# Cooking: Doncha hate it when... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 28, 2012, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-doncha-hate-it-when/639093 "2012-10-28T01:28:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-doncha-hate-it-when/639093/21 "2012-10-29T22:28:50Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > I hate it when the bacon fat is popping and burning me, and I can’t manage to turn the strips over quickly because there is a dog’s head forcing its way between me and the stove! Who then goes running into the living room and buries his face in the couch cushions because it splattered on him too. Kind of like when he tries sticking his head in the oven when I’m making something. Toddlers learn “HOT” - “DON’T TOUCH”. Dog learns “HOT - FOOD FOOD FOOD FOOD FOOD FOOD FOOD”. I love him but he ain’t a genius. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-doncha-hate-it-when/639093/22 "2012-10-29T23:30:20Z")
One time I cooked meatballs to use later and put them in an opaque container in the refrigerator…something came up…you probably know how this one ends. ---
**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:** [October 29, 2012, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-doncha-hate-it-when/639093/23 "2012-10-29T23:39:32Z")
Despite being in identical glass jars, cumin surprisingly does not taste a bit like cinnamon. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-doncha-hate-it-when/639093/24 "2012-10-29T23:51:29Z")
> [@saje](#): > > Discovering that one has grabbed the chili powder instead of the cinnamon when making tea and cinnamon toast on a cold and snowy afternoon is a serious bummer. Yep. Coffee cake with cinnamon-butter crumble on top is very good. Coffee cake with dark chili powder-butter crumble on top is… not. ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-doncha-hate-it-when/639093/25 "2012-10-29T23:53:07Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Something I discovered in high school Bachelor Foods class - baking powder and baking soda are two different things. Likewise w/ corn meal and corn flour. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2012, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-doncha-hate-it-when/639093/26 "2012-10-30T00:21:12Z")
I can remember 30 years ago, my mom’s mom was visiting us and my dad thickened the spaghetti sauce with that cornstarch lookalike: Baking soda! MMM-mmm! Add a bit, not thick enough…bit more, still no good. Hmm …Dumpdumpdumpdump. Grandma tried to save dad’s pride declaring it was fine and managed to get a few mouthfuls down before mom whisked the plates off and made something else. I made a large batch of cheese stuffed, bacon wrapped jalapenos a couple Superbowls ago to take to my friends’ place for a party. I threw them on their unfamiliar grill and within a few minutes someone said “What’s that smoke outside?” The grill is right next to the huge sliding glass balcony doors adjacent to the television ensuring all could see the performance. The flames provided excellent lighting and the smoke made for dramatic effect as I battled the failed food. The result was pretty much a disaster, charred bottoms, raw tops. Standing ovation, though. ---
**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:** [October 30, 2012, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-doncha-hate-it-when/639093/27 "2012-10-30T02:33:48Z")
. . .when you put the cube of butter in the MW to soften and then get distracted? The difference between ten seconds and 20 is the difference between using it for toast and using it for popcorn. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2012, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-doncha-hate-it-when/639093/28 "2012-10-30T02:51:54Z")
Cooking a bit pot of something. Usually chili, spagehti, bean soup or a large batch of rice. Your simmer setting isn’t quite low enough and or you stirring skills aren’t good enough. And you burn the stuff on the bottom just enough to ruin the whole batch with smokey/burnt flavor. Plain white rice? No such a big deal. A gallon or two of meaty chili? A financial/culinary disaster. ---
**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:** [October 30, 2012, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-doncha-hate-it-when/639093/29 "2012-10-30T04:02:18Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > Cooking a bit pot of something. Usually chili, spagehti, bean soup or a large batch of rice. > > Your simmer setting isn’t quite low enough and or you stirring skills aren’t good enough. And you burn the stuff on the bottom just enough to ruin the whole batch with smokey/burnt flavor. Plain white rice? No such a big deal. A gallon or two of meaty chili? A financial/culinary disaster. If you catch it early enough, you can sometimes salvage it by just dumping it into another pot without touching it or scraping it or doing anything else to disturb the bottom. But it’s a pretty narrow window of opportunity. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2012, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-doncha-hate-it-when/639093/30 "2012-10-30T11:09:50Z")
My mom once misread a recipe that called for 1/2 teaspoon of salt. She used 1/2 CUP. ---
