Inspired by an ongoing conversation in the Dinner Tonight thread …
what dishes do you not cook at home because It’s Just Not Worth It. This could be monetary expense, time expense, or simply an inability to make a version at home that is good enough to pass on buying the commercial and/or restaurant version of the same.
And this doesn’t have to be restricted to things you never do at home — feel free to expand it to things you rarely do at home, for this reason.
for me:
Thai curries
omellettes
sushi rolls
enchiladas, tamales, … quite frankly, pretty much all stereotypical Mexican cuisine
I’ve been making a sincere effort to get “fish” removed from this list. I think I’m there, but I still order fish at restaurants quite frequently because of this dynamic. Historically, fish was absolutely on this list for me.
I feel like there a couple of very obvious meals I’m forgetting so I may post again, but for me I find the clean-up is really getting to me in my old age. Brick chicken, fried chicken, eggrolls, shaking beef to name a few. Even with a lot of surface cover prep before starting, there is always so much cleaning of the stove, hood, vents, etc after that it makes it not worth it for me.
And I second the cheesesteaks. Kids have been asking for those lately and my wife and are like, nope, going out for those…
The Mexican food is also an interesting one my wife and I discuss pretty much every time we make something. Usually easy to make, and it’s delicious at home, but it’s a lot more time than you think and often a mountain of dishes when you get done (especially if making fresh guac, pico/salsa, etc).
Say what now? Is this because you are super picky about the outcome and don’t tolerate any speck of color?
I know people can geek out about the ‘perfect’ omelette, but I think most regular cooks can get pretty far and 90/95% (whatever) of the way to perfect is still pretty tasty for me.
If anything, I’m the opposite as I can’t imagine ordering omelettes in restaurants. Mostly because the majority of restaurants that serve them can’t afford to buy the fresh eggs that I get from the farmers market.
Yeah, it’s a technique thing. I have a friend who devoted a lot of time to learning how to make perfect omelettes, and he taught me. So there was about two weeks of my life when I could do it, but I fell out of practice. Historically, when I attempt an omelette, I end up concluding that I would have been better off just doing a scramble. Yes, it’s because too often when I’ve tried omelettes the eggs get overcooked. Of the things I listed in my first post, omelettes are the first thing I would seek to get off the list. As it is, I’ll just continue to order them nearly 100% of the time I go out to breakfast.
Eggs are one of the things I tend to cheap out on – – – this is likely foolish of me, but it is what it is – – – so I don’t have the inferior eggs at restaurant problem at my address. I’m not buying the cheapest ones, but I’m not looking to spend a dollar or more per egg, either.
If you – – or anyone – – can give me the secret to making Mexican food at home that tastes like Mexican food at restaurants I would love to hear it!
I assume the relevant factors are some combination of the following:
– cooking with lard (which I do not do at all at home, let alone the copious quantities used at many Mexican restaurants)
– spices and peppers
– homemade tortillas
– cheese blend
– letting sauces simmer for a long time
With Mexican food, it is a two-prong thing for me: number one, with my previous attempts I have not even come close to what I’m aiming for, flavorwise. Second, even if I could hit the flavor marks, I do have my doubts that I would ultimately feel the hassle is worth it.
First things that come to mind for me are Ramen and Pho. If you have a good spot that’s a tough pill to swallow.
My wife loves loves loves Mole, but when she is craving it…out we go.
My second year of law school I worked at one of the nicer Laramie, Wyoming (context ) restaurants, and for a period of time I worked the Sunday brunch - think eggs. We used clarified butter, rubber spatulas, and 8 inch All-Clad pans for all the egg dishes. For omelettes, we had a five gallon hard plastic bucket in which we’d whip up many dozens of eggs at the start of the morning. From memory (this is over 40 years ago) we’d start an omelette by putting about 1/2 cup of the clarified butter in the pan, heat it up really good, then dump the egg mixture in. As the egg batter cooked it would fluff up a good inch or more, and we’d use the rubber spatula to pull the edges to the center of the pan, allowing the butter and uncooked egg batter to then take its place towards the outer part of the pan. Repeat the process once or twice and then flip (simply by hand/wrist action) the egg, add your other stuff (ham, cheese, mushrooms, sautéed onions/peppers, whatever) and it then finishes cooking pretty quickly: one fluffy omelette.
I only occasionally will do this at home these days, mostly because I’m not a big omelette person and instead tend to go with over easy or Benedict. But a really good omelette is pretty easy (oh, yeah, be sure to wear an apron for that final “flip” . . . ).
Now that I’ve got a little granddaughter I hope to get back into doing some of my homemade pancakes and omelettes on occasion.
Not really … Thai curries. Mexican dishes. Seriously?
Omelettes are straightforward, but require technique that I just don’t have at the moment. Same with sushi rolls — my couple attempts at them were so bad!
It is!! Now that I look at my measuring cups, it’s more like 1/4 to 1/3 of a cup. We had these metal ladles that we’d use, to retrieve the clarified butter from a stainless steel container that held about a quart of the clarified butter. The key here, though, is using clarified butter (much like the key to seared scallops).
OK, that’s just lame. How hard is it to find decent eggs where you are? I buy local eggs from a farm (about 3 miles from me) that keeps a small flock out on pasture. $6/dozen freshly laid eggs, with yolks that are a deep orange. Spending $6 every 2-3 weeks is hardly breaking the bank. And making an omelette is not hard.
Pretty much anything Asian. I can do basic stir fry, but to approach anything like we can get in the Bay Area, especially Hunan/Szechuan/real Thai, is way beyond what I’m willing to try. I made potstickers once, including the wrappers. One and done. They were delicious!
Sushi rice is a pain. I’ve made it a couple of times.
There are several Mexican markets nearby. Not like we make it often, but the ingredients are readily available.
There’s a great egg vendor at one of the local farmers markets. Jumbo organic free range for $12/dozen. They barely fit in a standard egg carton.
) restaurants, and for a period of time I worked the Sunday brunch - think eggs. We used clarified butter, rubber spatulas, and 8 inch All-Clad pans for all the egg dishes. For omelettes, we had a five gallon hard plastic bucket in which we’d whip up many dozens of eggs at the start of the morning. From memory (this is over 40 years ago) we’d start an omelette by putting about 1/2 cup of the clarified butter in the pan, heat it up really good, then dump the egg mixture in. As the egg batter cooked it would fluff up a good inch or more, and we’d use the rubber spatula to pull the edges to the center of the pan, allowing the butter and uncooked egg batter to then take its place towards the outer part of the pan. Repeat the process once or twice and then flip (simply by hand/wrist action) the egg, add your other stuff (ham, cheese, mushrooms, sautéed onions/peppers, whatever) and it then finishes cooking pretty quickly: one fluffy omelette.
