I've never... play my game :)

Although I’ve been cooking a long time and know my way around a kitchen, I’ve never:

Poached eggs
Broken down or deboned a chicken
Fileted a fish

There’s probably more. What somewhat ordinary stuff have you kitchen warriors NOT done?

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I’ve never baked a cake.

I have boned out a chicken. Jacques Peppin has a fantastic video to walk you through it.

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Hey now! Some of that is not “ordinary” at all!

I’ll play, of course.

I’ve never:

Boned a chicken
Gutted a fish
Shelled fresh fava beans
Trimmed an artichoke down to its heart

Oof - guts! I’ve done your last two :slight_smile:

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OK, never filleted a fish or chicken (that looked appetizing).

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There’s a ton of things I’ve never made because I don’t eat meat. But of the things I DO eat, I’ve never deep-fried anything in my own kitchen, unless you count cold-start french fries, and maybe you do. I made sufganiyot at my sister’s once. But I’m wary of the mess and the fire hazard and all that oil going to waste, unless I filter and re-use it, which, let’s face it, I won’t. But I’d like to make agedashi tofu at some point, beer-battered fish, egg rolls, falafal (because baked are good, but not AS good).

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I used to never ever fry things in the kitchen. Saute in a bit of oil, sure. Pour 1/2 a bottle into a pot and then immerse my food? Nope. It’s like I could pretend it wasn’t so unhealthy if I only ate fried food out. Such a dope. Obviously I was playing mind games. I bit the bullet a couple of years ago. Not that I do it much at home, but some. Certainly falafel. Some chicken cutlets. Latkes.

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You deep-fry latkes? Intriguing. I cook them in about 1/4" of oil.

That’s probably right. I guess in my head if oil covers the entire bottom and starts coming up the sides, then it’s deep frying :slight_smile:

I would call that shallow-frying, which I do occasionally. But it only works with flat stuff, like latkes.

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Hm. I’ve done all of the things listed above, probably do them rather often. They’re not rocket science. But I balk at attempting proper Asian cooking. I don’t have the patience to prep all of the seasonings, to create the various pre-cooking sauces, to attend a wok by the nano-second for precise cooking. I do stir fry but mine would not be recognizable to anyone who grew up on real stuff.

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I may have, but can’t remember making a pie crust from scratch. I may have blocked it out. I absolutely adore fried chicken, and I probably have , but can’t remember making that at home either… But I made oyster mayonnaise.

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Too.many.

Most things involving baking. I’m no baker.

Souflé.

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I eat much better than I cook. My role in the kitchen is generally to do the basics of peeling and chopping. So there are too many to list of things I’ve never done. And quite a number of things that I have done but not well, so generally don’t do them now.

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Never

  • Deboned a whole chicken (only the thighs)
  • Made sausages
  • Did any fermentation: pickles, meat, cheese etc.
  • Canning
  • Made jams (don’t live in a region with abundant cheap fruits)
  • Shucked oysters
  • Started barbecue fire
    (The last 2 I should learn, but when I’m busy with other tasks, I just ask for help…)

Some of the stuff, I’ve only tried a few weeks/months back:

  • Gutted fish (COVID fish monger had a long line, refused to do it)
  • Cleaned an octopus (I’ve clean squids, but octopus has more organs, I kept looking at online videos, which parts could keep or trash…)
  • Made my own pasta / raviolis / dumplings

Did it once or twice, didn’t like it or not sure doing it correctly, I just trashed most of the part.

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Other than making tofu and shelling fava beans, I’ve done all those. I’m not a fan of either, so dont see that changing.

Have handled chickens from butchering (when I was little I helped my grandmother pluck and scald a few once she’d dispatched them). Have cleaned all matter of fish and shellfish, and my dad used to hunt, so while I haven’t physically done it, have seen the entire butchery process for deer and game birds.

All manner of vegetables via any prep you could think of (up to sauerkraut) plus preserving them by freezing or canning. I dont make jams and jellies any more because I don’t eat enough of either to justify making it.

I can bake (and decorate) cakes, pies (with homemade crust), cookies, and breads and pastries up to croissants from scratch.

I’ve made ricotta, but a late-life dairy intolerance means cheese is no longer in my life.

I can roast, braise, grill, and smoke a fine brisket.

The only thing I’ve thought about doing but havent yet is charcuterie…but again…its just me, so I can’t really justify the time or equipment to make a pound or two. Happily I have an excellent butcher who make their own sausages in my town.

All of this and havent made anybody sick yet.

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My dream, I’m working on it these days.

I’ve never:
Gutted a fish
Poached an egg
Fully trimmed an artichoke
Cooked with tofu
Shucked an oyster

There must be more!!

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Never have I ever and probably won’t…
…deep fried at home*
…gutted or butchered at all

Never have I ever and aim to try…
…making fresh pasta dough
…fermenting sauerkraut and/or kimchi
…shucking oysters
…smoking meat, cheese, or fish
…pressure canning

*I may try deep frying outside this summer in our turkey fryer rig, which we have only used for steaming lobsters so far. What I really want to make are cider doughnuts or zeppole. :yum:

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I’ve never…

Made risotto
Poached an egg
Boned a chicken
Gutted a fish
Smoked anything
Learned how to properly curl my fingers on the non-chopping hand

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