Nigella - am giving up forever!

[rebelmum72]

I am not in the UK, so have only come to Nigella via books (bought by friends), magazines and the internet. However, pretty much everyone I know in the UK raves about her, so I have been giving various of her recipes a go over the last couple of years.

But no more.

Not ONE SINGLE THING has ever turned out edible. Not One. Yesterday was the last straw, when I decided to try her yogurt cake - what could go wrong? Well, pretty much everything. I ended up with a soggy, sticky, oversweet lump of half-cooked batter with an "attractive" bumpy burnt crust on top.

I am a reasonable cook and I bake quite a bit. I have no problems following recipes, so how can it be that nothing I've tried by Nigella has EVER turned out ok? Is it just me?

Ok, rant over. I just wanted to let the world at large know that I am giving up on Nigella Lawson FOREVER

I made marmalade from one of ther books last week and it is FABULOUS!

Others of hers that have worked well:

Pear and marzipan cake from Domestic goddess
Cheesecake from same
Involtini from Feast
Various ham recipes (coca cola et al)
Stew recipes in How to Eat

Do agree about her timings though. And salt. She uses tons of salt in bread - a tbsp in many of the recipes which is more or less inedible.

I have made quite a few of her recipes

the christmas muffins are to die for
double chocolate cookies
stews
chocolate pear pudding

and many others that have all worked.

Misshardbroom, I totally agree.

I have cooked from Nigella's books with three different ovens now, and would say that often, for the recipes requiring 20mins plus in the oven, I turn mine down by 20 degrees or so.

We don't have the same problems with the portions though .

I love her baking and have the Domestic Goddess book. I am a pretty good cook and used to adjusting times for ovens etc etc. However, 2 things persistently go wrong. One is the bronwnies. I've tried them twice and they were undercooked first time, and overcooked the second. Couldn't figure it out at all (and I am GOOD at cakes).

The other thing is her cheesecakes. Mine never set. I have had 5 attempts using 3 of her reciped. None has worked.

Wow. Nigella is one of the few who's recipes do always come out right for me.

I'm not a natural baker but I agree with rebelmum.

All her biscuits etc are far too sweet, gooey and chocolately. Sickly sweet.

I think she's over-rated on the whole.

i have had this problem with her cakes
I did a choc one that was liquid in the middle after the recommended cooking time!

Meant to say she's probably more geared to more competent bakers than me (I?)

But even Nigel's 30 minute meals take me more like 50 minutes!

Well, I only have one book - Nigella Bites Some of the "hi-lights" I have inflicted on my family include:

american pancakes - completely inedible stiff paste that did not in any way resemble a pancake, american or otherwise

lemon risotto - revolting, sticky mess that went straight into the bin (and I'm good at risotto - but why would you put egg in it???)

chocolate fudge cake - did not bake. And then burned.

bitter orange ice cream - did not set. And tasted floury

And so on, and on, and on...not even the cupcakes worked

Plus, I really hate comments like this:

"I use my KitcheAid, but a cheap hand-held electric mixer would do fine; and frankly, a hand whisk wouldn't kill you"

That comes across as so smug and arrogant, no? Which actually wouldn't bother me too much if the bloody recipes worked!

Have made lots of Nigella recipes and all worked ine for me.

Made her ham in cherry coke, and the accompaniments from feat this weekend and the meal was delicious. had her glitzy chocolate desserts from Express afterward, again lovely.

Very unreliable for me too RM. I think I'm a pretty good cook and love to bake but none of her timings work for me. Give me Delia or old-fashioned Mary Berry any day - their recipes work IMO

Have had very mixed results from Nigella

Bitter Orange ice cream was lovely
Keralan fish stew is just fab, easiest thing for entertaining in the world
Banana loaf - lovely

Brownies - undercooked
Chocolate loaf cake - really needed to give this much longer in oven as was liquid after recommended cooking time.

Generally, the bakery stuff needs constant watching and adjustment, savoury stuff is fine. I've always wondered if the reason the recipes in "How to Eat" generally work is that these were actually her recipes, and those from later cookbooks are cobbled together by her team so haven't been lovingly cooked for years, hence need adjustments etc?

i will say two words

BANANA MUFFINS

VILE
and that clementine cake - bitter and boring.

american pancakes
fantastic - the only recipe we use

american panncakes- if you leave them to rest then you do need to add more milk and stir (does suggest this in domestic goddess may have been left out in other book)

some of her recipes are great soe are a bit dodgy

I haven't really had a problem with any of her recipes - I tend to trust my own judgement on timing, based on experience, as my oven can be odd, and the scones in Domestic Goddess are way too salty, but generally I've found her recipes pretty reliable. Don't have Nigella Bites, though. I wonder if certain books are more problematic?

nigella's shite. She can't really cook. She adds loads of sugary ingredients to everytning to hoodwink you into thinking it's all delicious.

I agree with only a phase that How to Eat seems to be recipes that she has cooked herself for years and is therefore very reliable. The later books seem to be either variations on the stuff that was in How to Eat or not very well tested. Gernally I think that she's more of a savoury stuff cook and doesn't do much baking in real life. Domestic Goddess, whilst a very appealing book, I have found to be a bit hit and miss.

Herby so funny cant stop laughing!!!

I think you may be right pointydog.

All that sugarey, chocolately, gooey, lick the penis fingers stuff is just crap.

I can't stand all that domestic goddess nonsense. There are better tb cooks around.

yes, mercy.

Someone made me her ham once - surprise surprise there's awhole vat of coke in to make it sugary sweet. Someone made me her chilli - oo a whole jar of sweet chilli sauce to make it sugary sweet. Macaroni with carnation - mm that sugary tastiness.

Flapjacks - hideous

Brownies - tried two different Nigella recipes, neither of which cooked: it was like chocolate soup

Guiness Cake - brilliant, love it

I think these are the only baking recipes I've done as hers as I don't trust her much tbh.

I love reading her books though.

Nigella's Brownies and Cherry and Almond loaf fresh out of the oven round at Kbear's! They never fail.

I think the main problem people with baking is that ovens vary in temperature so undercooked Brownies result, etc - I know not to cook Brownies as long as the recipe states and which tin suits them because I've made them lots of times. Baking can be hit and miss and you eventually find recipes which never fail.

I usually get on okay with her recipes but my rhubarb cake was still sloppy in the middle yesterday. The mini carrot cakes were dry and I thought the famous clementine cake was disgusting but otherwise I like most of the ones I've tried.