One of the biggest debates I have regarding my blog content is whether or not to post about
recipe flops.
Tonight, I had such a flop. I walked into the kitchen without a recipe and said I was going to create a recipe out of the blue and it would be magnificent. The most magnificent little recipe I have ever concocted. Yes, I tend to suffer from delusions of grandeur in the kitchen at times…
I debated posting about said flop and then I realized I had nothing else to blog about. :mrgreen:
Dilemma solved!
I also remembered something a crazy wise psychology professor once told me.
[Speaking in my old, wise professor voice]:
‘Miss Angela, everything contributes to knowledge in some way, shape, or form. Even the studies that don’t ‘work’ like you predict contribute to knowledge.’
I came across this and had some horrible memories:
“The distinguishing mark of graduate research is an original contribution to knowledge. The thesis is a formal document whose sole purpose is to prove that you have made an original contribution to knowledge. Failure to prove that you have made such a contribution generally leads to failure.” <—no pressure though! lol
[Source]
So yes, even though my recipe tonight was a flop, I now know what not to replicate in the future- or better yet- how to tweak this recipe and iron out the kinks!
All seemed to start well. Chia seeds, onion, sweet potato, spinach. A good foundation, no?
I guess I should probably tell you what I was intending to make.
I wanted to make the In A Jiffy Spelt Veggie Burgers. The only catch was I was too lazy to go get the recipe off my computer. [Whoever said it was a good idea to run 5 miles before baking on my feet all day was wrong…wait, that was my idea.]
I decided to save myself the troubling walk and to just ‘wing it’, creating a brand new recipe.
Sounds fun, right?
I used the following:
- 1 T chia seeds
- 1 small sweet potato, processed (or grated)
- 1 handful organic spinach, chopped
- 1/3 onion, chopped
- 3 T Sunflower seeds
- 1 clove minced garlic
- Paprika, salt, and pepper to taste
- 1 cup Whole Grain Spelt Flour
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 avocado
Into a big bowl and then mix with your hands.
At this stage, I thought to myself oh this is going to be good. I jinxed myself, clearly.
Oops, I forgot I also added half an avocado! Good thing I took pictures to document.
Despite widespread panic over the weekend, I was able to ripen my rock hard avocados on the windowsill. [In desperate times, I also place bananas on the windowsill too!]
The true test of a homemade veggie burger is usually how well the patties form. These formed fairly well, so I thought I hit the jackpot. My work here is complete.
I made 5 patties and 5 BALLS.
After 20 minutes of cooking at 375F, I flipped them. This is when I realized that something was wrong…very, very wrong.
The patties cracked and split and generally looked like they were going to explode!
These pictures actually don’t do the flop justice. The burgers wouldn’t even hold together and just crumbled in my hand! I should have taken a picture of the crumbles. ;)
With my upper lip quivering, I said, ‘Nothing 20 more minutes in the oven won’t fix.’
But, I knew in my heart they could not be saved.
The middle was mushy. I blame that on too much moisture due to the 1/4 cup of water. The chopped onions also prevented the patty from holding together. Next time I would eliminate the onions and take out the water (anyone want to give it a go? haha)
The upside? They tasted ok. The only thing I didn’t like about them (aside from them falling apart) was the onion. The onion flavour did not pair well with the avocado and sweet potato! Should have thought that one through…
The BALLS held together very well, although they were still mushy on the inside.
I had three patties, one on a piece of toasted Ezekiel bread with hummus and t-paste.
My second flop contribution of knowledge was what I like to call BLAH, BLAH, BLAH (you know the song by Ke$ha??). That is what I was singing when I tasted this.
I boiled some cabbage, drained it, and then put some EVOO + balsamic vinaigrette on it. It was so utterly blah, I had to laugh. My poor husband. Eric would not touch this with a ten foot pole and I don’t blame him.
I tried to redeem my Goddess of the Kitchen status to Eric by making a spin-off of the delicious Choco-cado Pudding. My goal here was to make a lighter version without chocolate (I know many of you gave up chocolate for lent and were sad when you couldn’t make it.)
Refreshing Peppermint Pudding
[Adapted from Gina’s Choco-cado Pudding]
- 1/4 cup cashew butter
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 small avocado
- 1 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
- 1 tablespoon dark agave nectar
Directions: Process all ingredients together and serve. This makes about 2 small servings.
It was different, but very creamy and refreshing! Next time I might add a bit more water to thin it out a little. The cashew butter and avocado went surprisingly well together.
Good times! :)
Updates:
- March Madness at Glo bakery continues!
