Have you ever tried a recipe that turned out to go horribly wrong, or maybe the end product, despite being good, just wasn’t worth the effort? What was that recipe, and what about it made you say “NEVER AGAIN”?
I ask this as I am actively trying to remove the stench of onions from my Instapot lid’s silicone ring after making French Onion Soup in it (so far steaming it with white vinegar on the steam setting, soaking the ring in a water/baking soda bath overnight, and baking it at 250 degrees F for 20 minutes have all done nothing, so I ordered a new one, I give up). And I realized that cutting all the onions and waiting hours for them to caramelize and now this damn smell issue just isn’t worth it. Plus I still have frozen soup in the freezer because I can only eat French Onion soup so many days in a row.
NEVER AGAIN.
Orange chicken.
It was my comfort food while studying in the US. At Panda Express it was cheap, convenient, and delicious.
Then I tried making it. And… although I could make delicious-er, it was too much work. Then I forgot how much work it was, and made it again, and I swore, never again. I don’t have a proper kitchen or a fryer, and it took me about two hours of active work (if you’re serving 8 people). Most other food I make is max 20 minutes, and the rest is just time passing and heat doing its thing. Even dishes that take 8 hours to prepare, is usually still only 20-30 minutes of labour.
Without the right kitchen equipment. Never again.
I might make it again soon.
My kids love Trader Joe’s frozen orange chicken and it’s easy to make.
Pan fry the breaded chicken pieces while you thaw the sauce, then toss cooked chicken in the sauce.
Cleanup is a large frying pan and tongs.
Same thing with Kung Pao Chicken from Trader Joes. Tried to make it once from scratch, never again. Hours and hours of labor and specialized ingredients that you’ll only use for that one recipe taking up space in your pantry/fridge, versus buying the frozen bag that ends up tasting better, can be prepped in no time flat, and has exactly one pan to clean up in the end. Way better.