When does a recipe become "too complicated" for you?

When it involves more than 4 ingredients (and none of them out of a
can)? Or if the method/instructions are longer than 2 lines? Or maybe
if it takes more than 3 minutes prep.? Or whatever.

Just curious...
--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy

"ChattyCathy" > wrote in message
...
> When does a recipe become "too complicated" for you?
>
> When it involves more than 4 ingredients (and none of them out of a
> can)? Or if the method/instructions are longer than 2 lines? Or maybe
> if it takes more than 3 minutes prep.? Or whatever.
>
> Just curious...
> --
> Cheers
> Chatty Cathy

I don't think as recipe can be too complicated - I do however think one can
so distort the flavor of the base ingredient one can ruin the the dish.


--
Dimitri

Searing

http://kitchenguide.wordpress.com.

"ChattyCathy" > wrote in message
...
> When does a recipe become "too complicated" for you?
>
> When it involves more than 4 ingredients (and none of them out of a
> can)? Or if the method/instructions are longer than 2 lines? Or maybe
> if it takes more than 3 minutes prep.? Or whatever.
>
> Just curious...
> --
> Cheers
> Chatty Cathy

Depends, if I'm trying to put dinner on the table during the week, then too
complicated would be anything that would take longer than an hour to
complete, from fridge to plate, or anything so demanding I could
simultaneously prepare sides or make a salad.

During the weekend I'll usually welcome the challenge, schedule permitting.
Some of the stuff I've done has been 3 hours of intensive prep and cooking
for one dish (butternut squash and wild mushroom lasagna). More than that I
think I would have felt like it was too much.

Jon

"Zeppo" > wrote in message
...
> "ChattyCathy" > wrote in message
> ...
>> When does a recipe become "too complicated" for you?
>>
>> When it involves more than 4 ingredients (and none of them out of a
>> can)? Or if the method/instructions are longer than 2 lines? Or maybe
>> if it takes more than 3 minutes prep.? Or whatever.
>>
>> Just curious...
>> --
>> Cheers
>> Chatty Cathy
>
> Depends, if I'm trying to put dinner on the table during the week, then
> too complicated would be anything that would take longer than an hour to
> complete, from fridge to plate, or anything so demanding I could
> simultaneously prepare sides or make a salad.


Sorry, make that *couldn't* simultaneously prepare sides or make a salad.

Jon

In article >,
ChattyCathy > wrote:

> When does a recipe become "too complicated" for you?
>
> When it involves more than 4 ingredients (and none of them out of a
> can)? Or if the method/instructions are longer than 2 lines? Or maybe
> if it takes more than 3 minutes prep.? Or whatever.
>
> Just curious...

<grins> I'm sure you have seen my cookalong series. It's hardly 4
ingredients.;-) Too many steps may turn me off, but never the number
of ingredients unless one or more of them turns me off.

http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmele...along11012009#
--
Peace! Om

"Human nature seems to be to control other people until they put their foot down."
--Steve Rothstein

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>

Subscribe:

ChattyCathy wrote:

> When does a recipe become "too complicated" for you?
>
> When it involves more than 4 ingredients (and none of them out of a
> can)? Or if the method/instructions are longer than 2 lines? Or maybe
> if it takes more than 3 minutes prep.? Or whatever.
>
> Just curious...

When it's more work than it's worth. I've never been tempted to make
strudel from scratch.




Brian

--
Day 392 of the "no grouchy usenet posts" project

On Mon, 01 Mar 2010 20:46:37 +0200, ChattyCathy
> wrote:

>When does a recipe become "too complicated" for you?
>
>When it involves more than 4 ingredients (and none of them out of a
>can)? Or if the method/instructions are longer than 2 lines? Or maybe
>if it takes more than 3 minutes prep.? Or whatever.
>
>Just curious...

I don't think *any* recipe is "too complicated," but there are recipes
that, once made, I wouldn't make again simply b/c it wasn't worth the
effort.

Terry "Squeaks" Pulliam Burd

--

"If the soup had been as warm as the wine,
if the wine had been as old as the turkey,
and if the turkey had had a breast like the maid,
it would have been a swell dinner." Duncan Hines

On Mar 1, 12:46*pm, ChattyCathy > wrote:
> When does a recipe become "too complicated" for you?
>
> When it involves more than 4 ingredients (and none of them out of a
> can)? Or if the method/instructions are longer than 2 lines? Or maybe
> if it takes more than 3 minutes prep.? Or whatever.


