# "A-ha!" moments in cooking **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 6, 2018, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-ha-moments-in-cooking/813722 "2018-05-06T22:42:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-ha-moments-in-cooking/813722/21 "2018-05-07T12:53:24Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I’ve recently starting to love blistered/charred green beans, as it gets rid of some of that “green” flavor I’m not particularly fond of in steamed green beans, and there’s an extra layer of flavor with the charring. I haven’t had green beans or asparagus or peppers that weren’t cooked (and charred a bit) on the grill. Even while it was snowing, I’d be out cooking the veggies. > [@snfaulkner](#): > > Not so much for cooking, per se. But my first time at a bar, I ordered a drink…AND THEY BROUGHT IT TO ME! Ah HA! I know see why this is better than sitting at home drinking. Especially when your drink of choice is something that takes some work, like an Old Fashioned. Just had that feeling Sat. night, watching a bartender muddle orange peel and a Door County cherry in the bottom of my glass (with some kind of Official Old Fashioned pestle), and I actually thought “I’m getting this great drink, and what do I have to do? Fuck all – I just have to sit here and watch the show.” ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-ha-moments-in-cooking/813722/22 "2018-05-07T14:25:45Z")
All good things in moderation - including cooking times. Parboiled vegetables kick the crap out of that discolored mush my mother called cooking; pasta al dente or barely-done is much better than overcooked. This one is very personal, but last Friday we went to a Napolitan restaurant. We chose a group menu consisting of “pizzas until you can’t eat more, plus a ‘surprise’ picked by the chef.” The surprise turned out to be penne with tomato sauce; not very surprising as “dish from an Italian” goes, but… apparently it’s true what my grandma once said about me cooking like her Napolitan aunt, those penne could’a come out of my kitchen 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Purd\_Werfect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47c2d/32.png) [@Purd\_Werfect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Purd_Werfect)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-ha-moments-in-cooking/813722/23 "2018-05-07T14:56:30Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > I don’t know if this is an a-ha moment, but I figured out a couple years ago that the tuna-macaroni salad that is a family staple handed down from my maternal grandmother is LOADS better if you over-salt the water you boil the macaroni in. I always throw a handful of salt into pasta water, but for whatever reason, this time I put in a lot more than normal. It made the pasta salad a ton better. > > Another not-quite-aha moment, but important nevertheless: bland food can be saved with salt and/or acid. Most folks know about salt; but a squirt of lemon juice or vinegar can be just as important. I know how it can be with family recipes, but could you share this one? I’ve been looking for a good tuna macaroni salad without much luck. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-ha-moments-in-cooking/813722/24 "2018-05-07T15:29:26Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > This one is very personal, but last Friday we went to a Napolitan restaurant. Are they the horrible people who came up with vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry ice cream all in one?☹ ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-ha-moments-in-cooking/813722/25 "2018-05-07T17:17:41Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Are they the horrible people who came up with vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry ice cream all in one?☹ Hehehe nope. That’s Neapolitan. Napolitan means ‘from Napoli,’ or Naples. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-ha-moments-in-cooking/813722/26 "2018-05-07T18:03:51Z")
Recipes are _suggestions_, not laws carved in stone. If you don’t like, or don’t have, a particular ingredient, you can usually leave it out, or find a substitution. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-ha-moments-in-cooking/813722/27 "2018-05-07T18:06:00Z")
> [@Johnny\_Ace](#): > > Hehehe nope. That’s Neapolitan. Napolitan means ‘from Napoli,’ or Naples. Actually, “Neopolitan” is the correct form of the word meaning “from Naples.” Napolitan doesn’t really exist in English. (It is used in Japan to refer to a local version of a spaghetti dish.) ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-ha-moments-in-cooking/813722/28 "2018-05-07T18:11:12Z")
I was having a terrible time with cookies self-destructing when I took them off the tray. I posted a request for help, and someone said “parchment paper.” :smack: My cookies have been perfect ever since. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-ha-moments-in-cooking/813722/29 "2018-05-07T18:15:10Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > I was having a terrible time with cookies self-destructing when I took them off the tray. I posted a request for help, and someone said “parchment paper.” :smack: > > My cookies have been perfect ever since. I used it because it was so much easier than cleaning the crusts from the cookie sheets. The latter was an unintended bonus. ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-ha-moments-in-cooking/813722/30 "2018-05-07T18:29:52Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > I was having a terrible time with cookies self-destructing when I took them off the tray. I posted a request for help, and someone said “parchment paper.” :smack: > > My cookies have been perfect ever since. Silicon mats! ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-ha-moments-in-cooking/813722/31 "2018-05-07T19:42:37Z")
> [@Purd\_Werfect](#): > > I know how it can be with family recipes, but could you share this one? I’ve been looking for a good tuna macaroni salad without much luck. No problems sharing, but since it’s an Olde Family Recipe, I don’t actually have anything written down. I’ll do my best: 8 oz elbow macaroni ~ 6 oz chunk light tuna in water, drained (I use an envelope) 1 medium-sized red bell pepper, diced ~3ish stalks celery, diced 1/2 medium red onion, diced ~ 1 cup frozen peas, thawed ~ 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, thawed Mayonnaise Italian or Caesar Dressing. I use Paul Newman’s Caesar dressing salt & pepper minced parsley if you want to be fancy Note : the diced veggies and cheese should be medium dice, and all around the same size. Maybe a little bigger than a pea. Cook up the pasta in decently-salted water. I use a 3.5 quart pot and fill it maybe 2/3-3/4 full, I’d say maybe a tablespoon of kosher salt. When the pasta is cooked, drain it but don’t rinse, and put it in a fairly big bowl. Glug in a couple glugs of the Italian dressing and mix well. You want to do this while the pasta is still hot. Let the pasta cool. I usually dice the veggies while waiting. Once pasta is room temp, add in the tuna, veggies, and cheese. Add in a big spoonful of mayo & mix. Add more if necessary; you want enough to hold the salad together but not be overly mayo-y. Note that as the salad cools in the fridge, it’ll dry out, so a little wet at this stage is fine. Once everything is mixed, add the peas (you don’t want to mush them so I add them last), season to taste with salt & pepper, and add parsley if you are being fancy. Sometimes I put a squirt of lemon juice too. I let it cool in the fridge before serving, and then re-taste and adjust for salt. ---
