I dont get this..

United States
May 7, 2009 10:23pm CST
I am a decent cook and getting better. Lately i been cooking up all kinds of things when i usually just make meals out of a box. I have made loaded baked potato soup, egg drop soup, beef stew, sesame chicken, stuffed mushrooms, and loads of other things. But there are a couple of things i just cant seem to make right. My mashed potatoes always get over cooked and are mushy, and i cant cook a hamburger to same my life. If there premade hamburger patties i can make them...but if i have to pat out the patties myself i never get them right. I cooked two last night and didn't get them cooked all the way through and that always happens. Its like the more complicated the recipe the easier it is for me to make, yet simple things are harder. Its kind of funny. So is there something simple that you cant cook when there are complicated things you are good at??
3 people like this
6 responses
@thyst07 (2079)
• United States
8 May 09
I don't know what to tell you about the potatoes, but here's a tip for the hamburgers. When you form the patties, put an indentation in the middle so that the outer edges are thicker than the center (Looks like a red blood cell, actually...here's a picture. http://www.fi.edu/learn/heart/blood/images/red-blood-cells.jpg). Since the center tends to cook slower, having it a bit thinner helps even out the cooking time so that when the outer edges of the burger are done, the center should be too. You should also mix any seasonings that you use in with the raw beef before you form the patties rather than sprinkling them on the outside. In general, I'm a really good cook. But I am pretty horrible at baking cookies. No matter what I do, the first sheet of cookies burns and the rest turn out crispy, even if the recipe is supposed to be soft. It doesn't matter what kind of oven I use, and it's not a problem with the recipes themselves. If I mix the batter but my husband puts them in the oven, then they come out just fine. So I think I just might be cursed.
1 person likes this
• United States
9 May 09
That is a great idea about the hamburgers..i would of never thought of it. I do usually mix the seasons with the meat before making the patties. I could always bake, its the cooking of a meal that had been trouble for me and i have gotten great except for those two previously mentioned things.
@riyasam (16556)
• India
8 May 09
lol.i can cook a fried rice with veggies in it with ease but i just cannot boil the egg to the right consistency.most of the time it is underboiled or sometimes it becomes overboiled that chewing rubber is better.
1 person likes this
• United States
8 May 09
I made fried rice for the first time about three weeks ago and it came out great, but i ended up making entirely way to much. I used to have trouble with boiling eggs because i could never remember how long i was supposed to cook them for or i got it confused with how long i was supposed to boil potatoes. I used to make potatoes salad all the time which calls for both the potatoes and eggs which is why i kept getting confused. But then i started to have boil eggs for various reasons and got it straight. After they start to boil, 15 minutes for eggs, and about 20 for potatoes.
@bdugas (3578)
• United States
12 May 09
I take my hamberger patties I make and make a ball then put them on a sheet of foil or the counter top or cutting board and flatten them with a plate. The bottom of the plate smashes them to look like a pre made patty. they cook faster and I hate a big thick patty, it like the hamburger just keeps growing in my mouth, so I found if I smash them to like premade then it isn't like that. As for mashed potatoes, too much milk or butter will make them mushy, I cook till just fork tender and then add some butter and add milk a little at a time till I get the consistency I want. It takes time but keep trying one day they will be just how you want them. I also add salt and pepper and a egg to my hamburger before making the patty, sometimes just a bit of garlic powder too.
1 person likes this
@ashar123 (2357)
• India
5 Aug 09
Well I am not a cook and have never tried cooking anything like you have mentioned in your discussion but I am replying still because I love seeing cooking shows on television. You shared your problem that you face overcooking alot. According to what I have understood, have you tried changing your pan in which you are cooking. The heat from underneath your pan does not spread evenly thats why you are facing over cooked things.
• United States
8 May 09
i can make omelets which most people cant and cant cook anything else lol
• United States
8 May 09
I havent tried to make an omelet yet. But i do have a new recipe i am going to try out tomorrow for a chicken scampi.
@marguicha (223720)
• Chile
8 May 09
I´m a very good cook. But pancakes (the crepe pancakes) are not my thing. The first 2 stick to the pan, no matter how good it is. As for your problems, I hope you don´t beat the potatoes with an electric beater: they always get mushy that way. As for the homemade hamburger (one tends to make them thicker) I discovered that if I put a pot cover to the pan in the last 3 or 4 minutes they would cook inside. Take care
• United States
8 May 09
The mash potato thing is because i never get the cook time right. I have never understood why people made mashed potatoes with a electric beater.