ordering when out because I think I do them better myself at home. These dishes are fajitas, spicy prawns, roast potatoes. On the other hand I love arrabiata and have yet to get to grips with this dish, it is always better in restaurants, I can't get the hang of it.
Have you any dishes that you are always disappointed with in restaurants because your homemade version is better?

OP posts:
TinklyLittleLaugh · 28/08/2016 21:07

Most stuff to be honest. I'm not great at cooking steak though, tend to overcook. I mostly order fish when I'm out because the rest of my family are very unadventurous with fish at home and I love it.

Cookingongas · 28/08/2016 21:08

Carbonara! Restaurants are overly wedded to half a pot of cream instead of a good egg Parmesan mix.

TheFear · 28/08/2016 21:08

I have a thing about this!
Lasagne
Yuk sung
Bolognese
Hummus
Chicken wings

Saracarbonera · 28/08/2016 21:09

We have a few regular restaurants that we go to, we aren't very adventurous for that very reason, we don't want to be disappointed. Yesterday we tried a new restaurant that is very well viewed but we were disappointed, we didn't get anything that I couldn't do at home.

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Amalfimamma · 28/08/2016 21:18

Saracarbonera

Use asda passata (from the campania region in italy), a clove of garlic, guanciale or pancetta extra Virgin oil a glass of red wine and some red chillis

I use a cast iron saucepan for sauce (got it from idea so not an expensive one )

Put the saucepan onn the heat, add oil and whole garlic clove, leave for about a minute and add guanciale or pancetta, fry off for about 2 minutes and add red wine, allow to reduce then add the passata, fill the jar up a third of the way with cold water, close it, shake it and pour the water into the saucepan. Add chillis, and bring to the boil. Cover, lower the heat add a pinch or two of salt and allow to gently simmer for about an hour stirring every so often (tip never, ever use a metal spoon with a tomato sauce, use a wooden one and if possibile have only one wooden spoon for sauces) add some chopped parsley at the end of the hour.

If it seems to watery cook with the lid off for about 10 minutes.

Cook your pasta al dente, drain, whatever you do don't bloody well rinse it in cold water, put it back in your saucepan, over a low heat and add your sauce, stir, add some more if you want (this is to get the pasta to absorb the sauce) turn off the heat, leave for 4 or 5 minutes, serve and put some more sauce on top.

Enjoy.

(Chillis use as you wish, I use my chillis that I dry and break them into sauces all winter otherwise if you don't know the strength of the fresh chillis buy some good quality red pepper flakes and use them.)

BrieAndChilli · 28/08/2016 21:21

We never have roast dinner out now as whenever we did we would sit there and say it wasn't as nice as mine!!
I also make really really good Thai. I did a cooking course in Thailand from a bloke that had a cooking show on living TV. My FIL who goes to Thailand every year said mine was better than most of the stuff he gets over there!

AtleastitsnotMonday · 28/08/2016 21:23

Roast dinner
Spag Bol and lasagne
Quiche
Most salads

Saracarbonera · 28/08/2016 21:32

Thanks Amalfimamma I'm definitely going to try it. I'll let you know how it turns out 🍝

OP posts:
seven201 · 28/08/2016 21:33

Chicken or beef roast dinner
Yorkshire puddings I sometimes eat just a giant Yorkshire pudding for dinner when I need cheering up
Lasagne

1frenchfoodie · 28/08/2016 21:35

Loads. Fiorentina pizza and greek salad spring to mind. Keep on encountering lazy reheating and sub standard ingredients in local restaurants. My latest pet hate is really limp, over dressed, horrible coleslaw. I throw all sorts at coleslaw depending on my whim (apples, toasted cashews, dried cranberries etc) and it is always better.

Amalfimamma · 28/08/2016 21:54

Saracarbonera

Please do. And if you want any more of the family recipes just Ask! Love cooking and have all the DH grandma's recipes here 😉

LBOCS2 · 28/08/2016 21:58

My roasties and gravy are better than any I have out.

DH and I went out for dinner last week and I had the best peppercorn sauce I've ever eaten though - properly peppery, nicely balanced, not too creamy but well emulsified. It was delicious (with my GIANT blue steak).

BestIsWest · 28/08/2016 22:00

Chili apparently. V disappointing pub meal tonight.

Amalfimamma · 28/08/2016 22:03

Saracarbonera

Shit. Gave you the amatriciana recipe, sorry been doing it automatically now for a few days

For the arrabbiata just take out red wine and pancetta steps. Wine

Allalonenow · 28/08/2016 22:33

Pretty much everything really.

I think that where restaurants do better, is on their ability to buy good fresh ingredients , so it's easy for them to do a seafood platter with a wide range of items, but not so easy for the home cook perhaps only feeding two adults, to do that.
Or another example is courgette flowers, they are fab stuffed with cheese, and a delight in that little restaurant in Sienna, but you never see them in Sainsburys! Smile

On the other hand, so many restaurants are now buying in prepared items from the likes of Brake Brothers, hence the way that menus are so similar where ever you go, and this is also happening in France as well.

When I eat out, I try to select things that will show off the skills of the chef, I would never pick garlic bread as a starter!! I try to eat seasonally, and local produce, so that the chef has a chance to shine.

Amalfimamma Why don't you start your own thread in Food and post maybe a recipe every couple of weeks, I'm sure it would be interesting. Smile

shaggedthruahedgebackwards · 28/08/2016 22:37

My Christmas pudding is better than any I've been served in a restaurant so I won't order it any more as I'm always disappointed

In general I tend to order dishes in restaurants that I can't or don't cook myself as it feels like a bit of a wasted opportunity otherwise

Namechangenurseryconcerns · 28/08/2016 22:42

Scrambled eggs. That's about the only thing.
Agree with the crumble thing-my mum's is the best I've ever had by far.

Amalfimamma · 28/08/2016 22:46

Allalonenow

I might actually do that. I did have a blog but 2 kids in 13 months sort of put the brakes on that

sillibillies · 28/08/2016 22:53

Carbonara
It's such an easy thing to cook but done so badly in restaurants as they insist on adding so much cream.

Rinceoir · 28/08/2016 22:53

Carbonara. Roast chicken dinner. Salads can be disappointing out so sometimes my salads are better. Risotto.

Amalfimamma · 28/08/2016 23:10

sillibillies

as they insist on adding so much cream.

Any restaurant that adds cream to carbonara should be named and shamed.....cream has NO place in Carbonara!

SealSong · 28/08/2016 23:13

Risotto
Scrambled eggs
Macaroni cheese
Most soups

Namechangenurseryconcerns · 29/08/2016 07:11

Although I did have some fairly tasty scrambled eggs at frankie and bennys of all places.

Unescorted · 29/08/2016 07:32

Amalfi please put a thread up.

Imgrr · 29/08/2016 07:36

Eggs benedict, I've never had one cooked as I like it. It's such a disappointment when it looks the part until you open the egg and the yolk is solid.

Roast potatoes, my husbands are the best I've ever had.