- Follow me on Twitter (@ohsheglows) as well as Glo Bakery (@globakery) and Green Monster Movement (@ilikeitgreen)
- I’m hosting a meet-up this Sunday March 7th in Toronto. If you are interested in attending please email me by Thursday morning for the deets (angela [at] ohsheglows.com)
Size Healthy Around the blog world:
- Amy: http://amysquesttoskinny.blogspot.com/2010/02/size-healthy-contest.html
- Kate: http://k8hasablog.blogspot.com/2010/02/are-you-sizenumber-obsessed.html
5:30am wake-up call tomorrow. I have about 200 glo bars to bake, pack, and ship before the Fedex man arrives at noon! Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. This week is going to fly by.
The worst gift is a fruitcake. There is only one fruitcake in the entire world, and people keep sending it to each other. ~Johnny Carson
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{ 99 comments… read them below or add one }
I think you should post the flops along with the masterpieces as it will make you seem more mortal :-)
I 100% agree!
How funny, I was thinking the same thing! I have SO MANY flops and I often think…Angela’s food is always so beautiful and gets rave reviews. Wah!
Like you, I still eat my flops!
Great post!!
I love that you posted a recipe that didnt work out. I have kitchen failures all the time and it makes me feel SO much better to see that other people do too!
I totally agree! At this point I am still too intimidated in the kitchen to wing it without a recipe, but posts like this help me to learn so that hopefully I can get to that point!
This is pretty much exactly what I was going to post!
I like seeing flops, as long as you provide suggestions for next time (which obviously, you did!) Definitely helps me learn new things!
I say post them – what’s the harm? Plus, maybe you will teach someone something in the process.
And what doesn’t kill you, you can feed to the dog (or cat) ;)
You wouldn’t have known if they were any good if you didn’t try :)
The onions would probably have been ok if you’d popped them in the food processor and sauteed them before incorporating them into the patty. Just a thought.
Don’t feel bad bad about the flop, it happens to the best of us.
yea i was thinking that too..might try that next time!
I think flops are good!! Reminds us all that you are not super human wonder cooking goddess!! hehehe :)
They still looked tasty!! :) Warm/cooked avocado is interesting!!
Aw :( We all have those…
Re: Cabbage- my mom just sautees it in EVOO (she uses her Misto so it’s a light amount) and the balsamic, plus S+P… it’s SO good! I think that cabbage just needs a couple of minutes to soften up because when boiled it’s absorbed so much water it’s hard for it to grab any other flavors
yea I definitely over-cooked it!
I love fruitcake! LOVE IT! I think you just have to have good fruitcake to appreciate it…
Flops are like flaws – every human has them! I say share away, you know you learn a lesson but think of how many of us will learn from it, too!!
I think posting flops teaches us what NOT to do. Now I know not to put chopped onions in a burger. At least the photos were gorgeous and you had some puddin’ to clean your palette!
I wouldn’t call it a complete flop since it tasted good. Thanks for sharing with us though.
To ripen fruit faster, put it in a brown paper bag. I don’t remember the details, but I remember a science teacher telling me that the gases given off by the fruit get trapped in the bag and help it to ripen faster. :)
I think we all suffer from delusions of grandeur in the kitchen! On the days when things go very wrong… I agree that posting flops is great therapy. You have to then think it through rather than scrap the whole experience. I still haven’t figured out how to make a good bowl of lemon poppy seed oats though…
Oh I definitely suffer from delusions of gradeur in the kitchen. Recipe flops can make me cry. Thank you so much for posting your flop and making me remember I’m only human!!
Try sauteing the onions in a little olive oil first to soften them – that’s what I do any haven’t had any trouble :-)
How I adore you! Thank you for the updated avocado pudding! I can make it now! I need to go get an avocado:)
And I love that you shared the flop! It wasn’t too much of a flop! You’re too hard on yourself <3
I think it’s a great thing to post a flop – it lets us laugh along with you and take note of what not to do! Plus I feel as though there’s 1 flop in about 10,000 successes so I wouldn’t be too worried about this one ^~
<3 Miss
Ange, I have recipe flops all the time, and I had one again last night, too. I have documented them all because I know one day I will look back and laugh. :)
Love hearing the flops and the good stuff. We all have flops and we do learn (and laugh) from them.
So happy you’re into the pudding!!!
And I love the size healthy initiative. As usual, you bring so much goodness to the blog community! Expect a shout back.
I learned a good trick with onions yesterday when I was making meatloaf for my family– fry the onions first before adding….they blend in better.
I think your patties look delicious. Next time try a brocolli salad: chopped brocolli, olive oil, lemon juice, seeds, dried fruit….
