Cooking experiments gone bad

[whatevergirl]

You know, I can cook some things…and cook them really well. But, then, I try to experiment and things just go haywire. I have been trying to experiment with some new vegetarian dishes, when hubby has to work evenings. (because he typically won’t eat them )

So…tonight, I thought that gnocchi’s, butternut squash, chopped onions all sauteed together, with a small dab of tomato sauce, and ricotta cheese would be soooo good.

It was really pretty bad. I don’t know what went wrong.:sad_yes:

Truthfully, my husband is a great cook…exec chef quality cooking. :yup: I wish I could cook like that…he can throw things together and poof…the dish is like magic.

I told my husband what I made for dinner tonight, and he was like…:ehh: “That’s a really unusual combination sharon.” :blushing:

Anyone else try to experiment with new dishes, and it comes out bad?

I mean, this just tasted so weird. But, I ate it. lol

So…have you cooked anything lately that really turned out horrible? I hope I’m not alone.

 

[1ke]

Sorry to rain on your parade but I made a dish for dinner tonight that I have to brag came out spectacular! It was steak au poivre and I used a recipe I’d not used before. The sauce was SO good w/white wine, brandy, and heavy cream deglazing the pan. Yum-o.

But, yes, I’ve had my fair share of messed up dinners. We call them transporter accidents (a la Star Trek) when they happen in our house.

I bought some wild rice mix at our local food co-op (kinda along the lines of Whole Food but in our rural community it’s very small scale). Anyway, I cooked it with some chicken broth and it tasted so bad I spit it out in my napkin. I mean, it tasted like dirt! My DH ate it! He is weird!

 

[whatevergirl]

Sorry to rain on your parade but I made a dish for dinner tonight that I have to brag came out spectacular! It was steak au poivre and I used a recipe I’d not used before. The sauce was SO good w/white wine, brandy, and heavy cream deglazing the pan. Yum-o.

No bragging stories allowed. Kidding…hey, that sounds delish. Brandy has a way of making things taste amazingly good. I remember an episode of Barefoot Contessa, where she used brandy I believe, in a chicken paprika dish…wow, my dh used her tip, and it was quite good. Kudos to you 1ke for a dinner well done. I mean, not well done…nevermind. lol

But, yes, I’ve had my fair share of messed up dinners. We call them transporter accidents (a la Star Trek) when they happen in our house.

I bought some wild rice mix at our local food co-op (kinda along the lines of Whole Food but in our rural community it’s very small scale). Anyway, I cooked it with some chicken broth and it tasted so bad I spit it out in my napkin. I mean, it tasted like dirt! My DH ate it! He is weird!

How weird, that SOUNDS like it could have been good. Broth with rice…sounds doable.

I think the problem I have with cooking…is I get distracted…I make a phone call, or start emailing someone…and then I smell dinner burning. lol I have noticed that when I stay in the kitchen…flipping through a magazine…and keeping one eye on what’s happening…my dishes are not as disastrous. Thankfully my husband wasn’t interested in marrying a cook for a wife!

 

[whatevergirl]

Strangely, I am an EXCELLENT baker, if I do say so myself. I had a little side pie business that I did in PA, during the holidays, and it was quite successful.

I like cooking SHOWS, though. lol

 

[juno24]

I absolutely LOVE to experiment when I cook, so it should probably go without saying that I have made some spectacularly baaaad dishes. LOL!!
I would have to say the worst experiment I ever made was an omelette made with left over Thanksgiving turkey, American cheese, and onions. Oh my goodness, was that an awful concoction! To this day I don’t know how I ever thought that was a good combination!

Now, to redeem my culinary reputation-- I once made a ham glaze that was so delicious my sister (who happened to be the only one home to share it) literally drank it from the pan when the ham came out of the oven. Of course, since it consisted of “some of this” “a splash of that” and “mix some of the other in for good measure” I was never able to duplicate it exactly. Ah well. That is my life’s quest: to duplicate that recipe.