**Author:** ![Purd\_Werfect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47c2d/32.png) [@Purd\_Werfect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Purd_Werfect)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-ha-moments-in-cooking/813722/32 "2018-05-07T20:51:02Z")
That sounds great! Thanks, Athena! ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-ha-moments-in-cooking/813722/33 "2018-05-07T21:59:08Z")
Back in about 1976, I was on a small detachment and we had our own cook. His Sundays, like ours, were his own time and we fended for ourselves. One day, I was trying to make hashbrowns on the griddle and they were sticking and just making a mess of things. The cook happened to walk in at that point, watched me for a few seconds and then said “Quit messin’ with it.” He took the spatula out of my hand, scraped the whole mess into the garbage and then handed the tool back to me and told me to shred some more potatoes. “Now pour some oil on that grill and let it get good and hot, then put your potatoes on and leave it the fuck alone for a few minutes!” I obeyed, and then he told me to flip them over as one unit. To my surprise, it worked perfectly and has continued to work for all manner of things ever since. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-ha-moments-in-cooking/813722/34 "2018-05-07T22:23:36Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > That is another good one. Don’t be afraid of high heat. . While true, it’s also essential to know when “HIGH” is not the proper setting. That’s how my wife cooks. Everything comes out over-cooked. She lost her sense of smell and can’t tell when shit is starting to burn until she sees the smoke. That’s why I do all the cooking. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-ha-moments-in-cooking/813722/35 "2018-05-07T23:30:17Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > While true, it’s also essential to know when “HIGH” is not the proper setting. > > That’s how my wife cooks. Everything comes out over-cooked. She lost her sense of smell and can’t tell when shit is starting to burn until she sees the smoke. > > That’s why I do all the cooking. It took me years to train my wife not to turn the temperature on non-stick pans up much past medium. She also tends to be distracted from the cooking task and scorched butter will set off the smoke alarms. She thinks I hang out in the kitchen to tell her how to cook, but it’s pretty much self preservation at times. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-ha-moments-in-cooking/813722/36 "2018-05-07T23:37:56Z")
I roasted and ate the guys who sang “Take On Me”. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2018, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-ha-moments-in-cooking/813722/37 "2018-05-08T00:03:02Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > It took me years to train my wife not to turn the temperature on non-stick pans up much past medium. She also tends to be distracted from the cooking task and scorched butter will set off the smoke alarms. She thinks I hang out in the kitchen to tell her how to cook, but it’s pretty much self preservation at times. Oh, yes, good point on Teflon and heat. You don’t want to get those pans scorching hot! ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2018, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-ha-moments-in-cooking/813722/38 "2018-05-08T01:01:59Z")
> [@Johnny\_Ace](#): > > Hehehe nope. That’s Neapolitan. Napolitan means ‘from Napoli,’ or Naples. I don’t know the correct spelling in the Neapolitan language, but in standard Italian it’s “Napoletano” or “Napoletana” depending what or who you’re talking about, and in English it’s “Neapolitan” for both the ice cream and for being from that city. I don’t think they make the weird ice cream in Napuli though. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![MonkeyMensch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@MonkeyMensch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonkeyMensch)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2018, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-ha-moments-in-cooking/813722/39 "2018-05-08T05:12:14Z")
My Aha moment didn’t happen until I was long gone from the restaurant at which I had been learning: I had been doing prep for a decently up-scaled Santa Fe and such cuisine restaurant. I was making, among other things, their two signature sauces every day. In addition I learned that I can make the finest soups on the planet: all I need is a dozen, or so, chickens on the previous day from which to make stock! We made a bunch of the richest, most delicious stock every day that it was just a matter of throwing chicken and rice or tomatoes or just about anything into it and having God’s own soup. And our mulligatawny was to kill for. But the bigger Aha was for learning how sauces work and how to work with a roux and tell how to cook one. Don’t burn it! Feel it! There was a time when my services were much in demand at the family Thanksgiving dinner, because I could make more gravy, and do a better job of it than anyone else. After all gravy if just a meat sauce. But then it was found out that I do the best job of turkey carving, because, dammit, 12 chickens a day will certainly teach you about poultry anatomy! ---
**Author:** ![amaguri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/49beb7/32.png) [@amaguri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amaguri)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2018, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-ha-moments-in-cooking/813722/40 "2018-05-08T07:12:04Z")
I’ve had as many hits as misses when making french macarons. The secret (or not-so-secret since many recipes recommend this) is you really should weigh your ingredients. I’ve had 100% success since using a kitchen scale. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-ha-moments-in-cooking/813722.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-ha-moments-in-cooking/813722.md?page=3)