More fat, more heat.

d4v3 wrote:Sticking with potatoes, I cannot keep fried potatoes from sticking. Sliced, cubed, shredded, parboiled or raw, I can't cook any of them right. I am always impressed when I get those perfectly browned, crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside hash browns at a diner or coffeeshop. How do they do it?

In addition to Cathy2's suggestions, I found a tip in a magazine (which one?) for rosti that works well, avoiding the raw/burned result. The trick is to partially cook the potatoes whole, in a microwave. They will still look semi-transparent as if raw, and yield to the knife or the grater to form discrete pieces (unlike the parboiled ones.) But you will not end up with goo in the center and a burned crust if you regulate the heat properly and use enough fat in a well-seasoned pan. Also, clarified butter is key.

Cathy2 wrote:Try it the next time you are browning a pot roast. In the very early browning phases, it will stick like glue to the pan. Once the crust has formed, then it lifts up fairly easily.

Thanks, Cathy2 and others. I am sure that lack of patience is part of my problem. It seems that the crust forms OK but when I flip the potatoes, the crust separates from the rest of the potatoes. The crust eventually burns while I am trying to get the now crustless pile of potatoes browned again. The result is the black and white (not brown) potatoes I described. I think that one reason I panic and flip too early, is that I don't have good even control of the heat. I also tend to use less dense oils instead of fats like lard or butter. I know that probably has a lot to do with it, but I just don't like butter, plus I always burn it. However, in the case of frying eggs, I have learned that butter is the only thing that will work. I guess I will have to try using it with potatoes also.

It sounds like the heat may be turned up too high. Try using a lower setting and allowing the potatoes to brown more slowly before flipping. That's why you see the potatoes on the corner or back of the grill at diners rather than in the center where the heat is concentrated. I learned this lesson when I first started making caramelized onions. Slow and steady wins the race, so to speak.

Judy H wrote:And I am so totally impressed that you can quote YouTube at the drop of a hat like that....

It's just the sophisticated, urbane kind of gal that I am, Judy!

(Thanks - been on an Eddie Izzard kick lately).

Jay K wrote:I cannot make a simple spaghetti (dried) in tomato sauce (from a bottle) with whatever added ingredients; The end product is simply horrible.

I did a google search, and found this. Hmmm - the site name is oddly familiar.... Dried pasta is a learning curve; I've been there.

For some reason, polenta never seems to turn out well - usually lumpy to too thick. I've even tried "instant" and pouring as slowly as I can stand it over the hot water without much luck. Just one of those things...

On the other hand, friends have generously complimented me on my seared scallops so there is some consolation.

d4v3 wrote:I also tend to use less dense oils instead of fats like lard or butter. I know that probably has a lot to do with it, but I just don't like butter, plus I always burn it. However, in the case of frying eggs, I have learned that butter is the only thing that will work. I guess I will have to try using it with potatoes also.

Heat pan, then add oil and later butter, which will allow you an overall higher frying temperature than butter by itself.

Regards,

d4v3 wrote:

Cathy2 wrote:Try it the next time you are browning a pot roast. In the very early browning phases, it will stick like glue to the pan. Once the crust has formed, then it lifts up fairly easily.

Thanks, Cathy2 and others. I am sure that lack of patience is part of my problem. It seems that the crust forms OK but when I flip the potatoes, the crust separates from the rest of the potatoes. .

Try using a really thin layer of potatoes. Then there is not as much weight when you try to turn them and it will be hot all the way through. I wonder how the top temperature affects the bottom browning - maybe just the heat helps the starch become cohesive.

I can't make french toast to save my life. Luckily I avoid any situation where only french toast stands between me and Certain Doom.

Pancakes? No problem. French toast? Big, sodden, gloppy mess.

d4v3 wrote:Sticking with potatoes, I cannot keep fried potatoes from sticking. Either that, or they come out really really greasy. My potatoes also tend to cook from white straight to burnt, bypassing the "golden brown" range entirely.

This may be heretical, but I have to par-cook the sliced potatos in some way prior to crisping their surfaces. The microwave is fast and convenient for this task and indeed, this is almost the only use I get from mine. Boiling is better -- it has something to do with moisture, perhaps.

Crisping some sliced potatos becomes much easier when you don't need to worry about cooking them through.

Can't help you with hash browns though...

So, it's not something I'm incapable of cooking, but it is a kitchen task I'm incapable of doing properly. I'm incapable of slicing a thin, even slice of bread from a loaf.

I can't slice a nice even slice from a hearty or rustic loaf of bread. It either comes out much thicker at the bottom or so much thinner that my knife slices out the side.

It's very annoying.

Best,
Michael

eatchicago wrote:I can't slice a nice even slice from a hearty or rustic loaf of bread. It either comes out much thicker at the bottom or so much thinner that my knife slices out the side.

Of course someone has figured out how to make a buck off of this very dilemma. Maybe you can rig something like this contraption?

Quiche is my culinary foe. I can make one that's tasteless, but perfectly picturesque. Or, it burns on the bottom, leaks or falls apart in roadkill-style pieces, and tastes great.