c/dinner-tonight

My rice cooker has a mark inside for water level and I never noticed

After two years of guessing and ending up with mushy rice, I finally saw the little line inside the pot last Tuesday. Anyone else miss the most obvious features on their tools for way too long?

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park.iris•2d ago

Just tried browning my butter for the first time on a weeknight

I always thought browning butter was some fancy chef thing that took forever, but I saw a 30 second tip on tiktok and gave it a shot tonight with some chicken. You just melt the butter in the pan and let it foam up, then watch for little brown specks at the bottom. It took maybe 4 minutes total and smelled INSANE, like nutty and rich. I threw in some sage leaves from my balcony plant and pan fried some thin cut chicken breasts in it. The whole dinner came together in under 20 minutes and tasted way more expensive than it was. My roommate walked in and asked if I ordered takeout lol. Has anyone else tried this on a random Tuesday and felt like a pro?

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eva_garcia56•2d ago

Decided between chuck roast and brisket for tonight's pot roast. Went with chuck.

Grabbed a chuck roast on sale for $4.99 a pound at the Piggly Wiggly near me. Brisket was $7.49. Threw it in the Dutch oven with carrots and potatoes around 4 pm. It's been simmering for 2 hours and the house smells good. Fork goes right through it. Anyone else stick with chuck over brisket for weekday dinners?

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jason_stone12•3d ago

Finally nailed a pan sauce tonight after 9 failed attempts this month

Kept breaking or turning greasy until I realized I was adding the butter way too early, has anyone else struggled with this for no good reason?

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betty_reed61•3d ago

Hit recipe number 100 in my notebook tonight and it felt weirdly huge

I was just messing around making a quick shrimp scampi with some frozen shrimp from Aldi and some dried parsley I've had for like 2 years. Counted my recipes after and realized this was number 100 in my little spiral notebook I started during lockdown in 2020. Never thought I'd stick with cooking this long but here I am. Anyone else keep a running tally or am I just a weirdo?

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susan_ward•3d ago

Tossed up between tacos and stir fry tonight, went with tacos

Had about 20 minutes to cook after work and couldn't decide between ground beef tacos or a quick veggie stir fry with rice. I grabbed the taco seasoning because it was sitting right there in the cabinet. Threw together some seasoned beef, shredded lettuce, and cheddar, used up leftover tortillas from last week. Honestly, it came out fine but the stir fry would have been faster since I wouldn't have had to brown the meat. Anyone else get stuck on easy weeknight choices like this?

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susan_ward•3d ago

Shoutout to the dollar store silicone spatula I grabbed on a whim

I was making a batch of chili last night and my good rubber spatula just tore apart on me right in the middle of stirring... so I ran to the Family Dollar down the street and grabbed a 2-pack of their silicone ones for like $3. Figured they'd be junk but honestly the handle stayed cool and it didn't melt against the hot pot edge at all. Anybody else had decent luck with cheap kitchen tools when your expensive stuff fails?

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fiona332•4d ago

Had a week where every dinner I made turned into a disaster

Last Tuesday I tried to make a simple stir fry and ended up burning the garlic so bad the smoke alarm went off. Then Wednesday I decided to slow cook some chicken thighs and forgot to set the timer - came home to dry rubber. Thursday I said forget it and ordered pizza, but they got the order wrong and I got anchovies instead of pepperoni. Three nights in a row of total fails. Anyone else go through those streaks where the kitchen just hates you?

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sam_anderson•9d ago

Frozen veggie hack I stole from my mom last Tuesday

She microwaves frozen broccoli for 2 minutes then tosses it straight into a hot cast iron with oil and garlic. Saves me 15 minutes of chopping and cleanup and it gets that char without turning to mush. Anyone else got a frozen shortcut that actually works?

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spencer664•14d ago

The way I see people crowding their pans on the stove is driving me crazy

I keep seeing dinner pics where someone has 4 chicken thighs crammed into a 10-inch skillet. They overlap and steam instead of searing. You end up with gray chicken and no crust. I did it for years until I saw a serious eats article that broke down the math. Turns out you need about an inch of space around each piece. If your pan is full, cook in batches or grab a second pan. It takes 5 extra minutes but the difference is night and day. Has anyone else noticed this with their own cooking?

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miles54•15d ago

Rant: I just realized I've been overcooking my pasta for like 15 years

So last Tuesday I'm making spaghetti for dinner, right, and I'm doing my usual thing of boiling it for the full 12 minutes on the box. My buddy Mike, who's a chef at this little place in Portland, walks in and sees me setting my timer and just laughs. He says 'dude, you're turning that into mush, pull it at 6 minutes and finish it in the sauce.' I thought he was crazy because I like my pasta soft, you know? But I tried it that night and the texture was way better, not all gloppy and swollen. I guess I grew up thinking al dente meant undercooked, but now I get it's about having some bite left. Has anyone else had that moment where they found out a basic cooking rule they thought was gospel was actually ruining their food?

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mason798•16d ago

Three days of leftover chili that turned into the best meal I ever made

I made a big pot of chili last Sunday with some cheap ground beef and canned tomatoes, and I figured we'd eat it for two nights max. But then Monday got busy and Tuesday I just wasn't in the mood, so it sat in the fridge until Wednesday. I threw it back on the stove with some leftover baked potatoes I had from a diner run, cubed them up, and fried them crispy on the side. The chili had thickened up so much from sitting - all the flavors got deeper and the spices really came together. I topped it with shredded cheddar and a dollop of sour cream, and honestly it tasted better than any fresh batch I've ever made. My wife even asked if I changed the recipe, and I had to admit it was just old chili and day-old potatoes. Has anyone else found that certain leftovers get way better after a few days in the fridge?

