"Recipe Deal Breakers: When Step 2 Is ‘Corral Pig’"

[sgl42]

That's the title of an article in the NY times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/04/di...pagewanted=all

Recipe Deal Breakers: When Step 2 Is ‘Corral Pig’

By KIM SEVERSON
Published: June 4, 2008

I WAS reading a recipe for apple strudel when I came to a sentence that stopped me cold: “If you don’t have a helper,” it began.

If a dish needs a helper, I need to move on.

Although I didn’t end up with a strudel, I did end up on a quest. I began asking good cooks I know about recipe deal breakers — those ingredients or instructions that make them throw down the whisk and walk away. [....]

Made me think that this would not be a dealbreaker to many on this board. I also recall someone, probably on this board, talking about their child's school assignment to write up a "recipe", where the child picked pizza, and began, "First, plant tomatoes", which caused quite a bit of mirth amongst the teachers.

Anyway, thought it might be a fun topic to discuss here among homesteaders -- what would prevent you from trying a recipe?

--sgl

[Bonnie L]

There are several things that will give me pause - often to the point of not trying a recipe:

Exotic and/or expensive ingredients. I live in a small town. If I have to drive to Spokane, mail-order an ingredient, or take out a bank loan, I'll either substitute something else if the rest of the recipe looks OK, or just forget it.

A list of ingredients that's as long as my arm.

Too many steps. I've occasionally cooked the kind of dish that has many parts to be assembled, cooked separately, layered, or whatever, but I usually don't make it again. It's just not worth it.

Someone once said, "Life is too short to stuff a mushroom."
AMEN!

[Meg Z]

My stopper is when the ingredient list includes prepackaged mixes. I don't keep them in the house...they aren't ingredients, to my mind. Now some things I can use my own mix in. If it wants a cake mix, I can often substitute my own. I can use real whipped cream instead of Cool Whip. But what do I use instead of boxed instant pudding mix? The pudding mix I make is for a cooked pudding. Mostly, those 'recipes' just get tossed.

But, I'll stuff a mushroom! Yummy!

Meg

[Bonnie L]

Originally Posted by Meg Z

My stopper is when the ingredient list includes prepackaged mixes. I don't keep them in the house...they aren't ingredients, to my mind.

I forgot about that - I never have those on hand either. But I have had to try some of those recipes. I'm the superintendent for the fair's bakery department. Last year I started a new entry - Beyond the Box. It's recipes that start with boxed mixes.

I found it frustrating, tho. Recipes would call for a certain size box & I couldn't find it at my store.

Still came out pretty good!

[Christiaan]

Any recipe that requires a canned soup. Yecchhhh.

[jen74145]

Originally Posted by Christiaan

Any recipe that requires a canned soup. Yecchhhh.

Yeah, that. And they're always titled "Homemade Tomato Soup With..." Pfft. Can= not homemade.

[sammyd]

We have an older cookbook that lists ingredients that may have been around when it was printed but are no longer available. I would list some but not handy to the book.
Some really good sounding stuff in there though.

[Ohio dreamer]

Tools are a deal breaker for my. I don't own a blender, food processor, etc. If my grandmother couldn't make it when she was my age (in my 30's), then I can't.

I second the no exotic/expensive ingredents. If I can't get it in my local IGA type store, then it won't be made.

I'm a homeschooling mom of 2 kids under the age of 10. Nothing complicated or taking long processes, I just don't have the time. I can slap together hamburgers and satuee up mushroom and onions and slice swiss chees rather fast and that's my DH's idea of a perfect meal, so why kill myself and spend the day ignoring my kids.

[MedicalUser]

I have a degree in culinary arts. I have worked in a fast-food type eat-in resturants , greasy spoons, up to 4 star. I have run into some pretty amazing recipes before. I have never really run into anything i wouldnt /couldnt fix. The great thing about cooking is that there are no set rules. The recipe is just a guidline. A great chef cooks with his nose and tongue , not a list of ingredients. But i have found working in as many kitchens that i have, that the simplest "peasant" food is always the best and a real crowd pleaser. Something about the old world flavors, it beckons us from a time long ago lost...it feeds our souls. Good food, good drink, good friends/family...that is whats its all about at my table.

