widdlelou

Okay... my grandmother and MIL are totally famous for this! I ask how they make something (like not complicated stuff like normal stuff but that always just tates better when they make it, you know!) Anyways so my canned veggies always taste like just that, canned veggies and especially green beans, and my grandmother's always tastes awesome! So at first I thought they were fresh, but no they are indeed canned. So then I asked her and at first she said just add a pinch of sugar, she said she adds just a pinch to any canned veggie and that was her trick. WRONG!

So then I said later its still not right, oh well she adds some chicken bouillon. okay fine, nope! So then, when she was all low, she finally confessed the entire thing. SHE doesn't use the liquid its in, she dumps it and adds water, AND she cooks the bacon a little first to crisp it up and then adds the beans and the water and the bouillon.

OKAY how far removed are we from the orgional "passing" of her secret??? Why not jsut tell me the whole darn thing??? My MIL does the exact same thing. Its like they want me to fail! I'm not a good cook anyways, don't they want DH to eat! They complain he is too skinny no wonder ladies, he doesn't eat that welll if you don't tell me really how to cook!

Hay lady

My MIL will do the same thing! I can't figure out if it's because she is just stupid or she is trying to piss me off.

Bensmom

That would totally annoy me. The one that gets me giong?? When I ask my mom for a recipe and she tells me to cook it until it looks right, or add a enough of something until it taste right. That doesn't help me one bit!!

Carol in Maryland

My paternal grandmother cooked with a chipped coffee cup and a bent soup spoon. I finally brought my own measuring cup and tablespoon and used them to measure her measuring tools. Then I hung around and watched her cook, while taking notes. I honestly think that some people who cook that way do it so automatically that they don't remember all the steps & measurements.

widdlelou

Yeah and the best part, well my grandmother was raised by her grandparents and her grandmother never measured anything. So she does some measuring but she measures but then adds and stuff. It drives me nuts. I'm like listen women just measure the entire amount! hee hee hee. she is a wonderful cook too and it drives me nuts.

jaarr

That would drive me crazy!
BTW those beans sound awesome, but it also seems like a lot of work for some canned veggies, I'm all about 1. open can 2. heat 3. serve

anamcharas

DH's grandparents do the same thing...sort of! They are Lebanese and the food they make is fantastic, but they won't write any of their recipies down or tell you how to cook it. DH absolutely LOVES a Lebanese meat dish called kibbi. They won't write the recipie down, or tell us how to cook it. Every time they invite us over they say they will wait and make dinner when we get there and then they will show us. Well, every time we get there dinner is already made! I hate to say it but ne of these days they are not going to be here anymore and then their secrets will be gone too! Oh and MIL is no good either. Her mother never tought her to cook let alone how to cook Lebanese food so she doesn't know either.

~j

baseballmama

That's my grandmother. Funny thing is she's the one that taught me how to cook so that's how I do it now too. I rarely measure anything and I usually can't remember what all I put in it. Even when I'm following a recipe I very rarely actually follow it - I consider recipes to be like suggestions and I improve upon them as I go along

mommy23ms

I'm guilty of this as well. I hate cooking with measurements and recipes. Just give me the ingredients and let me go !! DH is always calling from work on his day to cook to ask how to make certain things. I can tell him all the ingredients but when it comes to the amount it's, add a handful of this, put that in until it's to taste. I'm of no real help

sarahxb

I'm afraid I'm guilty of this! I kind of zone out when I'm cooking and rarely ever measure anything. Not to mention there is a recipe or two that I consider my own special/best of the best meals and I don't want to share my secrets.