 

[peregrinus_WA]

Usually mine come out great. The only bad experience I can remember is when I tried to develop a chicken dish in the crock pot. The first time I experimented with the recipe I had to throw it away. I discovered cream of mushroom soup did not work in the crock pot (had to throw than one out). The second time, I used cream of chicken and added fresh mushrooms (add about 1/2 way through the cooking time on the mushrooms is better).

 

[Blade_and_Blood]

Yeah. Since I was out of milk/soy milk/whipping cream, I had to improvise in making green tea… I ended up putting honey, sugar, and, for some hideous reason, lemon! It ended up tasting like bile! :banghead:

:nope: …Horrible…

Ironically Yours, Blade and Blood

 

[whatevergirl]

I absolutely LOVE to experiment when I cook, so it should probably go without saying that I have made some spectacularly baaaad dishes. LOL!!
I would have to say the worst experiment I ever made was an omelette made with left over Thanksgiving turkey, American cheese, and onions. Oh my goodness, was that an awful concoction! To this day I don’t know how I ever thought that was a good combination!

Oh my gosh, that DOES sound gross–sorry!!!

Now, to redeem my culinary reputation-- I once made a ham glaze that was so delicious my sister (who happened to be the only one home to share it) literally drank it from the pan when the ham came out of the oven. Of course, since it consisted of “some of this” “a splash of that” and “mix some of the other in for good measure” I was never able to duplicate it exactly. Ah well. That is my life’s quest: to duplicate that recipe.

She drank it from a pan. I have this mental image of that. Too bad you didn’t write down the recipe!

 

[whatevergirl]

Yeah. Since I was out of milk/soy milk/whipping cream, I had to improvise in making green tea… I ended up putting honey, sugar, and, for some hideous reason, lemon! It ended up tasting like bile! :banghead:

:nope: …Horrible…

Ironically Yours, Blade and Blood

Have you ever tasted …bile? :ehh:

I bet the sugar and honey were too overpowering…but now I know not to do that myself!

 

[whatevergirl]

Usually mine come out great. The only bad experience I can remember is when I tried to develop a chicken dish in the crock pot. The first time I experimented with the recipe I had to throw it away. I discovered cream of mushroom soup did not work in the crock pot (had to throw than one out). The second time, I used cream of chicken and added fresh mushrooms (add about 1/2 way through the cooking time on the mushrooms is better).

I have made chicken in a crock pot…and it came quite good, but tell me, why doesn’t cream of mushroom soup work…does it burn and stick to the sides?

 

[SeekerJen]

My experiments are usually edible, if not exactly gourmet works of culinary art. I suppose it helps that neither I nor DH are picky eaters; I spent a year in undergrad living on frozen vegetables and couscous, and DH used to base many meals on Hamburger Helper, so although we appreciate good food, we’re not averse to simply filling our bellies on some occasions. We’ve also somehow inherited the Depression-era mentalities of our grandmothers and hate to waste food, especially after we’ve taken the time to cook it. I did do a baked rice casserole one Christmas that was an absolute disaster- crunchy rice, “off” seasonings, etc. Thank goodness there was other food to eat.

Speaking of gnocchi, I cooked some up last and mixed it with chicken and frozen stir-fried veggies (pea pods, water chestnuts, etc.) that I had sauteed in olive oil and seasoned with Italian herb blend and cayenne pepper. It looked really strange, but it wasn’t bad for a fast hodge-podge dinner. DH ate it both that night and as left-overs the next day without complaint.

 

[Blade_and_Blood]

Have you ever tasted …bile? :ehh:

I bet the sugar and honey were too overpowering…but now I know not to do that myself!

You know how when you have a stomach flu? And you’re always puking to the point where you start vomiting stomach acid? It’s *that *taste.

 

[SeekerJen]

I would have to say the worst experiment I ever made was an omelette made with left over Thanksgiving turkey, American cheese, and onions. Oh my goodness, was that an awful concoction! To this day I don’t know how I ever thought that was a good combination!

Hmm. I think you went wrong with the cheese. I’ve used both leftover turkey and onions in omelets before, but I have an aversion to American cheese. Nasty stuff. shudder

Of course, to most people, the turkey and onions might be gross. I think it sounds great with, say, havarti or provolone cheese. But then I’ve been known to chop up leftover roasted brussels sprouts and saute them with onions for my omelets so take my advice with a grain of salt.

