# What's the most complicated meal you've ever prepared? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [March 2, 2023, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-complicated-meal-youve-ever-prepared/980588 "2023-03-02T14:20:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2023, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-complicated-meal-youve-ever-prepared/980588/101 "2023-03-07T21:17:06Z")
I’m imagining swedes should work just as well as turnips for this dish: armoured turnips [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/exTSP163sRg/maxresdefault.jpg "Debunking the Myths of Leonardo da Vinci") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exTSP163sRg) ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2023, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-complicated-meal-youve-ever-prepared/980588/102 "2023-03-07T23:38:51Z")
> [@solost](#): > > C’mon, mashed rutabaga (or Swedes, as the Brit side of my family called it for some reason) is freakin’ delicious. I halve or quarter rutabagas, toss them with olive oil and salt, and roast them in the oven (similar to roasted cauliflower or Brussels sprouts). ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2023, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-complicated-meal-youve-ever-prepared/980588/103 "2023-03-08T07:38:16Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > halve or quarter rutabagas, toss them with olive oil and salt, and roast them in the oven (similar to roasted cauliflower or Brussels sprouts). 🤮 ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2023, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-complicated-meal-youve-ever-prepared/980588/104 "2023-03-08T07:40:34Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I was dead on my feet by the time I had Christmas dinner on the table last year, you’d have to pay me enough to hire someone to do most of the work. But as long as your wallet is open I could pay that person to go cook it at your house too 🙂 ha ha I don’t think id be worth airfare or something like that tho ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2023, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-complicated-meal-youve-ever-prepared/980588/105 "2023-03-08T08:57:26Z")
I’ve only ever had rutabaga as “neeps and tatties” alongside haggis in a Burns supper. It’s alright, but I can’t really imagine myself eating it in any other context. ---
**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:** [March 8, 2023, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-complicated-meal-youve-ever-prepared/980588/106 "2023-03-08T11:49:54Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > I halve or quarter rutabagas, toss them with olive oil and salt, and roast them in the oven (similar to roasted cauliflower or Brussels sprouts). I do the same, but with carrots, parsnips, turnips, onions, beets. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2023, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-complicated-meal-youve-ever-prepared/980588/107 "2023-03-08T13:02:01Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > I’ve only ever had rutabaga as “neeps and tatties” alongside haggis in a Burns supper. Reminds me of my Scottish Grandma. I don’t know if she ever made neeps and tatties, and never served us haggis, but she introduced the family to Swedes. She loved Robby Burns, and before every meal at her house we’d say the Selkirk Grace: _Some hae meat and canna eat_ _And some wad eat that want it:_ _But we hae meat and we can eat,_ _And sae the Lord be thankit._ ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2023, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-complicated-meal-youve-ever-prepared/980588/108 "2023-03-08T17:51:07Z")
My French Onion soup is awesome but I essentially have to stand next to it or be on call for 6 or 7 hours for me to be happy with it. BBQ brisket takes just as much effort, but that makes sense. I can’t explain why my soup takes so long, but it does and it’s worth it. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2023, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-complicated-meal-youve-ever-prepared/980588/109 "2023-03-08T19:57:13Z")
For what it’s worth Sitnam, I also had issues sloooowly sweating and browning my onions without burning them in order for my french onion soup to be juuuuust right. It got better when I figured out that putting it into a well buttered slow cooker and just letting it go for 6 hours did 90% as well with infinitely less stress. ---
**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:** [March 9, 2023, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-complicated-meal-youve-ever-prepared/980588/110 "2023-03-09T12:35:08Z")
I sous vide my onions overnight for things like French Onion Soup. ---
**Author:** ![amaguri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/49beb7/32.png) [@amaguri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amaguri)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2023, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-complicated-meal-youve-ever-prepared/980588/111 "2023-03-10T16:38:41Z")
The thing about cooking complicated meals for me is usually by the time I’m done, I have no interest in eating it anymore. The exception is Thanksgiving dinner, which isn’t particularly complicated but I find the timing of everything to be enormously stressful. But it’s only once a year and I love the food so it’s worh it even if something comes out after something else 🙂 ---
