I could never win one of those reality cooking competitions because the judges will say:
“I really liked the sauce but the pasta wasn’t al dente so I have to take off points for that.” Yeah, yeah it means “to the tooth” to you, it means “not quite cooked” to me. Just another minute and it’s perfect.
“I loved the Asian flavors but the salmon was overdone. A few minutes less and it would have had that lovely moist center.” No, a few minutes less and it would have had that strip of sushi in the middle. The moment that goes it is perfect. It falls apart under a fork and none of it is raw.
Anyone else have prejudices against the PROPER way to do something?
If you don’t know how to cook the fish all the way through without making it inedible, that’s fine. Don’t put it on your menu as GRILLED fish! Instead, list “A hunk of some fish drenched with sauce.”
Yes, I know the instructions say to boil the oatmeal for 10 minutes, until it forms a uniform mass of goo. I like mine to have a little body.
I prefer my macaroni cheese not to be grilled or baked - just cook the pasta, meanwhile make the sauce and then pour it over. That’s how my mum always made it (maybe she was just lazy ) and the “proper” way with the cheesy crust just doesn’t seem right.
I take my subs strictly meat-cheese-veggies.
“Hold the mayo.”
“Oh, then how about mustard?”
“Nope.”
“Oh, then you must want oil & vinegar?”
“Nope.”
“Then you must want one of our special dressings/sauces?”
“Nope.”
“Bu, bu, bu, but you can’t just eat it DRY!!!”
I like my scrambled eggs cooked through. You know the eggs you get in fried rice - that is how I like my scrambled eggs. They should not be fluffy and moist, that’s gross.
I also like to chill red wine. And not “slightly below room temperature” chill, I mean, I sometimes like mine out of the fridge.
A mild cheese sauce goes well with almost any fish (that is, pieces of fish fillet) - I use this combination a lot (topped with mashed potatoes, as a fish pie)
And smoked salmon goes rather well with goat cheese or soft French cheeses like Brie.
I like my steak and burgers well done. If it has the slightest bit of pink in the center it is not finished yet. I don’t care that it hurts your inner chef to see meat overcooked because I think it tastes better this way. I will gladly make your steak black and blue if I am cooking it so don’t give me shit about liking my meat well done please.