The popcorn fiasco!

[joan]

I remember trying to make scotch broth for the first time and was very pleased that I hadn't forgotten any ingredients.I was patiently waiting for it to cook in the pressure cooker when suddenly the pot started to groan and grumble!Suddenly the weight shot off,hit the ceiling and brown goo seeped from the hole in the lid.I had added POPCORN instead of pulses.The soup! was stuck solid to the pot and was full of wee black bullets.Needless to say it was a while before I was allowed freedom of the kitchen!My poor parents actually tried to eat some out of politeness.They never really recovered.Has anyone out there had any cullinary disasters?

[Angela]

Welcome to the Org Joan! :) Can you still bear to eat popcorn?

Now...where to begin with my disasters?

Well...my first attempt at baking a cake with a lot of adult help (I was about 5) was just not a success! After all the mixing and stirring, spooning it into the tin and smoothing the top....I was eagerly anticipating a delicious and perfect sponge when we opened the oven door.

Sadly we'd used plain flour and forgotten the baking powder -the "cake" turned out a pathetic flat crumbly apology which had to be given to the birds! I still remember the disappointment!

I won't begin to list all my culinary disasters in between, but only last night, I left some rhubarb to simmer for just 5 minutes to make a crumble later.

I then made the mistake of just nipping out of the kitchen to check my email and found a very unexpected message from someone on Genes Reunited - an unknown cousin and lots of useful info.

I got so absorbed with all this that the rhubarb (which was indeed on the back burner) vanished completely from my mind, until I found it 1 hour and 55 minutes later....a sticky tarry charred mess on the bottom of the pan. [evil]

Ah well, no crumble! The only good thing was that my trusty old non-stick Meyer pan emerged completely unscathed!

[joan]

That is hysterical!I once offered to bake cakes for a sale of work when I was @ 18.I thought I knew everything about baking and roped my sister into helping me.It was one disaster after another.I attempted to make choc eclairs and ended up with a bunch of flat brown pieces of shoe leather!The cakes did not rise either and I burnt the empire biscuits!We ended up using every ingredient in the house with nothing to show for it.By this time it was MIDNIGHT.My sister and I had to buy cakes,take them out the packets and put them into tupperware tubs and pretend we had made them!

[Geo]

When I was a kid I opened a tin of sweetcorn and put it in a pan to make popcorn as to me at the time it looked much the same. All I got was 1cm of black stuff and one ruined pan. Sorry mum! ;)

[anneoctober]

When sitting my "O" grade Home Economics in Week High wi Nancy Houston (teacher), the day before the "practical" exam, I thought I'd better have a go at making this rice creation thing and kind of be "on the ball" with the recipe, timing etc. Once I'd cooked the pudding and made the pavlova thingy that sat on top o 'e rice, I duly dished up my work of art to my supportive family. Thank goodness I was last to sit down at the table, - I looked over & saw my dad's red face and foam leaking from his mouth !
What had happened ? I'd followed the recipe to the letter. After the shock of seeing dad with rabies, I quickly offered to tidy up and do the dishes. All became clear when I went to put the "pudding rice" into the pantry...... the label screamed at me BEEF SUET:eek:
Believe it or not I DID pass my "O" grade .......

[George Brims]

Some years ago I made a chicken in a cream sauce thing for Valentine's Day dinner. Curse those people at McCormick Spice company, putting cayenne pepper and paprika in similar looking containers! I used three or four teaspoons of the former instead of the latter. Good thing we had plenty of starter and dessert...

[zappster]

i mind trying to be real smart when i was wee making ma dad a cup of tea but i put salt in it instead of sugar!!haha A moothful of tea hit the opposite wall haha

[Bobinovich]

The first time my sister & I made a cup of tea for our mum it was with none-to-hot water directly from the hot tap :eek:! Without flinching she drank it like a trouper and we felt very proud of our achievement - I hate to think what it tasted like tho' :lol:

[NLP]

A few weeks ago I made Mr.P a cuppa instead of 2 sweetx he got 2 cod liver oil capsules, you should have seen the mess of the mug. :confused

[sassylass]

When my son was newborn and we got tired of eating frozen prepared foods, I decided it was time to cook a proper meal. It was a big effort, with a baby and a 2 year old hanging off me, but I cooked pork chops with a lovely gravy and tatties and all. Such a pretty meal, but one bite of the chops had us gagging... OMG a horrible metallic taste! Hubby delicately asked Had I spilled cleanser in the pan? I wracked my brain to think what could have happened. Then in my mind's eye, I saw my hand taking the orange baking soda box instead of the yellow corn flour box. No wonder! At least we weren't poisoned.

[anneoctober]

Joan, well done ! This thread has given me loads of laughs and more importantly, makes me realise, that we're all as mad as each other ! [lol]