**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:** [March 10, 2023, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-complicated-meal-youve-ever-prepared/980588/112 "2023-03-10T17:14:04Z")
> [@amaguri](#): > > The thing about cooking complicated meals for me is usually by the time I’m done, I have no interest in eating it anymore. If I’m cooking a nice meal for guests, I taste my work as I’m going along. By the time I plate and serve the meal, I’m not hungry, nor am I in the mood to eat, as I scurry around filling glasses, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Dogginit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dogginit/32/16920_2.png) [@Dogginit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogginit)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2023, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-complicated-meal-youve-ever-prepared/980588/113 "2023-03-10T21:24:57Z")
That’s always been my issue - “Why aren’t you eating?” “I’m tired of looking at it.” 😆 ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2023, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-complicated-meal-youve-ever-prepared/980588/114 "2023-03-12T23:25:18Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Never had kohlrabi, I will have to fix that! Kohlrabi, in my opinion is best raw, in salads or as crudités. It’s probably my favorite brassica. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2023, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-complicated-meal-youve-ever-prepared/980588/115 "2023-03-13T02:43:22Z")
Hmm, the most complicated single dish I’ve made was chicken biryani, from Madhur Jaffrey’s _an invitation to Indian cooking_. I think it took more that 24 hours, with several active steps. It was delicious. Far, far better than any biriyani I’ve ever purchased. But i think I’ve only done it twice. Ox tail soup might be second, but it’s a distant second. Mine is a lot simpler than what @kayaker describes, but there’s a lot of browning of onions and ox tails, simmering, skimming, chilling and removing fat, removing the meat from the pieces of tail and chopping it up, adding vegetables… It’s really good. My most complicated meal is new Year’s eve. My husband and i work together, but i do the brunt of it. It’s a buffet that includes Roast goose with wild rice stuffing, removed from the bones and arranged on the platter in the shape it started in (a presentation i first saw for pigeon in a Chinese restaurant) Butterflied barbecued leg of lamb An Indian chick pea dish Lentils Fried potatoes with black mustard seeds and lemon juice (also Indian. We are big fans of Madhur Jeffrey.) Rice with whole spices A cheese plate (i buy the cheese) Carrots and celery Crackers Hummus (purchased) Vegan blueberry pie (homemade) Cookies (homemade: usually gingersnaps or chocolate chip meringue) M&Ms Stuff other people bring ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2023, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-complicated-meal-youve-ever-prepared/980588/116 "2023-03-13T13:43:49Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Hmm, the most complicated single dish I’ve made was chicken biryani, from Madhur Jaffrey’s _an invitation to Indian cooking_. I think it took more that 24 hours, with several active steps. It was delicious. Far, far better than any biriyani I’ve ever purchased. But i think I’ve only done it twice. Want to make this. Does this recipe, that claims to be from Madhur Jaffrey’s An Invitation to Indian Cooking, look correct to you? [https://www.recipelink.com/msgbrd/board\_3/2003/APR/7225.html](https://www.recipelink.com/msgbrd/board_3/2003/APR/7225.html) ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2023, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-complicated-meal-youve-ever-prepared/980588/117 "2023-03-13T14:40:57Z")
Yes, that’s the recipe, nearly weird for word. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2023, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-complicated-meal-youve-ever-prepared/980588/118 "2023-03-13T15:01:24Z")
It’s a weird word world. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2023, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-complicated-meal-youve-ever-prepared/980588/119 "2023-03-13T15:14:34Z")
Lol, thanks Swype. ---
**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:** [March 13, 2023, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-complicated-meal-youve-ever-prepared/980588/120 "2023-03-13T16:38:41Z")
Biryani is one I haven’t had the guts to try yet. I’ve had so many good (and terrible) versions of it that I just don’t want to risk it not living up to my hopes. I have recently watched this video, which might give me the courage one day when I’m bored to try: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/6XlMguO9r-M/maxresdefault.jpg "Chicken Biryani - A step-by-step guide to the best rice dish ever") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XlMguO9r-M) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-complicated-meal-youve-ever-prepared/980588.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-complicated-meal-youve-ever-prepared/980588.md?page=7)