I’m currently wrapping up my MA thesis, so I feel ya on the pressure bit! However, that view is a little harsh! I know in my program the attitude is slightly different – do SOMETHING for your MA and that’s good (ie. write an unoriginal paper and you’ll still graduate), do something *original* and that’s great (and you’ll probably be able to do a lot more with your grad studies if you choose to). A much friendlier approach!!!
As far as kitchen flops go…yes, as is research, findings are still findings! haha. And hey, appearance isn’t everything right? If it tastes good…bring it on! :)
I always post flops…mainly just to have something to write about! :-)
Those do not look like flops though– I think they look delicious!!! Seriously!
I have flops all the time – or at least ones where I sit there and think…hmm shoulda stopped at ingredient “X” – :)
Hey, not every recipe can be a winner on the first shot. Trial and error!
As for the avocados, I eat a few a week, and there’s nothing more annoying than waiting for them to get nice and ripe. Place them in a brown paper bag with an apple and it speeds things up. Works for bananas, too.
I love the new take on the avocado pudding! Will have to give it a go with the cashew buttahhh!
As for the burgers, probably too much flour, plus the water evaporated. Maybe do 1/4 cup spelt plus 1/4 cup ground flax, some water and 1 tbsp oil? They look delish though apart from the cracking. I hate when that happens!
Those burgers looked so promising.
I posted my flop just recently. I was testing someone else’s recipe and I clearly got sidetracked!
Sometimes I have to post about flops. I’ll get home from work with the intention of making a recipe and then blogging about it. Then I make said recipe….and it’s a bomb. What else can you do??
I once spent all day making a homemade banana bread (for the first time ever, hence all day). When it was done it smelled SO SO SO good. I quickly turned over the bread pan to let it cool… not remembering I was supposed to let it cool IN the pan first. The whole thing fell apart in a big mush. I was devastated! We still ate it, but over ice cream.
You are so funny! I love this post. It’s so true, a flop isn’t really a failure at all. ALSO, interesting what you call a failure compared to what someone else might consider a failure. For me, if I made something from scratch that was edible, it would be a success, for sure! Maybe not something I’d repeat, but certainly not a flop.
It’s hard to post about flops for sure, but they do help you and others learn what works and what doesn’t. Plus people can offer suggestions. I make black bean burgers that fall apart all the time but taste so good, I don’t even care anymore :)
Ahhhh, we all have recipe flops. Love that you admit to it LOL. I think the important thing is that you learn from the goofs and make something better in the end!
You know, flops only reaffirm that we all mess up and can’t always make beautiful, fantastic and wonderful recipes, right? :) The best part…you had the best intentions and now you know not to use water + onions in the burgers. Big lesson learned.
GOod luck with that big order busy bee!
I think those burgers would have been a success in my book lol! I am terrified of cooking solo without a recipe and honestly wouldn’t know where to begin. Thanks for sharing that though, it is a huge feat to be able to publicly admit to our mishaps : )
I, for one, thought this was one of your more witty posts — so I am in favor of flops. . . well, posting about them, anyway. ;) I have flops ALL THE TIME. My husband finds it hilarious, whenever he comes into the kitchen to find me staring in horror at another experiment gone awry.
“Our achievements speak for themselves. What we have to keep track of are our failures, discouragements, and doubts. We tend to forget the past difficulties, the many false starts, and the painful groping. We see our past achievements as the end result of a clean forward thrust, and our present difficulties as signs of decline and decay.”
~ Eric Hoffer
LOVE that quote!
Aw what a bummer! I hate when I take time to make dinner and it flops. But oh well, you live and learn! :)
Oh, well! :) Better luck next time!
That pudding looks amazing!!!
No worries, I make flops all the time. It’s just annoying when you use good expensive ingredients and it doesn’t work out!
I’ve never heard of avocado cooked in anything… maybe that was part of the problem?
Oh memories: “The distinguishing mark of graduate research is an original contribution to knowledge. The thesis is a formal document whose sole purpose is to prove that you have made an original contribution to knowledge. Failure to prove that you have made such a contribution generally leads to failure.” It still sends shivers down my spine when I think about it!!!
Talking about flops in the kitchen: lentil rice (Mujadarrah) that I made last night was just shy of a disaster! My fiancé had a bite and simply said: ah, different than usual honey… and didn’t eat the rest! hahaha…
Mistakes happen. The burgers sound great in theory though – the mix of sweet potato and avocado..yuumm!!
I really think we learn the MOST from mistakes. Or things that don’t go quite as planned. It’s a hard lesson to learn sometimes though.