 

[whatevergirl]

You know how when you have a stomach flu? And you’re always puking to the point where you start vomiting stomach acid? It’s *that *taste.

stop! LOL!
oh my gosh…that is bad! You’re kidding…that’s too funny!

 

[whatevergirl]

Hmm. I think you went wrong with the cheese. I’ve used both leftover turkey and onions in omelets before, but I have an aversion to American cheese. Nasty stuff. shudder

Of course, to most people, the turkey and onions might be gross. I think it sounds great with, say, havarti or provolone cheese. But then I’ve been known to chop up leftover roasted brussels sprouts and saute them with onions for my omelets.

Turkey + eggs = http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd171/calliaste/Smileys/beingsick.gif

I’m sorry…LOL–turkey and eggs together sound so gross!

 

[Just_wondering]

I have plenty of cooking experiments gone wrong, but I can’t think of any at the moment… better ask my boyfriend, he’d probably remember!

Most of the time, the problem is under-seasoning things. I really don’t like the taste of salt. If it were up to me, I wouldn’t put salt in anything… except some things just taste horrible without it. Bread is one of those things. When I was a teenager, it was my job to bake bread for the family, 14 loaves a week in one big batch. Every now and again, I’d under-salt it or forget the salt altogether - it was HORRIBLE! And we couldn’t afford to throw out 14 loaves of bread, so we’d have to eat it anyway.

I have only recently learnt how to make a delicious soup stock. For years, my soup tasted bland and horrible. A few months ago, my boyfriend taught me how to make chicken stew. Since then, I have a new confidence in my ability to make a nice stock. I’ve even made ramen from scratch, like I had it in Japan (except I bought the fresh noodles) and it was lovely!

Yesterday I made a nice pork stew with fresh multigrain bread for dinner. Yum!

 

[Blade_and_Blood]

stop! LOL!
oh my gosh…that is bad! You’re kidding…that’s too funny!

Yeah, it was bad.

 

[whatevergirl]

I have plenty of cooking experiments gone wrong, but I can’t think of any at the moment… better ask my boyfriend, he’d probably remember!

Most of the time, the problem is under-seasoning things. I really don’t like the taste of salt. If it were up to me, I wouldn’t put salt in anything… except some things just taste horrible without it. Bread is one of those things. When I was a teenager, it was my job to bake bread for the family, 14 loaves a week in one big batch. Every now and again, I’d under-salt it or forget the salt altogether - it was HORRIBLE! And we couldn’t afford to throw out 14 loaves of bread, so we’d have to eat it anyway.

I have only recently learnt how to make a delicious soup stock. For years, my soup tasted bland and horrible. A few months ago, my boyfriend taught me how to make chicken stew. Since then, I have a new confidence in my ability to make a nice stock. I’ve even made ramen from scratch, like I had it in Japan (except I bought the fresh noodles) and it was lovely!

Yesterday I made a nice pork stew with fresh multigrain bread for dinner. Yum!

ramen …from scratch? :ehh: Bragger!

No, that is really outstanding.:yup: I’d love to learn how to make that. I don’t make very good soup, actually. I stopped trying a while ago. I do make a very good chili, and most italian dishes. I also make great stuffed cabbage. But, like you, JW–sometimes my stuff is too bland.

Tonight was not so much bland…or bad tasting…the flavors just didn’t mix well:blush:

If it were up to me, I would eat a bowl of cereal or yogurt with fruit at night, I think the kids are with me on that, but hubby likes meals…which are good sometimes, just not every night. Imagine the money we’d save from only eating cereal for dinner! :newidea:

Or…I could easily get by eating this too—> …I love popcorn, and I never screw that up. lol

 

[os_justi]

I once marinated some chicken breasts in a raspberry vinagerette. It tasted okay, but the chicken was pink.

 

[whatevergirl]

I once marinated some chicken breasts in a raspberry vinagerette. It tasted okay, but the chicken was pink.

Aw…