"4 ingredients (and none of them out of a can)" is good. So is five
or six "ingredients (and none of them out of a can)." Too many
ingredients, and flavors get muddled, and it becomes slop.

I guess I didn't really answer the question.
>
> Just curious...
> --
> Cheers
> Chatty Cathy

--Bryan

In article >,
ChattyCathy > wrote:

> When does a recipe become "too complicated" for you?

I put mashed potatoes right on the edge. Their saving grace is that I
can cook them ahead of time, put them in a shallow bowl with a big gob
of butter on top, refrigerate, clean up the utensils and reheat them
while the rest of the dinner is being prepared. Lucky for them.

leo

Dimitri wrote:

>
> I don't think as recipe can be too complicated - I do however think
> one can so distort the flavor of the base ingredient one can ruin the
> the dish.
>
>

When you say 'distort the flavor' do you mean by adding stuff you
shouldn't or by adding too much of a certain herb/spice that is listed
in the ingredients?

FWIW, a recipe only seems "too complicated" to me if it contains a whole
bunch of ingredients I have to 'hunt down' (or simply cannot obtain in
my neck of the woods). I don't find a 'long' list of ingredients
daunting and I'm not too fussy about prep time; I quite enjoy it, in
fact. Obviously it depends whether I'm cooking for guests and am
strapped for time, or whether I've got the time to chop, chop, chop
<eg>. I keep quite a wide variety of (dried) herbs and spices at hand -
and if a recipe calls for sesame seeds, star anise or cardamom, for
example, I usually have some ;-)
--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy

Food Snob® wrote:

>
> "4 ingredients (and none of them out of a can)" is good. So is five
> or six "ingredients (and none of them out of a can)." Too many
> ingredients, and flavors get muddled, and it becomes slop.

Not always, Bryan. Take the recipe I use for Green Curry Paste; it has a
list of 11 ingredients and still has a great flavor (and quite
a 'bite')...

Green Curry Paste

1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
1 teaspoon Coriander seeds
6 Fresh green chillies - chopped
1 tablespoon Chopped lemon grass
1 teaspoon Chopped coriander root
1 tablespoon Chopped shallots
1 tablespoon Chopped garlic
1 teaspoon Chopped galangal
7 Peppercorns
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Shrimp paste

Place the cumin and coriander seeds in a pan, without adding any oil.
Dry-fry them, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes until they are aromatic and
slightly browned.

Pound them with the remaining ingredients to produce a fine paste.

--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy

Default User wrote:

> When it's more work than it's worth. I've never been tempted to make
> strudel from scratch.

Well, makes some sense, but at least once in a lifetime one should try it. I
did it a couple of times from scratch, the other times I buy frozen or
refrigerated pastry from the shop and just take care of the filling.
--
Vilco
Don't think pink: drink rosè

On Mar 2, 1:27*am, ChattyCathy > wrote:
> Food Snob® wrote:
>
> > "4 ingredients (and none of them out of a can)" *is good. *So is five
> > or six "ingredients (and none of them out of a can)." *Too many
> > ingredients, and flavors get muddled, and it becomes slop.
>
> Not always, Bryan. Take the recipe I use for Green Curry Paste; it has a
> list of 11 ingredients and still has a great flavor (and quite
> a 'bite')...
>
> Green Curry Paste
>
> 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
> 1 teaspoon Coriander seeds
> 6 Fresh green chillies - chopped
> 1 tablespoon Chopped lemon grass
> 1 teaspoon Chopped coriander root
> 1 tablespoon Chopped shallots
> 1 tablespoon Chopped garlic
> 1 teaspoon Chopped galangal
> 7 Peppercorns
> 1 teaspoon Salt
> 1 teaspoon Shrimp paste
>
> Place the cumin and coriander seeds in a pan, without adding any oil.
> Dry-fry them, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes until they are aromatic and
> slightly browned.
>
> Pound them with the remaining ingredients to produce a fine paste.

Curries are nearly always like that, no?

