From the article: How to Cook
Whether you are a seasoned cook or a beginner, we've all had our own personal kitchen nightmares when things go wrong. I think one of the most common goofs in the kitchen is forgetting to take the giblets out of the turkey or chicken before roasting in the oven. Hopefully your mistake has been a learning experience. In my case(s), we've fondly laughed at the memories, even though it was not particularly funny at the time. And why do they always happen when you want to show off? Tell us about your own personal goofs in the kitchen, the reactions, how you fixed it, and the end result. Your story could help a new cook. Share Your Story
Too much rise and no rise
- My first attempt at making my own hot cross buns before Easter last year was a disaster. I didn't know after adding the yeast you have to let it rise. After mixing I just put them in the oven and they just became rock hard and did not rise an inch. Mean while, with my lemon cake the heat was too high and it just rose quickly but after taking out to cool. The bottom part was empty and hardly any cake left. The best advice I can give is to get a recipe and follow it. That's what I did and this year I enjoyed my Easter Holiday.
- —Guest Rachel
Salty Brownies
- The most memorable of disasters was the time I used ice cream salt instead of sugars in brownies. They were gorgeous, but tasted quite horrible!
- —cdgthomas
Ghastly Ghoulash
- My first big mistake happened in a high-school cooking class. We were making goulash. I confused paprika and cayenne pepper, which meant I used only a pinch of paprika and an awful lot of cayenne pepper. My family and I took just one mouthful of my creation, and that was the end of the goulash!
- —Guest mamalama1
Doing Too Much at One Time
- I seem to have my biggest kitchen problems when I'm trying to entertain guests at the same time. It makes me realize I just need to be on my own when baking. Last Thanksgiving I was taking 2 pies out of the oven at the same time. I dropped the Mincemeat Pie. I made that pie specifically for one of my guests. Luckily, it landed upside down on the inside of the oven door. I was able to get it back in the pan and only the top was messed-up. I wouldn't have dropped it, but I was chatting away with my guests and not paying attention.
- —CarrollPellegrinelli
Which one to choose?
- I've had so many kitchen disasters, it's hard to choose just one! I guess the biggest was when I first had my own apartment. I wanted to make a curry. I added the cornstarch to the curry without dissolving it. I ended up with big globules of yellow gunk in the curry. I never cooked curry again!
- —Guest kidscookingadmin
Mashed Potatoes or Wallpaper Glue?
- We have had our share of kitchen nightmares over the years. One memorable event happened on Christmas Eve - when we tried making "whipped" mashed potatoes with a hand held mixer, and they ended up like wallpaper glue. We later learned that there was a scientific reason for the disaster - we had cut the starch molecules. As far as we know, here is no fix for that - throw them out and start again. We couldn't do that because we were out of time. So, our entire family were served the glue, although we tried to disguise them in gravy.
- —Lisa_and_Tony_Sierra
Drawing a blank
- I've made my share of minor errors over the years, forgetting to add the garlic to a dish or over-cooking a pork roast or a tad too much salt in the soup. But I honestly can't think of a single disaster. But then I'm rather anal/compulsive in my planning and prep.
- —Guest Kevin
So many flops!
- I've made so many mistakes in the kitchen that its not funny. Well, yes it is funny...now. LOL. I didn't have anyone to show me how to cook, but I loved cookbooks. How many people read the basics? I think the first mistake I made was using a whole head of garlic in a recipe that called for 1 clove. I don't even remember the recipe, but it was edible. I found out I liked a lot of garlic. Go figger. My advice is to keep on plugging, mistakes or not.
- —cyberchefjmf