And as for mushrooms, i make a fantastic crawfish stuffed morel that you would kill for

PeAcE

[hotzcatz]

I dunno, one of my cookbooks suggests selecting the chicken with the "bright beady eyes" to get a healthy one. Personally, I always select the one who crows the loudest. (One would think eventually we would end up with quiet crowing roosters but that somehow hasn't happened yet.)

I don't do recipes which use prepackaged mixes of any type since I don't have them and I'm not driving thirty miles to get them. Otherwise, I don't mind esoteric ingredients as long as they aren't expensive ingredients.

Weird recipes and long involved processes are okay. At the moment there are three cacoa pods sitting on my kitchen table waiting to see if they can rot before I figure out how to make them into chocolate. They came from a neighbor's tree so at least they weren't expensive even if they do manage to rot before they get processed however it's done.

Mine are a lot like everyone else's. If a pre-packaged mix is one of the ingredients it's probably not for me as I don't buy much in the way of mixes.

If it's highly involved then it's got to be something special for me to even consider it.

Time is ALWAYS an issue. I don't have all day to fiddle with stuff. A bread sponge that I can mix together in a couple of minutes then cover and let work is fine. Another minute a couple of hours later to stir, maybe once more in the afternoon then put the rest of the dough together is fine. A recipe that requires me to fuss with it all day long is not going to happen.

I work in a major university town with quite a few folks from all over the world so except for the most exotic of ingredients it's not that hard to find the unusual. That said though I won't do it very often. A few things I'll go out of my way to find, but mostly I have chosen to focus on getting the most milage from what I can easily lay hands on.

Recipes that are going to create major amounts of dishes to be washed also fall way down my list. Clean up is as much a part of the process as the finished dish.

.....Alan.

[Queen Bee]

The deal breaker is -- hot peppers--what is mild to others seems to burn my mouth--had blisters even.. BUT I will try it with banana peppers instead.

I cook to make dh happy and he likes plain foods. Nothing too spicy or new/different. I ususally make pretty much the same dishes--meat,veggies and even fruits on the grill are a regular at our house.

[AR Transplant]

I won't do anything that needs a water bath. It just seems like a big pain.

My mother in law had a recipe that told you to place the cake pan on 4 tea cups full of water in the oven. ---forget that!

ar

[Topaz Farm]

Anything that is time consumming or uses a rolling pin.

Less time in the kitchen the better I like it, especially now that it is so hot.

[Scrounger]

A recipe deal breaker around here is one that has pork, shrimp, or other unclean foods.

As well as green beans.....

[mistletoad]

Like several others - no "can of cream of..." and no prepackaged mix listed as ingredients. I also steer clear of any "salad" involving jello.

[EasyDay]

Originally Posted by MedicalUser

The great thing about cooking is that there are no set rules.

You are SO right about that. I can't remember the last recipe I followed that I didn't substitute something. Seems I'm always winging it.

Last night's supper was titled, "Penne Pasta with Bacon and Cream". It called for regular ole hickory-smoked bacon (which I love!)... but the dish is supposed to be Italian! I substituted the bacon with prosciutto and it was DIVINE! DH, the Sicilian in the family, LOVED it. Said he couldn't believe that the recipe would call for "American" bacon.

About the only thing that'll stop me cold from using a recipe is when it's made with all pre-packaged stuff and it would be too time consuming to make all of the ingredients from fresh. For example, if it calls for canned soup, I'd have to make something equivalent. Forget about it!

[Farmerwilly2]

"allow tofu to come to room temperature......" tofu. Blech. No wait, double blech. (Unless it comes in my favorite hot&sour soup, then it's given special dispensation). Did I mention blech?

[peacebaker]

Yeah, I'm with the folks on the canned soup one. And I also hate when I pick something last minute and then read "the night before....".

Did you guys see the NYT article today called "Peter Rabbut must die"? It's all about killing garden pests I thought of you'all....

[cathleenc]

the deal breaker for me is anything that consists mostly of ground beef and noodles. BLECH. Life is too short for boring food.

What gets me to try a recipe? ahhh, the stuff I can list includes:exciting new twist on common stuff (pork chops with toasted cumin seed), authors that I've come to trust (anything by Marcella Hazan!), something I've never tried before. Life is so short and there are SO many things to eat - and I want to at least try one of everything!