In the USA, we have billboards along rural stretches of highways
advertising motels. Sometimes they will say, "American owned," which
translates into, not owned by folks from the Indian subcontinent. It
would be easy to think, typical American racism, but really what it
means is that the place doesn't smell like curry. Also, and this is a
stereotype I have also found to be true, Pakistani and Indian owned
motels are also much more likely to be heavily perfumed from cleaning
chemicals, and often it's a mix of the two that makes staying there
really unpleasant. I am not racist, but I won't stay in a motel that
reeks of curry, heavy cleaning chemicals or both. I will also pay a
bit extra to make a reservation at a motel that is completely smoke
free.

I'm curious, how many of the non-N. Americans who read/post here have
come over here to the USA and/or Canada to experience our wide open
spaces? Particularly the American Southwest is spectacular, and I
don't know about airfare, but once one gets here, it's not very
expensive. Two people can easily get a rental car, lodging, food, pay
for gasoline and pay small entry fees to some parks (many are free)
for around $200-300/day, less if you sleep in a tent--or in your seat
on a train--every other day or so. USA Dollars are pretty cheap right
now, and rail passes are cheap too:
http://tickets.amtrak.com/itd/amtrak/selectpass

I'm not a hugely patriotic person, but I really encourage folks who
have never vacationed here to consider it, and consider it a privilege
to get to offer travel tips to visitors on a budget.
>
> --
> Cheers
> Chatty Cathy

--Bryan

ChattyCathy wrote:
> When does a recipe become "too complicated" for you?

Oh, never, but it will often become too complicated for the
circumstances. That is, I like complicated recipes, but wouldn't try
them on company, or if I needed to get a meal on the table in an hour.
And I'm more likely to try something if the ingredients aren't very
expensive, because that's just the way our finances are at the moment,
so I'm unlikely to make steak tartare even though I'd like to, and so
on. (Plus, I tend to take a while to try stuff that uses equipment I
don't have, because I talk myself out of spending money on new kitchen
equipment. For the longest time, I didn't make candy because I didn't
get around to buying a thermometer and didn't want to do it the old way.)

>
> When it involves more than 4 ingredients (and none of them out of a
> can)? Or if the method/instructions are longer than 2 lines? Or maybe
> if it takes more than 3 minutes prep.? Or whatever.

I have sort of made a little hobby out of learning to cook things that
seemed too fussy or hard at first -- English toffee, challah, ice cream
from custard, cream puffs, things like that -- but none of them has
turned out to be very difficult at all, so it makes me braver for the
next thing.

I'd really like to learn to make croissants and/or puff pastry next.

Serene

--
"I tend to come down on the side of autonomy. Once people are grown up,
I believe they have the right to go to hell in the handbasket of their
choosing." -- Pat Kight, on alt.polyamory

ChattyCathy > wrote in news:nYTin.2353$ao7.40
@newsfe21.iad:

> When does a recipe become "too complicated" for you?
>


It doesn't.


A recipe is written down. If you can't follow it..... you can't read.

Ergo......... get out of the frikken kitchen!!!


--
Peter Lucas
Brisbane
Australia

Killfile all Google Groups posters.........

http://improve-usenet.org/

http://improve-usenet.org/filters_bg.html

On Mon, 01 Mar 2010 20:46:37 +0200, ChattyCathy wrote:

> When does a recipe become "too complicated" for you?
>
> When it involves more than 4 ingredients (and none of them out of a
> can)? Or if the method/instructions are longer than 2 lines? Or maybe
> if it takes more than 3 minutes prep.? Or whatever.
>
> Just curious...

i shy away from recipes involving deep-frying, or which rely on herbs i
don't have (a fairly long list) or don't like (tarragon, say, or cilantro).

calling onion or garlic powder might cause me to look at them askance as
well.

your pal,
blake

On Mon, 1 Mar 2010 15:44:28 -0500, Zeppo wrote:

> "Zeppo" > wrote in message
> ...
>> "ChattyCathy" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> When does a recipe become "too complicated" for you?
>>>
>>> When it involves more than 4 ingredients (and none of them out of a
>>> can)? Or if the method/instructions are longer than 2 lines? Or maybe
>>> if it takes more than 3 minutes prep.? Or whatever.
>>>
>>> Just curious...
>>> --
>>> Cheers
>>> Chatty Cathy
>>
>> Depends, if I'm trying to put dinner on the table during the week, then
>> too complicated would be anything that would take longer than an hour to
>> complete, from fridge to plate, or anything so demanding I could
>> simultaneously prepare sides or make a salad.
>
> Sorry, make that *couldn't* simultaneously prepare sides or make a salad.
>
> Jon

i took your meaning.

your pal,
blake

blake murphy > wrote:

>i shy away from recipes involving deep-frying, or which rely on herbs i
>don't have (a fairly long list) or don't like (tarragon, say, or cilantro).

