Service desk Fails

[EricKei]

Heck, I do the opposite -- I like to make cakes from 2 boxes of mix at a time, and I've discovered that they come out well (read: denser and richer than normal) if I bake for longer at a lower temperature, as well as adjusting the recipe (e.g. if one box calls for 1/2 cup of butter/oil, I use 3/4 cup for 2 boxes, not 1 cup. etc))...

[Sparklyturtle]

... and you will still discover myriad "everybody knows" assumptions, just fewer of them!

... "whole eggs": does not mean "including shell" ...

Or the creative substitutions. I have to confess to one I did a few years ago: We wanted brownies, but we didn't have any eggs. So, my brain pointed out that mayo was mostly made up of eggs, so I put that into the homemade brownie mix.

Don't do that. Those were the worst brownies I've ever tasted and Turtleguy heartily agreed that substituting mayo for eggs was a big mistake.

[Argus]

... "whole eggs": does not mean "including shell" ...

Unless you like your french toast crunchy.

Or the creative substitutions.

As creative as this Dilbert strip? http://dilbert.com/strip/1997-12-28

[Minflick]

The older Joy of Cooking was a great starting cookbook, because it didn't assume you knew the 'no egg shells' part. It had COMPLETE instructions. The new edition my DH gave one of our kids has markedly less complete instructions, that do assume that basic knowledge base.

[RealUnimportant]

I swear I'm not making this one up...

I knew someone once that tried cooking their first cake using an American recipe. Why am I highlighting this particular fact? Well, because you weirdos don't use things like grams or even ounces, but cups.

You know where this is going, I presume?

Yeah, they got stuck halfway through the recipe because they were using a separate cup each time one was mentioned - so 2 cups of one ingredient, 1 of the next, etc. - and they ran out of cups.

[greek_jester]

Yeah, they got stuck halfway through the recipe because they were using a separate cup each time one was mentioned - so 2 cups of one ingredient, 1 of the next, etc. - and they ran out of cups.

I thought that was just a joke in Disney's Sleeping Beauty!

[RealUnimportant]

I thought that was just a joke in Disney's Sleeping Beauty!

I'm not sure if that was the recipe they wanted to copy, but it was a similar result. They wanted to have everything ready when required, so rather than do what a normal person might and re-use the cup (or maybe use one cup for wet ingredients and another for dry stuff) they wanted to have one cup per usage of the word...

It's probably just as well they ran out, as only about half the cups came from a set and matched in size. The rest varied, including one of those monster SportsDefect* mugs! As I recall, they used that one for the butter because "it was easier to fill."

*not actual company name.

[Ironclad Alibi]

Yeah, they got stuck halfway through the recipe because they were using a separate cup each time one was mentioned - so 2 cups of one ingredient, 1 of the next, etc. - and they ran out of cups.

But that how it is done on all of the cooking shows I've seen. A whole lot of cups holding the ingredients lined up in a row waiting to be used.

[ladyjaneinmd]

But that how it is done on all of the cooking shows I've seen. A whole lot of cups holding the ingredients lined up in a row waiting to be used.

Exactly. That's the way it's supposed to be done. Mise en place.
Of course, it helps if you have a large number of small and tiny bowls (which I do).

[Minflick]

But that how it is done on all of the cooking shows I've seen. A whole lot of cups holding the ingredients lined up in a row waiting to be used.

Yes, but that doesn't imply that those holding bowls were used to measure their contents... Well, it doesn't imply that to me, but I've been cooking a long time. I guess if you are a rank beginner, and had nobody modeling cooking for you, you might think those little bowls had been used to measure.

When I assemble some baking item, I'll measure out my dry ingredients using measuring spoons and cups, and all the contents gets dumped into one large mixing bowl. The bowl doesn't measure, it merely contains what I am assembling. The measuring spoons and measuring cups are used over and over during this stage.

Keep in mind that part of the reason the cooking shows have all that stuff already out and visible in 2 dozen little containers/bowls/cups is that cooking shows would be pretty brief unless you somewhat dragged out the assembly of the item, and that it's a nice visual to have them all sitting there, and gives us a better idea of how many different herbs and spices may go into a dish. Showmanship. AND that cooking shows have a huge store room for all those pieces of glassware or crockery. I watched a Martha Stewart show a long time ago where she opened her pantry cupboard to look at pieces for the table for Thanksgiving. The cupboard on the show looked like it was HUGE, 8-10 feet long, and floor to ceiling. All serving pieces, eating pieces, drinkware - all of it intended for the table - it looked like it had more than some stores I have been in. Which means she had cookware someplace else....

[Deevil]

So, my brain pointed out that mayo was mostly made up of eggs, so I put that into the homemade brownie mix.

The brain was a bit off unfortunately. Mayo has a lot more oil than it does egg.