Me neither with chicken paprikash, though it’s much improved since I started using a recipe posted by @LindaWhit.
Funny story: shortly after I first came to Canada, a friend in Toronto took me to a Hungarian restaurant. Across the room from me was a guy who used to teach me chemistry in high school in Uganda; he had just migrated. Small world!
I find prime rib hit or miss. Then a friend put me on to the reverse sear technique. The first time I tried it, it was spectacular; the second time it was just okay, as with the third time. I’m reluctant to try it again as it’s so expensive, but every now and again I give myself a reality check: no matter how expensive ingredients are, eating out is more expensive but less reliable quality-wise.
I, too, love Woks of Life. I much prefer scrambled eggs in butter so I do that first in a small nonstick pan.
Dammit. Now I want Chicken Paprikash. 
Thanks, but I let Pillsbury do the work for me.
there’s not a dish that i’ve completely failed to figure out, but there are some ingredients that i just can’t grip.
artichokes - my mom would steam them and we would pull the leaves out and dip them in aioli. when i cook them they are always over or under. never as good as Moms (and she’s not a good cook).
Fourunder on Chowhound and Kenji’s tips improved my prime rib in a big way!
Now I prefer the taste of roasted artichokes.
Remove tough outer leaves, use scissors to cut away tip, slice off top one inch. Get two pieces of foil to wrap each. Optional: put slices of garlic between leaves. Squeeze fresh lemon inverted, then some olive oil and sprinkle of salt. Wrap.
400° for 1 hour 15 minutes
Test to see if leaf pulls away easily.
Jacques started his formal, hardcore, French cooking apprenticeship at age 13. His level of skill and liking of eggs makes that almost a magical combo. I think you can give yourself a break here.
I’ve looked at Kenji’s video before. My method is the same as his, but the variable, of course, is how good (or not) the cut of meat is.
Thank you.
My whipped cream is consistently a pretty sad excuse for whipped cream. Just awful.
I could watch Jacques Pepin make a PBJ sandwich and enjoy it, if he talked about sandwiches or food in general.
I have two copies of his book so i can loan one out.
What a life.
Yes, what a life. I generally don’t admire or follow chefs….but Jacques is different. He’s a self made person from humble origins. His skills and knowledge speak for themself but man, he came to the US, got an education and wrote books in his second language on his own initiative.
What goes wrong … do you overbeat it? I put mixing bowl and whisk into fridge first for ½ hour. Then beat until light peaks … I add some confectioner’s sugar, not too much. So superior to the squirt cans.
Indeed. Fourunder’s method as earned me the position of preparing the prime rib for Christmas every year.
It comes out succulent and delicious every time.
My biggest problem is probably that I don’t take it seriously enough. I typically pour a random quantity of heavy cream into a canning jar, add an equally random quantity of sugar and a little vanilla, screw on a lid, and start to shake it. I never seem to shake it enough, so it’s always turns out really runny. Tastes fine, but never gets that light, airy consistency. Invariably, I think, “Oh, f- it, I’ve shaken it enough.” Then proceed to POUR out the result onto the strawberries, cake, pie, or whatever.
Is it the one where you put it into a 500˚F oven, then turn it off and don’t open the door for X min (depending on weight)?
I did that with my first prime rib ever — for guests, at that, so I really wanted it to work out.
It came out absolutely perfect, and it’s the only method I use anymore.
Its down that path.
You start out at high heat (Id have to look it up) for like 15 minutes, then drop the oven to 200 till it hits temp. Ot then gets wrapped in foil and dropped into a cooler to rest (for an hour or more) til the residual brings it up the last 5-8 degrees.
The best part for a holiday is that the oven is then freed up for an hour or more for taters, dressing, etc.
You won’t get light and airy whipped cream by shaking, no matter how long you do it - you’re basically churning it, not whipping it. You have to break out the whisk or electric mixer.