>calling onion or garlic powder might cause me to look at them askance as
>well.

I'm roughly the same. I avoid deep-frying, pressure-cooking,
and crock-potting. I have never done any of these, don't
have the equipment, and don't want to spend the scratch to
buy the equipment. Oh yeah I don't have a sandwich press either.

If there's an herb or spice essential to a recipe, but I'm
not likely to use it up, I'll avoid that too.

Steve

>> ChattyCathy wrote:
>> > When does a recipe become "too complicated" for you?
>

When the directions include;

"See your greens-grocer" or
"Your fish-monger" will have the....."
"Your butcher will cut the beef fillets....
"Spend a day at your Asian grocers"..

NOPE !

I lived in a small community where the fare was "Local IGA store"
If it ain't in the pantry, the freezer, or the fridge,
it ain't gonna make it to the table...

In article >,
blake murphy > wrote:

> On Mon, 01 Mar 2010 20:46:37 +0200, ChattyCathy wrote:
>
> > When does a recipe become "too complicated" for you?
> >
> > When it involves more than 4 ingredients (and none of them out of a
> > can)? Or if the method/instructions are longer than 2 lines? Or maybe
> > if it takes more than 3 minutes prep.? Or whatever.
> >
> > Just curious...
>
> i shy away from recipes involving deep-frying, or which rely on herbs i
> don't have (a fairly long list) or don't like (tarragon, say, or cilantro).
>
> calling onion or garlic powder might cause me to look at them askance as
> well.
>
> your pal,
> blake

Why? Granulated garlic is one spice I actually purchase in large
shakers. I use fresh garlic sometimes but it generally does not agree
with me. I can tolerate the powdered better for some reason.

Hence, I go thru a lot of it and find it to be quite satisfying.
--
Peace! Om

"Human nature seems to be to control other people until they put their foot down."
--Steve Rothstein

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>

Subscribe:

PLucas1 wrote:
> > wrote in news:nYTin.2353$ao7.40
> @newsfe21.iad:
>
>> When does a recipe become "too complicated" for you?
>>
>
>
> It doesn't.
>
>
> A recipe is written down. If you can't follow it..... you can't read.
>
> Ergo......... get out of the frikken kitchen!!!

I see. So the ability of the recipe's author to write a recipe legibly
has no bearing?
Evidently Julia Child wasted her time writing *that* book!


--
The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism
by those who haven't got it - George Bernard Shaw

On Mar 2, 9:55*pm, Omelet > wrote:
> In article >,
> *blake murphy > wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > On Mon, 01 Mar 2010 20:46:37 +0200, ChattyCathy wrote:
>
> > > When does a recipe become "too complicated" for you?
>
> > > When it involves more than 4 ingredients (and none of them out of a
> > > can)? Or if the method/instructions are longer than 2 lines? Or maybe
> > > if it takes more than 3 minutes prep.? Or whatever.
>
> > > Just curious...
>
> > i shy away from recipes involving deep-frying, or which rely on herbs i
> > don't have (a fairly long list) or don't like (tarragon, say, or cilantro).
>
> > calling onion or garlic powder might cause me to look at them askance as
> > well.
>
> > your pal,
> > blake
>
> Why? *Granulated garlic is one spice I actually purchase in large
> shakers. I use fresh garlic sometimes but it generally does not agree
> with me. *I can tolerate the powdered better for some reason.
>
> Hence, I go thru a lot of it and find it to be quite satisfying.

I can't speak for Blake, but...

Garlic always agrees with me, and I find that granulated garlic
tastes weird. And it's no substitute for raw garlic in uncooked
preps like Caesar salad.