**Author:** ![bahimes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@bahimes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bahimes)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2012, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-doncha-hate-it-when/639093/31 "2012-10-30T12:27:13Z")
Coarse toasted bread crumbs and Demarara sugar should not be side-by-side in identical jars on the same shelf. Tea was lousy, but the roasted chicken legs were…interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swords_to_Plowshares)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2012, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-doncha-hate-it-when/639093/32 "2012-10-30T12:39:24Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > One time I cooked meatballs to use later and put them in an opaque container in the refrigerator…something came up…you probably know how this one ends. Dog got to them? I honestly don’t know. ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2012, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-doncha-hate-it-when/639093/33 "2012-10-30T12:59:39Z")
I have a really bad habit of never checking my spice cupboard before planning my week’s meals. I absolutely hate it when I’ve gotten all of the chopping done, and only then do I realize that I’m out of, say, curry when I’m making a curried pork dish. Not that this happened to me this weekend or anything… ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2012, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-doncha-hate-it-when/639093/34 "2012-10-30T13:14:22Z")
Another swapped spice story… one year at Thanksgiving my wife was making the gravy and accidentally grabbed the container of cinnamon instead of the black pepper. Luckily she noticed before dumping too much in, but a little cinnamon goes a long way! ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2012, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-doncha-hate-it-when/639093/35 "2012-10-30T13:31:29Z")
> [@MikeG](#): > > Made potatoes au gratin and thought I was deglazing with white wine. Turns out it was white wine vinegar. That’s what I get for cooking with a bad cold and reusing old wine bottles for vinegar and cooking wine. A friend of mine once made potatoes au gratin with vanilla flavoured custard instead of cream. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2012, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-doncha-hate-it-when/639093/36 "2012-10-30T13:39:52Z")
I used baking soda instead of powdered sugar to dust the tops of some brownies once. After I ate one, I realized what I had done, so I brushed them all off and found the real sugar. They were kind of salty, but not bad. ---
**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:** [October 30, 2012, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-doncha-hate-it-when/639093/37 "2012-10-30T13:40:49Z")
We had relatives over for a big holiday dinner. I preheated the grill, then started the huge hunks of salmon. Then ran out of gas. I told my gf, “don’t ask any questions, just pour drinks and stall”. I drove to the closest convenience store selling propane, got back, and the dinner was a success. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2012, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-doncha-hate-it-when/639093/38 "2012-10-30T13:45:26Z")
> [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](#): > > Dog got to them? I honestly don’t know. Oh, sorry - I put the container on the bottom shelf. I had to go out of town for a family emergency, the container was pushed to the back hidden behind other things, and there they stayed, unnoticed and forgotten for a couple of months. Eww! ---
**Author:** ![bahimes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@bahimes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bahimes)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2012, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-doncha-hate-it-when/639093/39 "2012-10-30T14:30:10Z")
Years ago living in Italy, where we had to go to the municipal water fountains to fill our big jugs. My containers were 5 liter “fiaschi” that I also bought wine in. Stored under the counter where the coffee maker perched. Late party, and coffee was called for… ---
**Author:** ![Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Springtime_for_Spacers)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2012, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-doncha-hate-it-when/639093/40 "2012-10-30T14:42:09Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > . . .when you put the cube of butter in the MW to soften and then get distracted? The difference between ten seconds and 20 is the difference between using it for toast and using it for popcorn. :smack: After doing thhis to many times I now put a cup of water in with it. Takes a bit longer but a much better tolerance for distraction. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-doncha-hate-it-when/639093.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-doncha-hate-it-when/639093.md?page=3)