P.S. I’m so going to go try the original recipe now…
I like when you post recipe flops, too. Because, really, it happens to all of us! It’s so frustrating though. All of our time is precious, and when you waste a few hours in the kitchen for nothing, it can seem so exasperating!
I am the QUEEN of cooking flops!! I always freak out, and my boyfriend has to say to me that, even though it didn’t work out, I learned something not to do, and I’ll never do it again! It is a horrible feeling to get a meal wrong (those great ingredients!) but I’m glad yours was edible! And next time you will know what to do differently! Thank you for sharing — nobody is perfect!
A recipe flop isn’t really a flop….it’s just an idea waiting to be better the next time around :) I usually get a better response from flops than I do from successes- (like my recent cupcake fail haha) how ironic ;)
i liked reading about your flop! thats me every time i enter the kitchen.
Thanks for sharing that! It shows we all make mistakes even in the kitchen…..Though I have to say the finished product looks pretty good!
I’m really surprised these didn’t taste good because they look delicious to me! I’m glad that you make mistakes in the kitchen too…at least I don’t feel like such a loser anymore. :)
I had a flop last night, too. I made bean burgers over the weekend and froze them. Well, last night, I went to cook them and apparently, I had forgotten to add in the binder (almond flour) and so they did not hold together at all and were complete mush!
I agree with one of the commenters above – mincing the onion in a food processor might help them hold together a bit better. You could also try letting the chia seeds soak for a bit to get more of a gel so you can reduce the amount of water. Hope your next batch is a success! If anyone can make it happen, you can :)
Aww if it TASTED alright, it wasn’t really a flop. I probably would have posted it, too. At least it gave you something to crack jokes about.
Hey! I’ve done MANY cooking flops in my lifetime! My cousins (who I live with) laughed at me hysterically when I told them I wanted to be a nutritionist and cook (I used to have a habit of burning hard boiled eggs!) haha I would always get distracted and forget about them!
Pudding looks great though!! You redeemed yourself : )
xo
Jocelyn
I had a recipe flop recently and I posted anyway. I don’t ALWAYS post flops, but I definitely think people can learn from them :)
I have to say, it sounds like it would be delicious!
Avocado — generally, avocado doesn’t cook well. When heated to a higher temperature, or even a warm temperature for a longer period of time, the flesh often acquires a bitter taste. This is why avocado puree is added at the end of the cooking process (a last minute addition to creamed soups, for instance). If the avocado is cooked, then a protective coating, and a very short time at a high temperature (broil/flash fry) maintains the original delicate flavor.
good to know!!!
My mom is always reminding me of an Edison quote about his 4000 (10000?) attempts to create the light bulb that is something like “I didn’t fail 4000 times, I successfully ruled old 4000 options.” :)
oh man…kitchen flops are the WORST! i hate it when that happens (so does Nate) but that’s how we learn, right? I wonder if you grated the onions and drained them if that would cut back on the moisture but still add some good flavor…?
I think it’s both brave and wise to post “flops” every now and then! I should take a leaf out of your book – it’s way too easy to only post the pretty and delicious things!
Your burgers sounded like a good attempt, even if they were a flop. I mention some of my flops on my blog, but I don’t bother with pictures. I could probably write a whole separate blog for all my kitchen mishaps.
I know what you mean! I always wonder if I should even mention it. I’m proud of you for stepping up and sharing your flop! It encourages me to go and try something new, if it flops it flops. At least we try!
thank goodness you are human too! Although if you could eat it I don’t think it was the big a failure, I have had plenty of things go straight down the disposal!
I LOVE that you posted your flops. The flops eventually become greatness, right?
I had the FLOP of the year a few weekends back — I tried to BAKE a Green Monster Smoothie. I was so convinced it would be amazing.
*sigh* Some things just shouldn’t be messed with. I’ll stick to the liquid version from now on.
hahah omg I would have loved to see that!!!
Oh, you can! I posted it on my blog to show what a failure it was.
They looked sooooo cute, too. Tasted terrible.
Holy cow — what a concept!
Good for you for posting your “flop”! I’ve always believed that the things that may seem like failures in the beginning always teach us the most in the end. Seeing this post also reminded me how much I wanted to try the original recipe, so thanks for that too!
They may not have held together, but they look great! I bet they were good. Thanks for sharing!!
Maybe you could camarilise the onion and change the avocado for some red kidney beans?
One of my favorite quotes is, “There are no mistakes in cooking, just new recipes.” And how great that you don’t have to worry about mushy insides–no worries about eating “raw” batter/dough with vegan cooking! :)
I find it really difficult to deal with recipe flops – I get so down on myself. Which is actually quite fair, because I can’t cook very well but I still tend to experiment!
