For Pete's Sake, why did that recipe fail?

Does it happen to me? A failed recipe? Oh heavens yes! And some weeks as a home cook, recipe developer and content creator, it will affect not only our meals, but the blog as well. Which was the reason for this topic today, failed recipes and what might have been the cause. Because no one is exempt... 

What a week! 

Three days in a row, I got to experience a failed recipe. And true confession, one of them I have actually made before, meaning I know it is a solid and trustworthy recipe! Recipe development is necessary for fresh recipes for, not only my little corner of the blogging community, but also for our table. We try to cook with seasonal produce, and eat a variety of foods for good nutrition. And if I am honest, a little bit of sweet to end the day. 

So the test I must pass each day is, food on the table for the two of us and new content for Scratch Made Food!& DIY Homemade Household...The truth is, no matter how long you have been cooking, you will have a failed recipe. Whew!,  now that we got that piece of information delivered, lets take a look at some of the possible reasons why:

It's just you. But wait, do let me explain! 

Each and everyone of us has an natural aptitude, within us. That is the primary reason some folks are geared towards oh, let's say Engineering. Or Writing. Or a number of other fields. So many folks have an aptitude for mechanical ability and understanding, but trust me I do not! We accept aptitude when it comes to choosing a profession for employment and or career building. 

But somewhere along the line, cooking was not placed on a list of skills acceptable for having, or not, aptitude. Which means some folks are not equipped with an aptitude for cooking food. Period. I will not come right out and say that they are bad cooks, because in truth they simply have not developed a skill for cooking or it has been decided by them, as not one of their interests. But don't we all get to choose where we place our time and which skills we want to develop? Is it possible that aptitude, is, in some small way, the real secret ingredient for any recipe?

Or, it's still you, but in a different way!

We all get busy, sometimes so busy that we skip a step or worse an ingredient in the process. And in cooking that is always a problem! That is exactly what happened to me, making a recipe I have made before (and it is so good, by the way!). I forgot an important ingredient. It was edible but not by us. However the hens loved it, with a bit of milk poured over the top...

I don't know about you, but I don't actually choose the busy days. They seem to form on their own, based upon everything that needs to be done. And in trying to get it all done, we sometimes miss a step. Much like a dance, in cooking, routine is just as important. Somedays to keep myself from missing a step I will set all the ingredients needed out on the counter. Because I have learned it is hard to skip one, when they are all sitting on the counter, waiting for you. Once you have added that ingredient to the recipe, set that already used ingredient off to the side, away from the other ingredients still waiting to be included. No sense adding it twice...

And it's still you, because you ran out of an ingredient...

Substituting ingredients is a learned skill. One I am fairly good at, but I doubt that anyone is a pro. I know I am not. Why? Because food is not anymore absolute than we are! It has properties that are specific to it's make up just as we have aptitude for putting those ingredients together. Sometimes ingredients simply do not work well with each other. 

On the other hand, making a substitution doesn't always mean the finished dish is a failure. Sometimes it is simply different. And probably completely edible, tasty even. It is safe to say, that if the ingredients used were fresh, nutritious and eaten on a regular bases by all around the table, even if the dish did not turn out as desired. It is still servable. I will say we call those, a one dish wonder. Because it will only be in that dish the one time, and we will not wonder why we don't serve it again!

It's the ingredients.

While I am very frugal, I do understand that some foods do expire. Or have aged to the point of rancidity closing in. Or possibly moisture has taken over and it is no longer active if a leavening agent. Or in the case of seasoning blends with salt and spices, dry enough to be sprinkled or spooned from the jar. Any whole grain food such as brown rice, covered in the natural bran does have a shelf life. Make sure you purchase and use those foods that are affected by time, temperature and moisture accordingly. While it seems prudent to purchase in larger quantities to save money, this only works financially if you use all of the purchased product before it might expire or go bad...

A couple things that might help. To keep your leavening agents fresh and active keep a second seal in place. Here in East Texas our humidity will kill almost everything in the kitchen, LOL. I keep a small square of plastic wrap under the plastic cap on my baking powder, to act as a second seal and prevent moisture from slowly seeping in. I also keep my collection of salted seasonings in the freezer, so that the ingredients in the shaker jar do not turn into a taffy like substance. Everything else is also sealed up tightly in our little Caravan, to remain fresh and usable. Regarding whole grains, if you live in a hot climate, you can store the unopened bags or boxed in the freezer. 

What size pan was that again? Wait, what temperature is needed? 

And let's not forget pan size. Or the appliances that might be needed. Or the correct time and temperature for baking and cooking. There is not a single cook out there who has not from time to time gambled and used a different pan size. And much of the recipe overflowed the pan and baked to the oven floor. Or how about when you have a different appliance than the one specified in the recipe? And my personal favorite, completed more times than I care to confess. Forgetting  to set the timer! I know all of this can and does happen. It sure has to me.  

Forgetting the timer is my personal favorite! Often I am in and out of the kitchen multi tasking on other chores that need to be done. And my guess is, so are you! The one change I made that proved to be the most helpful was to purchase a small timer with a clip on the back. Because I can set the timer before I put the food in the oven, and clip the timer to my pocket. Whether or not I am called away to another chore doesn't matter. I have prepared myself to keep on top of what is in the oven, if I leave the kitchen. Pan size is a learn as you go skill, and as for the appliances, some of us have streamlined kitchens with few extras. Sometimes you can work around a particular appliance, sometimes you can't. 

Could it be the other cook? 

Each cook, like each family has a preference for taste, textures and ingredients. If the content creator you follow enjoys food made with ingredients you don't enjoy, you probably won't like the end result, when the recipe is finished. And while this is definitely a fail taste wise, it is more of a preference for you and your family.  Turns out that cooking from scratch is in fact a little bit skill, a little bit ingredients, and little bit style. And remember that whole aptitude thing? Well it applies here as well...

How about you, what is your biggest challenge in the kitchen?

#wholefoodingredients

#scratchmadefoodforyourfamily

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