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betty_reed61•17d ago

I used frozen ground beef straight from the freezer in a skillet and ended up with burnt outside raw inside mess

Thought I could save time by not thawing my ground beef for tacos last night. Put the frozen block right into a hot pan and the outside charred while the middle stayed ice cold. Took forever to break it apart and cook through. Anyone else ever make this mistake or have a trick for cooking frozen ground beef properly?

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vals38•17d ago

Cast iron vs nonstick for crispy salmon skin, no contest

I tried searing salmon in my nonstick pan for months and always ended up with soggy skin that stuck anyway. Last weekend I used my Lodge cast iron, got it ripping hot with some avocado oil, and laid the fillets in skin side down. Let them cook for 6 minutes without touching, flipped them, and the skin came out like glass. Has anyone else had way better luck with cast iron for fish or am I late to this game?

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tara_palmer•18d ago

Had to pick between frozen pizza and stir fry tonight

Frozen pizza would have taken 20 minutes but I went with stir fry because I had some chicken thighs going bad in the fridge. Threw in broccoli, bell peppers, and that bottle of soy sauce I've been ignoring for months. The sauce ended up way too salty but honestly still better than a cardboard crust from the freezer aisle. Anyone else struggle with using up old veggies before they turn?

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the_ruby•19d ago

Called BS on the $12 pasta trick from that food blogger

Saw this hack about salting your pasta water like the sea. Rolling my eyes hard. But after 4 bland batches in a row I caved and dumped in a whole tablespoon. Game changer. The noodles actually taste like something now. Anyone else have a cooking tip they refused to try forever?

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kevin_hernandez83•20d ago

Grandma's tip about adding a pinch of sugar to tomato sauce finally clicked 15 years later

My grandma always told me to add a pinch of sugar to my tomato sauce when I was cooking at her house as a kid. I thought she was just being old school and it didn't make sense to me back then. Last week I made a big batch of marinara for some meatballs and it came out super acidic and tangy in a bad way. I remembered her saying that and threw in maybe half a teaspoon of sugar and it totally mellowed out the acidity. It wasn't sweet at all, it just balanced everything out perfectly. Now I gotta call her and admit she was right all those years ago. Anyone else have a cooking tip they ignored forever until it saved a meal?

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lane.drew•22d ago

Just realized my chicken was always dry because I was cranking the heat too high

My buddy straight up told me I was cooking it like I was trying to sear a steak, and he was right, so now I do 375 instead and it actually stays juicy. Has anyone else had someone call them out on a basic cooking habit without realizing it?

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hayes.tara•22d ago

Tried an instant pot beef stew recipe and my meat turned into rubber in 20 minutes

I used a chuck roast cut into cubes like the recipe said, but it came out so tough I could barely chew it. Turns out you need to pressure cook fatty cuts longer, like 40 minutes at least, not the 20 the blog claimed. Has anyone else had an instant pot fail that ruined dinner?

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spencerl32•22d ago

Nearly set my kitchen on fire last night with a cheap air fryer

I picked up a $25 air fryer from a discount store in Akron three weeks ago. Last night I preheated it for 5 minutes and noticed the plastic base was actually melting onto the countertop. Anyone else had a budget air fryer get scary hot like that?

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the_richard•1mo ago

Hot take: boxed mac and cheese gets too much hate

I was at my sister's place last week and she spent 20 minutes lecturing me about how homemade is the only way. Then her kid ate three bowls of the blue box stuff. If it works for a picky 6 year old and takes 8 minutes, I'm not apologizing for making it. Anyone else think the gatekeeping on quick dinners is getting old?

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richard137•1mo ago

Tried a new marinade recipe after a stop at a local butcher shop

I swung by Smoky Row Meats in Columbus last weekend and the guy behind the counter told me to try a simple soy, honey, and ginger mix on chicken thighs. I threw it together tonight and let it sit for maybe 45 minutes, and it came out way better than my usual bottled stuff. Anyone else get good tips from random butchers?

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leohart•1mo ago

I rolled my eyes at air fryers for two years and now I use mine every single day

My sister bought me one for Christmas and I just let it sit in the box until last month when I finally tried crispy chicken thighs in 12 minutes. The thing actually works better than my oven and now I'm mad I wasted all that time being stubborn about it - has anyone else been forced to eat their words by a kitchen gadget?

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the_sam•1mo ago

Swapped my usual takeout for a sheet pan dinner and I'm shocked

I was about to order Thai food but then I saw a sad bell pepper and some chicken thighs in the fridge. Tossed it all on a pan with olive oil and garlic, 25 minutes at 400. Has anyone else had a random leftover meal turn out way better than takeout?

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laurabennett•1mo ago

Debate: Is it worth buying organic produce or just a waste of cash?

I used to swear organic was just marketing hype, like paying $4 for a bell pepper that tastes the same as the $1 one. But last month I tried organic chicken from a local farm near Austin, and the texture was way different - juicier, less rubbery. Now I'm stuck wondering if it's actually better or if I just want to believe it after dropping the extra money. Anyone else gone back and forth on this and landed on a side?

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