Baking disasters

thesuninherhead

Can someone slap me next time I suggest spending a morning baking?

 

I am yet to attempt to roll out my highly-sticky white chocolate and rum truffles, but in the interim I attempted to make almond macaroons with white chocolate filling... the macaroons ended up sticking to my non-stick baking paper, thus I couldn't remove them without them breaking into a sticky mess, finally resulting in me rolling them into balls and dipping them in the white chocolate that was supposed to sit inside the biscuits, in the hopes that someone in my family will believe that almond macaroon balls covered in white chocolate was what I was intending to make all along. 

 

Tell me about your worst baking mishap. 

tlv204

I just spent the last 2 weeks trying to make cookies for my coworkers, and chronicled most of my issues here. I managed to ruin 3 batches of meringues, a batch of sugar plum cookies (there is plum jam and meringue all over my kitchen still, I keep finding it in weird places), and I burned sugar cookies, of all things.

I gave up and made them seasoned oyster crackers instead. I'm great with pasta and meats and such, but apparently I am not a baker no matter what I try. I quit.

julezlee

Maybe you should stick to cookies

Can't think of one for me, but DH made popcorn bars (popcorn and melted marshmallow) last weekend and didn't take out all of the unpopped kernels before he mixed them all together.  So, in order to eat one of the bars you had to pick out about 10-20 kernels first. 

bbyckes

Baking a cheesecake with Splenda.  It turned out rubbery and cracked.  So much for low-carb cheesecake.

thesuninherhead

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_baking-disasters?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:b9e7f6b8-9f8f-4555-b5d2-7ed9816a1f27Post:31e364e6-7975-4c7e-811d-24d44749d5c7">Re: Baking disasters</a>:
[QUOTE]Maybe you should stick to cookies ;) Can't think of one for me, but DH made popcorn bars (popcorn and melted marshmallow) last weekend and didn't take out all of the unpopped kernels before he mixed them all together.  So, in order to eat one of the bars you had to pick out about 10-20 kernels first. 
<p>Posted by julezlee[/QUOTE]</p><p> </p><p>Oh, lol, that is quite bad! </p><p> </p><p>I think that I should stick to savoury items. I made some awesome little mini-pancakes chive things (good description! haha) with blue cheese and fig paste on them that were just so very good, and I'm thinking I may make those again and give up on the sweets for the christmas parties we're attending!</p>

ggmae

I have forgotten to add water to brownie mix and have forgotten to grease the pan for several cakes/cupcakes before, but nothing too awful.

I did almost burn the house down making pizza bagels once, but that doesn't qualify as baking.

thesuninherhead

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_baking-disasters?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:b9e7f6b8-9f8f-4555-b5d2-7ed9816a1f27Post:5c2ce635-6e49-4486-a781-357e381808b2">Re: Baking disasters</a>:
[QUOTE]I just spent the last 2 weeks trying to make cookies for my coworkers, and chronicled most of my issues here. I managed to ruin 3 batches of meringues, a batch of sugar plum cookies (there is plum jam and meringue all over my kitchen still, I keep finding it in weird places), and I burned sugar cookies, of all things. I gave up and made them seasoned oyster crackers instead. I'm great with pasta and meats and such, but apparently I am not a baker no matter what I try. I quit.
<p>Posted by tlv204[/QUOTE]</p><p> </p><p>Same here! I can make some very awesome dinners and savoury canapes, but cannot for the life of me seem to bake well. I think it's that I just lack the patience, really. I cut corners and then wonder why things don't set as they're supposed to, etc etc! </p><p>Your oyster crackers sound nice! At least it worked out in the end.</p>

thesuninherhead

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_baking-disasters?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:b9e7f6b8-9f8f-4555-b5d2-7ed9816a1f27Post:0ac05448-81fd-47f0-a297-eb6d1d9a21f1">Re: Baking disasters</a>:
[QUOTE]Baking a cheesecake with Splenda.  It turned out rubbery and cracked.  So much for low-carb cheesecake.
Posted by bbyckes[/QUOTE]
<p> </p><p>Splenda is the devil, I'm afraid.</p>

nda_roxybabe

Hmm, I have had mistakes but I blame those on the recipes
Once in highschool I messed up KRaft Blue box macaroni...if I remember correctly, I forgot to drain the noodles...yeaa.

thesuninherhead

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_baking-disasters?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:b9e7f6b8-9f8f-4555-b5d2-7ed9816a1f27Post:a95b2785-8cb0-49d5-a9b5-cad54db98b1d">Re: Baking disasters</a>:
[QUOTE]I have forgotten to add water to brownie mix and have forgotten to grease the pan for several cakes/cupcakes before, but nothing too awful. I did almost burn the house down making pizza bagels once, but that doesn't qualify as baking. :)
Posted by ggmae[/QUOTE]
<p> </p><p>Well, I've never managed to burn down anything, although the oven door did fall off midst cooking the cookies that weren't to be earlier (I didn't even know this was possible, but H tells me it comes off for cleaning...). Something catching on fire in the kitchen would be my worst nightmare!</p>

julezlee

Oh, I remembered mine.  2 Christmases ago I was making pecan pies and I didn't use the deep dish pie shells like I was supposed to so the pies boiled over and filling drained out of my oven all over the floor.  So sticky and nasty to clean up.

