I burned Dinner!!

trouts mom

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Geeeez, I'm so mad!!


I went and bought all these ingredients for dinner, and now I burned it!! I followed the directions, they were so easy:

LOOK!


What am I supposed to eat??
 

crittermom

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I'd scrape off the burnt pieces and eat it anyways!!!
Are you SURE it's burnt and not suppose to be blackened?Like blackened catfish.
 

babyharley

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I'd still eat it
Either that or scrape off the burnt part and still feed it to John
 
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trouts mom

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Nope already had to throw it out...My apartment is so filled with smoke, I can't even see like across the room


Seriously, what should I eat?? I guess I'm going to the grocery store


Geez, I spent like $35 on that stupid chicken recipe.
 

kluchetta

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Aw........
I'm sorry, I bet you could've tried to scrape off the burned parts. It looked really good.
...otherwise, I mean
 
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trouts mom

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Originally Posted by kluchetta

Aw........
I'm sorry, I bet you could've tried to scrape off the burned parts. It looked really good.
...otherwise, I mean
I had to stop cooking it because of the smoke though..it ws only part way cooked. I even turned down the temp...still smoked like crazy!!
 

babyharley

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Aww, I'm sorry hun!

Whenever that happens to me, I always eat cereal or something quick like that
 
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trouts mom

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Someone tell me what I did wrong:

It said saute chicken in butter on med/high heat on both sides for about 10 minutes..

I did EXACTLY that, and it wouldn't stop smoking about half way through the first side..

I used margarine instead of butter..does that matter? I don't get it, I followed the !@#$ directions
 

crittermom

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I would have given it a taste though.As long as it was cooked through out, it wouldn't have bothered me to scrape off the burnt part.Guess that comes from eating MANY burnt meals when I started cooking.
 

crittermom

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It could have been the margarine.Don't know.I NEVER cook with butter,it's always margarine.
Also, it depends on the type of stove you have!! If it's gas, it cooks MUCH faster than an electric one.
 

kluchetta

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Originally Posted by crittermom

It could have been the margarine.Don't know.I NEVER cook with butter,it's always margarine.
Also, it depends on the type of stove you have!! If it's gas, it cooks MUCH faster than an electric one.
It sounds to me just like the heat was too high. It's a good point about the gas. It does heat up more quickly. So now maybe err on the side of cooking a little too low/slow.........???
 

crittermom

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When I went from cooking from gas to electric, I under cooked everything.Chicken partially raw..............YUCK!!!
I eventually learned how to cook on it, and when we go to MIL's house she has gas and I can't cook on it at all.
 

natalie_ca

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Originally Posted by Trouts mom

Someone tell me what I did wrong:

It said saute chicken in butter on med/high heat on both sides for about 10 minutes..

I did EXACTLY that, and it wouldn't stop smoking about half way through the first side..

I used margarine instead of butter..does that matter? I don't get it, I followed the !@#$ directions
Medium-High is not the same on all stoves. And butter and margarine has a very low burning point. Much better to use vegetable oil with a small amount of butter added to it for flavour. Never depend on butter as the only fat when sauteing anything.

Also, when you are browning something it's important to add the oils, let the pan warm up and then put the meat into the pan so that the meat doesn't just sit in the fat. Also, once you add the meat to the pan, don't move it around until the side is lightly browned (not black). If you try and move it around before that, the muscle fibres haven't had a chance to shrink and the meat will still be stuck to the bottom of the pan.

And never leave your pan while you are lightly browning something. Always be near it and check the bottom periodically so that you can flip it once it's lightly golden brown.

When I brown something, I put the pan on the stove, turn the heat to MEDIUM, add the vegetable oil, wait a minute and then add the seasoned meat. As the meat is cooking, I'm constantly lifting a bit of the bottom up with a fork to check for colour and when it's no longer stuck to the pan, and then I flip it over. I hardly ever cook meat to completion in a pan on the stove. I usually par cook it and then move it to the oven in a covered dish where it bakes and retains it's juices.

Also another tip for cooking chicken on the stove in a pan is to make sure that it's even thickness throughout. If you look at a chicken breast part is thick and part is really thin. You really need to cook chicken thoroughly to prevent yourself from dying of salmonella poisoning. So it's always a good idea to put the chicken between plastic or wax paper and pound it with a mallet so that it's the same thickness throughout. I don't have a mallet so I use my marble rolling pin which works great because it's quite heavy.
 
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trouts mom

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Originally Posted by Miss Mew

So what did you end up eating for dinner Natalie?
Um, I'm about to eat some froot loops
I need some comfort food, I've had a rough night...
 

neetanddave

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poor Natalie! All that for some yardbird!


Heat is critical when using better, and adding a bit of oil helps a lot. 10 minutes on each side sounds like a LONG time for boneless breasts, plus if there's additional cooking time with other ingredients... hey, recipes have been wrong before!
 

gailuvscats

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Word of advice, when things start smoking take them off the burner and turn down the flame. If electric stove start out low heat, they don't turn down very easily. Also, Olive oil is healthier and has a higher heat temp. Won't burn as fast as butter. here's an easy recipe that you can improvise on depending on what is in the cupboard.

in a large frying pan saute onions, garlic, red peppers in olive oil. put on low heat and cover with a lid. stir once in a while to prevent them from burining and sticking to the pan. If they turn black, the heat is too high.
Once the onions are translucent and the peppers are soft, add cut up chicken breast and cook for 3 or 4 minutes on each side. cut into the meat after 5 minutes, if not pink, it is done. Now you can add pasta if you like
( follow the box directions and start right after you get the veggies in the pan), unless it is real thin, then wait until the chicken is in the pan.

Now this basic formula can be made with any meat and vegetable combination you have and it is all on top of the stove.
Another favorite is to add a can of tuna, drained, instead of chicken, squeeze in juice of fresh lemon and add frozen peas. Deelish.
 
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