At least you know what went wrong with your recipe. Good luck for next time!
I am totally for posting about flops. After all, like you said- we learn from our (and others’!) mistakes. =)
xo
K
I post flops! I just feel bad when it’s a fellow blogger’s recipe. But I think the flops are just as important to see as the masterpieces!
I rarely stick to a recipe after I’ve tried it once. I decide to get all creative and add my own flair to it, and for the most part it turns out okay. I’ve had some EPIC failures. More often that not, my big failures are in the baking department where exact measurements are more important.
That being said, I love your spelt burgers. I fangirl over them CONSTANTLY. I tell all my friends/coworkers/running clinic people/random-cashiers-in-grocery-stores about them. I made mini ones (i guess I made the “slider” version) and took them as an appy to a party… And I’ve never deviated from the recipe. I’m too scared.
I am the flop queen and sometimes a flop turns into something good! It’s important to learn from them and try to salvage them too!
Posting the flops is such a good idea–it’s a great way to get suggestions for the next time you make it!
I eat my flops unless they’re absolutely inedible, never want to make them again, and then always end up regrouping and refining. I don’t take no for an answer from my food…
Part of the fun in the kitchen, for me at least, is trying to create new things on the fly! I feel you though….it is always a bummer when something you think will be great turns out awful!
Sorry your burgers didn’t work out. I just came across a show done by Nova where Tufts University studies novice runners preparing for a marathon. It is really wonderful, you can check it out online here:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/marathon/program.html
Oh no :(
Glad you posted about it though. It’s nice to know that all cooks — even awesome ones like you, make mistakes. We all do it. At least they tasted alright.
Good luck with your bake-venture tomorrow morning. I need to do some more baking, such a stress reliever :)
You spelt burgers always look so good. Yum
haha kitchen failures – yes I sure have had my fair share of them….. :)
This is just what I needed to see! I had a total dinner flop last night and I started whining to my husband that I was a horrible cook. Once I regained composure and threw away everything that burned I made something great. I guess everyone has an off day once in a while. And failure is more likely when you’re trying something new.
Try this recipe:
http://www.wholeliving.com/recipe/rice-and-bean-burger
If you substitute chickpeas for black beans, they come out AMAZING– almost falafel-like.
Flops definitely happen!!!!! But at least you learned what didn’t work, right? Hope you met your FedEx deadline!
I love that you posted flops. I had a burger flop that I just wrote a post about too. Has to happen sometimes right?
That sucks about the recipe flop! But I think it’s great that you post them. In fact, they’re wonderful for that person who’s thinking, ‘I think I should pair sweet potatoes, avocados, and onion! Yes!’ Then they would read your post and KNOW it’s a bad idea.
Flops are inevitable … my husband and I usually just laugh them off (when he’s not consoling me as I cry in the kitchen). Especially the day I burnt the kale chips. I was so looking forward to them and KNEW my oven was not going to cooperate.
Oh well … c’est la vie!
K
ahhh the flop of a recipe…I can make a whole post dedicated to my baking flops…when it comes to baking I am just not the best. By this I mean cakes and complicated things…breads and cookies and muffins, Im ok with that but when it gets a bit compluicated and there is sifting involved…I better get out of the way!
those patties look delicious despite they werent the best thing you have made!
I bet you are all GLObar’ed out!!! :)
Yay! you are on Fitsugar.com today!
http://www.fitsugar.com/
Definitely learn from Trial and Error sometimes! But pretty silly that you just decided to wing it! haha but i guess with how much success you normally had you weren’t worried about it!
**March is Endometriosis Awareness Month (on my blog) Don’t let this disease go unrecognized **
I had a similar flop the other night when I improved a veggie/bean burger recipe. I ended up with the same falling apart, mushy mess. :-) You’d have to find a way to “veganize” it, but I’ve crumbled a patty and cooked it in with scrambled eggs and it was tastey and an easy way to add veggies to breakfast. I also put one on bread with cheese and made it grilled cheese style (a good smoosh with the spatula after flipping helped make it a little more solid).
Peppermint pudding – sounds absolutely yum!
Blogger meetup? I wish I could meet some other (real-life!) bloggers; I’ll actually be oh so close (compared to being in Windsor!), I’ll be in Burlington running the Chilly Half – my very first!
Awe, it looks good though!
Great idea! I think you’re right about leaving out the water. Next time, I suggest cutting up the onion smaller and using a better binding agent, perhaps pre-cook and mash the sweet potato and add a little olive oil in place of the water.