mags0607

I am usually a pretty good baker, but the other day I screwed up a batch of oreo balls. I had two things of philly cream cheese in the fridge, but Fi decided to alter the one he uses in his sandwiches. I didn't realize that he had messed with one and added ranch dip to it. That's the one that I used and didn't realize it until I dipped them in chocolate and tasted them. My nose is stopped up and I couldn't tell I had one with ranch. It was DISGUSTING!

bbyckes

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_baking-disasters?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:b9e7f6b8-9f8f-4555-b5d2-7ed9816a1f27Post:6dc33feb-6493-4fc8-806e-0c6f614db30f">Re: Baking disasters</a>:
[QUOTE] I didn't realize that he had messed with one and added ranch dip to it. That's the one that I used and didn't realize it until I dipped them in chocolate and tasted them. My nose is stopped up and I couldn't tell I had one with ranch. It was DISGUSTING!
Posted by mags0607[/QUOTE]

I read this and literally drew in my breath!  OMG that is too funny!

julezlee

Oh yuck, yuck, yuck Mags!

thesuninherhead

That is super-gross, Mags!

 

And Julez, I would have had to throw a tantrum over that if it were me! 

squirrly

Sun, the door does indeed come off, for a variety of reasons.  Please be sure that it's been put back in the proper position.  Some oven door designs are a bit awkward, and putting the tab into the wrong slot can cause the door to have a tiny gap at the top when closed (too tiny to really see well) which leaks just enough heat to start a fire. 

I can't think of any horrendous baking stories right now, aside from turning my grandmother's kitchenaid on high with just flour in it as a kid. 

ggmae

Sun - It was the microwave. I lost my head for a moment and put in 4 pizza bagels for 9 minutes as opposed to 9 for 4 minutes like the directions said. :-\

thesuninherhead

Thanks, squirrly- I will go and check! I had no clue what to do- the thing just fell off and is rather heavy! I think it's back in place properly (H put it back in), but not 100% sure so will go and have a look!

 

and GG, how scary!

mocha beans

Yuck, ranch flavored oreo balls!

I tried making angelfood cake once, I've never made it before.  Had some cute basket shaped molds; I was going to do angelfood cake and strawberries with whipped cream for dessert.  I don't know what I did wrong, I must not have greased it if I was supposed to, but they were never, ever going to come out in anything less than a thousand pieces.  And I also underestimated just how much angelfood cake expands, so most of them cooked over the pan and make a sticky burnt mess on the oven floor.  Cleaning that oven sucked, hard.

I think that's about the extent of my baking mishaps, I'm not a very adventurous baker and generally stick with cookies.

Nebb

I had major reading comprehension skills when I tried making my apple cinnimon cookies a little while back. For some reason I thought 1cup of butter = 2 tbsp, dont ask me how I figured that but I am apparently a huge idiot. I couldnt figure out WHY the dough was so dry and wouldnt stick together, so then I added more apple butter, another egg and it still wouldnt work. It took my mom walking me through the recipe and her laughing at me to realize I just suck at reading. They were fixed in the end.

alixzafiris

Not really baking per se, but in my third semester at school we had this really hot Chef prof one of our practical classes and he was observing me and I got so flustered I flicked the pulse button on my blender before securing the top and coated both of us; worse, he totally called me on it and told me (in front of everyone else) that if I'd been paying more attention to my station and less attention to "ogling him" we wouldn't have ended up covered in goop.

I wanted to die, it was one of those moments that was so so so embarrassing that I know I'll remember every tiny detail for the rest of my life.

mandysmear

I cracked an egg into my running mixer.  Yeah, I dropped half the shell in completely.  This happened at midnight.  I was baking cookies for my FIL's birthday and we were leaving to drive 3 hours to visit the next morning. 

thesuninherhead

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_baking-disasters?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:b9e7f6b8-9f8f-4555-b5d2-7ed9816a1f27Post:e38da586-cfff-46e5-b576-d05293e3a21d">Re: Baking disasters</a>:
[QUOTE]Not really baking per se, but in my third semester at school we had this really hot Chef prof one of our practical classes and he was observing me and I got so flustered I flicked the pulse button on my blender before securing the top and coated both of us; worse, he totally called me on it and told me (in front of everyone else) that if I'd been paying more attention to my station and less attention to "ogling him" we wouldn't have ended up covered in goop. I wanted to die, it was one of those moments that was so so so embarrassing that I know I'll remember every tiny detail for the rest of my life.
<p>Posted by alixzafiris[/QUOTE]</p><p> </p><p>Oh God, that is hilariously humiliating!  </p>

thesuninherhead

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_baking-disasters?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:b9e7f6b8-9f8f-4555-b5d2-7ed9816a1f27Post:f8353ca7-3739-4145-996c-66a2ed989cf5">Re: Baking disasters</a>:
[QUOTE]I cracked an egg into my running mixer.  Yeah, I dropped half the shell in completely.  This happened at midnight.  I was baking cookies for my FIL's birthday and we were leaving to drive 3 hours to visit the next morning. 
<p>Posted by mandysmear[/QUOTE]</p><p> </p><p>I gather the cookies had a little extra crunch?</p>

mandysmear

I sat there and picked through it for about half an hour get all them out.  They were chocolate cookies so the shell was quite easy to spot.