What seemingly easy meal do you always get wrong?

[IcouldbutIdontwantto]

Just for fun.... for me it's an omelette. I'm a pretty decent cook, enjoy spending time in the kitchen and can cook eggs in pretty much any other form. But can never get an omelette right... just ends up as eggy mess with other stuff added 😂

Help me feel better mumsnet!

I just throw rice in a pan of boiling water and leave it there until it’s cooked. Always turns out fine! The only rice disasters I’ve had were when I briefly owned a rice cooker, I could never get the rice / water ratio right and it was always either burnt or soggy.

I struggled with poached eggs for ages until I realised I was just overthinking it. You don’t need swirly water or vinegar, just a pan with a few inches of water (just enough to cover the egg) and a low heat. Easy.

A full English. I'm rubbish at cooking every single one of the component except the baked beans. I never get the sausages right, my bacon is always too crispy, and I always break the eggs. And I can never get everything ready at the right time. I leave to it DH now

Spag bol

@AbsoluteYawns - how many portions is that for??

Sausages!

I'm a pretty decent cook, but I always get sausages wrong. End up cooking the outside too quickly with a raw middle so the outside ends up burnt 🙃 and usually set off the smoke alarm in the process

Cook them in the oven. It's much easier and you can do them in bulk and reheat if you like.

@Crikeyalmighty any.
As long as you use 1 (rice) to 1.5 times (water) you won't go wrong.

Thanks for the tip - I will definitely try this!

Not a whole meal, but I can't get pork crackling right

I don't have one but the more I hear about them the more I want one!

Slow cooker with about half the amount of stock, but the same amount of red wine. Bloody amazing Bol sauce....

Thanks

I can do a great toad in the hole, using this recipe https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/toad_in_the_hole_with_86283

and great yorkies using this recipe
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/best-yorkshire-puddings

But cannot make macaroni cheese anything like as nice as Charlie AB’s horrendously overpriced number and I can’t cook roast beef nicely either.

Thanks@AbsoluteYawns will have a bash at this

Can't cook rice, can't make a stir fry.

I can make a delicious sauce out of just about anything; I can make a mayonnaise or a hollandaise; my risotto's are a delight and the exception to the "can't cook rice" thing, but I cannot for the life of me make those two things.

custard , from custard powder. Always burn it. the microwave is my saviour

Top tip for the rice strugglers, buy a rice cooker! Game changer in terms of ease, especially good for brown rice. I have multi function one which also pressure cooks from Amazon (their own brand)

Get a rice cooker.

@Ghostjail another vote for an air fryer, I just got one for my dad, it's nly a small one because he lives alone.

AF steak.

Take the steak out of the freezer for 30 mins to come up to room temp.

Season both sides with salt and pepper, put in the AF and add a knob of butter. Put on high for 4-5 mins, then use tongs to turn and cook for another 4 mins.

Rest the steak for 3-4 mins.

If you are cooking steak in a pan you can feel how well cooked it is. Pinch your thumb and first finger together,with the other hand, poke the fleshy bit just under your thumb - that is what rare steak tasted like.

Pinch your thumb against your index finger - medium andthird finger for well done.

Cook the crumble part separately, on a baking sheet. Then top the fruit after. No soggy bits!

Thanks, that’s a great tip and I’m going to try it. I can never get the crumble crunchy enough without scorching the top.

Not had crumble since I left my parent's house last century.
I thought it was meant to be dark brown on top & semi-raw beneath !

Rice: learnt from Middle Eastern MIL how to make tasty rice.

Take a large flat bottomed pan- coat in some olive oil and fry some chopped garlic. Add rice in cups. Coat with oil and add salt and pepper. Stir. Add boiling water to pan (using cups, double water to rice).

Let boil for few seconds and then turn heat right down/ off. Add lid, cover with tea towel and leave!

My rice cooker - the rice sticks. Probably need a separate thread for that. I use one measure water to one measure rice.

Egg based dishes - I'm good with.

Stew though - watery and chewy meat. Otherwise I'm a good cook.

I use one measure of rice to two of water - might be worth trying that to see if it makes a difference.

Thanks I'll try that.

Not a meal but I can't bake cakes. Ever. I'm a great cook if I do say so myself but the precision of baking is the opposite of my instincts