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Why do recipe writers lie about how long it takes to caramelize onions? (2012)

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Re: Why do recipe writers lie about how long it takes to caramelize onions? (2012)

#631

Post by bombcar »

bruckie wrote: post #110

Recipe writers are still lying about cooking time in 2023. I signed up for a Hello Fresh promo recently to get some new meal ideas, and it's making me feel like the slowest cook on the planet. I reliably exceed their stated prep and cooking times by 100-200%. Tonight's "40 minute" recipe took about 70 minutes, and that was with a family member helping out with some of the prep and cooking. I wonder if they collect an…

I love the advertising on some of the crock pot or instant pot packets you can find in the store. It'll say like "ten minute prep time!" (ignoring the 4-8 hour cook time) or the instant pot one will say "ready in 5 minutes" when that means the pressure cooker will cook at high pressure for 5 minutes, but it can take 5-10 minutes to heat up to that point.

Time is an illusion.

Re: Why do recipe writers lie about how long it takes to caramelize onions? (2012)

#632

Post by bombcar »

ridgered4 wrote: post #467
bruckie wrote: post #110

Recipe writers are still lying about cooking time in 2023. I signed up for a Hello Fresh promo recently to get some new meal ideas, and it's making me feel like the slowest cook on the planet. I reliably exceed their stated prep and cooking times by 100-200%. Tonight's "40 minute" recipe took about 70 minutes, and that was with a family member helping out with some of the prep and cooking. I wonder if they collect an…

I remember Rachel Ray's 30 minute meals usually featured her pulling some ingredients she'd already chopped up or soaked in something the night before out from the fridge. Apparently the time spend yesterday didn't count against the clock.

There's something to be said for it, but you have to plan ahead; most people who are starting out trying to cook are very bad at planning ahead.

A cookbook that focused on "here's stuff you can pre-prep that can be used in multiple meals" would be nice.

Re: Why do recipe writers lie about how long it takes to caramelize onions? (2012)

#633

Post by Beltiras »

ouid wrote: post #624
balderdash wrote: post #563

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don’t disagree that some of the recipe times are very optimistic, but watching friends cook gives me hives at how inefficient they are, handful of things to think about about that will massively speed up your cooking time: 1)read the recipe and spend a couple of min visualizing the steps, what you’ll need and writing out the timing and grouping chores. 2) do some mise en place[a] (buy $50 of small duralex glass bowls…

mise en place is more efficient for restaurant kitchens, where you can get an assembly line rolling, but it is less efficient for home cooking. Its a lot less stressful, but its clearly slower to not optimize your order of operations.

I found after starting to apply mise en place that when I wasn't doing it I was still quicker than before. I fetched more things from each cupboard or fridge when I opened them, even if I wasn't measuring out the item into a container beforehand.

Re: Why do recipe writers lie about how long it takes to caramelize onions? (2012)

#634

Post by bombcar »

gustavorg wrote: post #401
bruckie wrote: post #110

Recipe writers are still lying about cooking time in 2023. I signed up for a Hello Fresh promo recently to get some new meal ideas, and it's making me feel like the slowest cook on the planet. I reliably exceed their stated prep and cooking times by 100-200%. Tonight's "40 minute" recipe took about 70 minutes, and that was with a family member helping out with some of the prep and cooking. I wonder if they collect an…

Well, we know this is not true. At least Armando Scannone had a team of 4 cooks to make and rehearse each and every one of the recipes in his famous cookbook [1]. Armando Scannone has a famous Venezuelan cookbook, it is the obligatory reference for those who want to make Venezuelan dishes. I have personally tried many of the dishes and the recipes are correct and the result is just as the book indicates. [1] https://…

Four skilled cooks will be able to complete recipes much faster than even a good home cook.

It's like watching an electrician wire a bathroom in two hours and assuming anyone can do it. They can; after years of experience and knowing what to do, what not to do, and what to avoid.

Re: Why do recipe writers lie about how long it takes to caramelize onions? (2012)

#635

Post by lumb63 »

Recipe writers in my experience lie about the duration it takes to accomplish anything. I have yet to follow a recipe and finish it in the prescribed amount of time. It’s very frustrating because it can ruin planning entirely. For example, in Stella Parks’ Bravetart, she says her cherry pie can be made in “45 minutes active time, 45 minute roast, 2 hour rest”. The instructions mention a two-hour refrigeration period, another 30 minute refrigeration period, a 75 minute bake, and a 4 hour rest. A 3.5 hour recipe, in no less than 8.5 hours, assuming the active time is correct.

Re: Why do recipe writers lie about how long it takes to caramelize onions? (2012)

#636

Post by TheReveller »

kqr wrote: post #612
onlyrealcuzzo wrote: post #586

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Pretty much any induction stove is going to have less hot spots than a Viking, at a fraction of the price. Pan quality is still going to matter. But you don't need $50k in kitchen gadgets to properly caramelize onions...

Really? Our induction stove very clearly has two concentric circles of different radii that get hot, and nothing else. If you use cast iron and vary the power slowly you won't notice, but it's very obvious with thinner pots and when you control heat quickly (which is a delight to be able to do in the first place -- yay induction.)

Are you sure that's an induction element? Induction elements don't get hot, only the pan does. Easy way to tell is - does the element switch only turn on when a pan is on top of it?

Re: Why do recipe writers lie about how long it takes to caramelize onions? (2012)

#638

Post by deprecative »

balderdash wrote: post #563
bruckie wrote: post #110

Recipe writers are still lying about cooking time in 2023. I signed up for a Hello Fresh promo recently to get some new meal ideas, and it's making me feel like the slowest cook on the planet. I reliably exceed their stated prep and cooking times by 100-200%. Tonight's "40 minute" recipe took about 70 minutes, and that was with a family member helping out with some of the prep and cooking. I wonder if they collect an…

Don’t disagree that some of the recipe times are very optimistic, but watching friends cook gives me hives at how inefficient they are, handful of things to think about about that will massively speed up your cooking time: 1)read the recipe and spend a couple of min visualizing the steps, what you’ll need and writing out the timing and grouping chores. 2) do some mise en place[a] (buy $50 of small duralex glass bowls…

Then you get people like me that fail at step one because we cannot "visualize" the steps. I logically understand what those words mean but I have no practical experience with actually doing anything approaching it.

The point is, don't think you are the baseline for everyone else. Nobody should give two shits about efficiency with cooking unless your job is to cook efficiently.

Re: Why do recipe writers lie about how long it takes to caramelize onions? (2012)

#640

Post by zwieback »

imp0cat wrote: post #81
zwieback wrote: post #46

Has anyone here tried the baking soda trick? I've read about it but can't imagine the flavor would be any good

Yes, it works. Do not use too much of it. If you don't mind the pureé-like consistency, you can further speed-up the whole process in a pressure cooker (Instant Pot). Follow the steps 1-3 from this recipe: https://www.pressurecookrecipes.com/pressure-cooker-beef-cur... --- 1) Prepare Pressure Cooker: Heat up your pressure cooker (Instant Pot: press Sauté button) over medium heat. Ensure your pot is as hot as it can b…

thanks for the detail! I'll give it a shot. I do like my onions a bit firmer but sometimes an onion jam is a good thing
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