Embracing Imperfection: Our Biggest Kitchen Fails of 2017 (And What We Learned)

Here we are, at the very precipice of a new year! As 2017 draws to a close, a collective sigh of reflection sweeps across the internet. Many are celebrating triumphs, showcasing their proudest culinary achievements, and reveling in a year of success. But what if we took a different path? What if, instead of highlighting perfection, we shone a light on the beautiful, messy, and often hilarious journey of kitchen experiments gone wonderfully wrong?

You might be surprised to hear a food blogger openly discuss “failed recipes.” In a world curated for flawless Instagram feeds and Pinterest-perfect plates, it’s easy to believe that every dish emerging from a professional kitchen is a masterpiece. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth. As someone who pours their heart and soul into cooking, I’ve had my fair share of culinary misadventures. And this year, I’ve decided to pull back the curtain and share some of my most memorable kitchen flops from 2017.

Why Share Our Kitchen Disasters? The Unconventional Path to Culinary Growth

In a landscape saturated with “mind-blowing recipes” – and don’t worry, I still share plenty of those through my emails, so be sure to subscribe for your dose of deliciousness – I felt compelled to take a different route. Why? Because showing my imperfect moments, my blunders, and my outright failures is an act of authenticity. It’s a way to connect on a deeper, more human level with you, my incredible readers.

Firstly, it’s a testament to the reality of cooking. No chef, professional or home cook, is immune to mistakes. To pretend otherwise would be to present a skewed, unrealistic image of the culinary journey. By sharing my less fortunate recipes, I hope to demystify the process and remind everyone that even experienced cooks face challenges. This blog’s mission has always been about encouraging you to be bold in the kitchen, to experiment with crazy ideas, and most importantly, to never be afraid of failure. After all, what’s there to lose? A handful of ingredients, maybe a stick of butter, a pound of sugar… okay, perhaps a substantial investment! But more importantly, what’s there to gain? Priceless lessons, resilience, and a deeper understanding of food.

My Culinary Philosophy: A Self-Taught Journey of Passion and Perseverance

Like many of you, I am a self-taught cook. My kitchen is not a pristine, professionally outfitted space, and my techniques aren’t derived from years at Le Cordon Bleu. Instead, my culinary education comes from endless experimentation, a willingness to dive into new flavors, and a burning passion for feeding my family with love. I’m a mom, a wife, and a home cook driven by an insatiable curiosity to combine loosely organized ideas into delicious realities. This means I often find myself on the adventurous side of cooking, pushing boundaries, and sometimes, pushing ingredients right into the trash bin!

Every failure in the kitchen, no matter how frustrating in the moment, is a stepping stone. It refines your palate, sharpens your instincts, and teaches you invaluable lessons about ingredients, techniques, and flavor profiles. It’s through these less-than-perfect moments that we truly evolve as cooks. So, join me as we reflect on some of my most notable culinary mishaps from 2017. Perhaps you’ll nod in recognition, chuckle in solidarity, or simply find the courage to embark on your own kitchen adventures, knowing that failure is just another ingredient in the recipe for success. And as always, enjoy the journey, bumps and all!

The 2017 Hall of Shame: Our Most Memorable Kitchen Flops

Get ready for a candid look at some of my culinary experiments that, despite the best intentions, simply did not pan out. These are the recipes that challenged my patience, tested my resolve, and ultimately, taught me a great deal.

Egg White Carton Pavlova: The Meringue Mistake

One fateful day, influenced by someone’s suggestion, I decided to tackle a Pavlova using egg whites straight from a carton. Oh, the naivete! For anyone who has ever attempted meringue, you know the absolute necessity of achieving stiff peaks. Carton egg whites, it turns out, are a master of disguise, appearing cooperative but utterly refusing to reach that crucial stage. Despite my persistent whisking, they remained stubbornly liquid, mocking my efforts. The strange thing is, I didn’t just try this once or twice; I went through three entire cartons, convinced that the next attempt would be “the one.” Each time, the result was a pathetic, flat disc that bore no resemblance to the ethereal, cloud-like Pavlova I envisioned. A lesson painfully learned: some shortcuts are simply not worth taking, and fresh egg whites are non-negotiable for a successful Pavlova. I deserved that failure for my stubbornness!