I'm just coming to the end of the garlic that I grew last summer.
About time, too; it's getting a little sprouty, just like grocery
store
garlic. At least the transition back to grocery store garlic won't
be a big shock

Cindy Hamilton

In article
>,
Cindy Hamilton > wrote:

> On Mar 2, 9:55*pm, Omelet > wrote:
> > In article >,
> > *blake murphy > wrote:
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > > On Mon, 01 Mar 2010 20:46:37 +0200, ChattyCathy wrote:
> >
> > > > When does a recipe become "too complicated" for you?
> >
> > > > When it involves more than 4 ingredients (and none of them out of a
> > > > can)? Or if the method/instructions are longer than 2 lines? Or maybe
> > > > if it takes more than 3 minutes prep.? Or whatever.
> >
> > > > Just curious...
> >
> > > i shy away from recipes involving deep-frying, or which rely on herbs i
> > > don't have (a fairly long list) or don't like (tarragon, say, or
> > > cilantro).
> >
> > > calling onion or garlic powder might cause me to look at them askance as
> > > well.
> >
> > > your pal,
> > > blake
> >
> > Why? *Granulated garlic is one spice I actually purchase in large
> > shakers. I use fresh garlic sometimes but it generally does not agree
> > with me. *I can tolerate the powdered better for some reason.
> >
> > Hence, I go thru a lot of it and find it to be quite satisfying.
>
> I can't speak for Blake, but...
>
> Garlic always agrees with me, and I find that granulated garlic
> tastes weird. And it's no substitute for raw garlic in uncooked
> preps like Caesar salad.

Oh I agree with the fact that it tastes better, it just upsets my
stomach and makes my mouth taste like garlic for about 2 days. It gets
nauseating after awhile.

>
> I'm just coming to the end of the garlic that I grew last summer.
> About time, too; it's getting a little sprouty, just like grocery
> store
> garlic. At least the transition back to grocery store garlic won't
> be a big shock
>
> Cindy Hamilton

:-)

Fortunately, my wild onions are still going well and they are a bit
garlicky, as are my garlic chives which are really getting going now.
They make a good "fresh" substitute.
--
Peace! Om

"Human nature seems to be to control other people until they put their foot down."
--Steve Rothstein

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>

Subscribe:

On Tue, 02 Mar 2010 20:55:49 -0600, Omelet wrote:

> In article >,
> blake murphy > wrote:
>
>> On Mon, 01 Mar 2010 20:46:37 +0200, ChattyCathy wrote:
>>
>>> When does a recipe become "too complicated" for you?
>>>
>>> When it involves more than 4 ingredients (and none of them out of a
>>> can)? Or if the method/instructions are longer than 2 lines? Or maybe
>>> if it takes more than 3 minutes prep.? Or whatever.
>>>
>>> Just curious...
>>
>> i shy away from recipes involving deep-frying, or which rely on herbs i
>> don't have (a fairly long list) or don't like (tarragon, say, or cilantro).
>>
>> calling onion or garlic powder might cause me to look at them askance as
>> well.
>>
>> your pal,
>> blake
>
> Why? Granulated garlic is one spice I actually purchase in large
> shakers. I use fresh garlic sometimes but it generally does not agree
> with me. I can tolerate the powdered better for some reason.
>
> Hence, I go thru a lot of it and find it to be quite satisfying.

i'm wavering about whether to get some granulated garlic or not. i know
some say it's the same as the powder, just not particalized, but it seems
different to me.

your pal,
blake

In article >,
blake murphy > wrote:

> i'm wavering about whether to get some granulated garlic or not. i know
> some say it's the same as the powder, just not particalized, but it seems
> different to me.
>
> your pal,
> blake

I prefer it to the powder personally. It is indeed different.
Keeps a more "garlicy" flavor imho.
--
Peace! Om

"Human nature seems to be to control other people until they put their foot down."
--Steve Rothstein

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>

Subscribe:

On Mon, 01 Mar 2010 20:46:37 +0200, ChattyCathy
> wrote:

>When does a recipe become "too complicated" for you?
>
>When it involves more than 4 ingredients (and none of them out of a
>can)? Or if the method/instructions are longer than 2 lines? Or maybe
>if it takes more than 3 minutes prep.? Or whatever.
>
>Just curious...

I don't have a problem with complicated but it must be worth the
effort. Waffles come to mind. I tried a recipe that involved
whipping the egg whites and other useless steps. Kinda like this one:

http://mywoodenspoon.com/old-fashion...-from-scratch/

I might do it again for a special ocasion but the difference was so
slight I went back to the Southern Living recipe for regular use. It
saves a lot of time and uses far less dishes. We had steak and eggs
with waffles last night and I used that recipe.

Lou