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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)

#691

Post by mrguyorama »

eru wrote: post #428
dj_mc_merlin wrote: post #341

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm pretty close to this at work since about 1/3rd of my job is helping the non-Linux people deal with Linux. Programming is their 2nd language so to speak, and the use of Linux is incidental, it's just what's easiest to give them to keep everything in our company compatible. They require a person who knows Linux in order to keep working. It's not optional -- they just wouldn't be able to get everything running other…

What are your people doing that they break stuff all the time? I found I had more trouble with macOS than with Linux. I mostly use ArchLinux, and I don't have those weird problems you are talking about.

I once logged into a ONE HOUR OLD ubuntu install for it to randomly decide that my system font should be 6pt, but not everywhere, and there was no way to change it through any settings panel. Not knowing in what magical text file that setting, if it even had one, was hidden, my only choice was to reinstall.

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

#692

Post by konionio »

BiteCode_dev wrote: post #118

For the same reason devs lie about installing arch linux without any problem. When you are good at something, you don't realize how much you do anymore. This article is unrelated, but has a good explananation of the problem in one section : Why not tell people to simply use x https://bitecode.substack.com/p/why-not-tell-people-to-simpl...

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

#693

Post by marak830 »

ip26 wrote: post #540
marak830 wrote: post #276

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are spot on. Ex chef here(quite experienced), and without notice (while watching a tv show), I'm at least twice as fast as my wife at prep. When I'm focused I'm even faster. Even then I'm probably on par if not only a touch faster than these recipes XD

How long did it take you to get that fast? Any training, or just on the job?

4 years culinary school plus another 10 in the industry.

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

#694

Post by mrguyorama »

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.

Mise en place is trading a small amount of convenience now for a significantly higher load of dishes later. Notice how the pop culture chefs that push it hard always have staff that do their dishes.

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

#695

Post by [deleted] »

giraffe_lady wrote: post #566
ip26 wrote: post #540

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How long did it take you to get that fast? Any training, or just on the job?

I'm not the person you asked but I also am a very fast home cook due to professional cooking background. The job is the training in that kind of work. No one comes out of culinary school particularly fast and even most serious cooks don't go anyway. Cooks change restaurant often and every restaurant is a completely different set of foods and techniques. Training may teach you how to do something but doing it for hour…

[deleted]

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

#696

Post by Gordonjcp »

dagw wrote: post #687
Gordonjcp wrote: post #682

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, but do you actually need to know that? I know that, I've been using Linux since the whole thing fitted on four 1.44MB floppies. I don't *care* though, and if my machine is fatally screwed up I just bust out the latest Ubuntu LTS, flatten, and reinstall. I haven't got time to muck about with rescuing a broken system. I've got stuff to do.

Yes, but do you actually need to know that? Do you actually need to know JavaScript? Or C? Or Japanese? As I said, if Linux is just the OS you use to do something else, then no. If your job/hobby is to actually develop Linux or tools that tie very tightly to Linux and how Linux operates, then yes.

Okay, but if your job is actually to develop Linux and Linux tools, you'd be better off with a sensible distro like Ubuntu.

You're not productive if you're constantly having to fiddle about with broken tools.

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

#697

Post by ianburrell »

jandrese wrote: post #654
crtified wrote: post #31

After looking at the recipes in question, I suspect that some of these writers are merely using the term Caramelized in a loose, informal (or, if you prefer, "technically-incorrect") sense. When what they more-precisely meant is lightly softened, translucent - a state of onionhood used in no shortage of recipes as an intermediary step during the cooking process. The writers are therefore perhaps guilty of casual synt…

This is exactly it. We don't have a short snappy term for onion where you have fried it just enough to burn off the harsh chemicals, so recipe writers went for "caramelize" instead of a clunky construction like "lightly softened, translucent".

There is a term for cooking onions like that: it is "sautee". That specifies the method cooking bbut the "lightly softened, translucent" level is what everybody assumes.

The solution to confusion might be contact everyone using "caramelize" to verify they mean that or sauteing.

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

#698

Post by Aaargh20318 »

com2kid wrote: post #554
Aaargh20318 wrote: post #471

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What is the point of using a thick wooden board if you’re going to be cutting on the cover ?

Because 99% of the things I cut are fruits and veggies. and heavier boards move around less!

I have some cheap plastic cutting boards that have a rubber edge. Zero movement on those. And you can just pop them in the dishwasher.

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

#699

Post by balderdash »

deprecative wrote: post #638
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…

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.

“Nobody should give two shits about efficiency with cooking unless your job is to cook efficiently.”

That’s like saying you shouldn’t care how long it takes to drive somewhere unless it’s your job to drive there quickly.

Cooking at home is one of the easiest ways to save money AND improve your health (if done conscientiously), but many people don’t do it because they are daunted by it, and they think it’s a ton of time and work. It’s so easy to lower that barrier, why wouldn’t you?

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

#700

Post by balderdash »

mrguyorama wrote: post #694
ouid wrote: post #624

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Mise en place is trading a small amount of convenience now for a significantly higher load of dishes later. Notice how the pop culture chefs that push it hard always have staff that do their dishes.

Yeah definitely more dishes, but honestly I throw most of the little bowls into the dishwasher on the top rack, so the marginal time impact is just the 1 min extra unloading the dishwasher…
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