Basbousa with Mascarpone Cheese: A Delicious Intent, A Disastrous Outcome

Basbousa, a beloved Middle Eastern semolina cake, is usually a forgiving and comforting dessert. However, in my relentless pursuit to create the “perfect” basbousa recipe that would please every palate, I made a critical error. I decided to introduce mascarpone cheese, an ingredient entirely foreign to traditional basbousa, into a new recipe I was trying. It was a classic case of too many variables: a new recipe combined with a new, untested ingredient. The result? A lonely, dense, and utterly unpalatable creation that, after a single bite, was swiftly relegated to the trash can. The rich, creamy texture of mascarpone, which works wonders in tiramisu, proved to be an enemy to the delicate, moist crumb of basbousa. It taught me a valuable lesson: when experimenting, change one variable at a time, or risk a total culinary collapse. Sometimes, classic recipes are best left un-“improved.”

Rose Water & Cinnamon Cookies: A Flavor Fusion Fiasco

These cookies looked absolutely charming. They were perfectly round, beautifully baked, and visually appealing. However, as any true food lover knows, looks can be deceiving. My grand idea was to combine the delicate, floral notes of rose water with the warm, spicy kick of cinnamon. Individually, these are fantastic flavors. Together? A flavor clash of epic proportions! The two distinct profiles fought for dominance, resulting in a confusing, almost unpleasant taste that left a lingering question: “Why did I think this would work?” The irony is, despite knowing they tasted awful, I meticulously styled and took almost 35 photos of them! It was self-torture by all means, capturing the perfect shot of a thoroughly un-delicious cookie. A reminder that sometimes, less is more, and not all beautiful ingredients are destined to be together.

Eclair Cake: The Ambitious, Four-Attempt Flop

The concept was brilliant in my head: take the exquisite flavors and textures of an eclair and transform them into a convenient cake form. What could go wrong? A lot, apparently! This delicious failure consumed four attempts, approximately five hours of my life, a staggering sixteen eggs, and an unknown quantity of butter. I was absolutely determined to make it work, pouring all my culinary will into perfecting this hybrid dessert. Each attempt brought a new set of challenges – soggy pastry, collapsing layers, or a custard that just wouldn’t cooperate. By the fourth try, I conceded defeat, but not entirely. Instead of letting all those ingredients go to waste, I decided to deconstruct the “cake” and, in a stroke of genius (or desperation), dipped the individual components into a smooth, silky custard. The result? Not an eclair cake, but a rather enjoyable, albeit unconventional, deconstructed dessert. Not bad, eh? It just goes to show that even total failures can sometimes be salvaged with a little creativity.

Puffed Potatoes: The Non-Magical Transformation

I heard a fascinating kitchen hack: if you soak thinly sliced potato rings in water with baking soda, they would magically puff up into crispy, airy delights when fried. Intrigued by the promise of such a simple transformation, I followed the instructions precisely. I sliced the potatoes, soaked them diligently, and then carefully dropped them into hot oil, brimming with anticipation. I waited, and waited, and waited for the promised puff. My eyes were glued to the pan, expecting to witness a culinary miracle. Instead, the potatoes simply…fried. They browned, then crisped, and eventually, despite my fervent hopes, they started to burn, showing no signs of magical inflation whatsoever. My grand experiment ended with a sigh of disappointment and a batch of overcooked, flat potato slices. It was a stark reminder that not all kitchen hacks deliver on their promises, and some things are just too good to be true.

Snickers Dessert: Over-Sweet, Under-Whelming Blob

Who doesn’t love a Snickers bar? The combination of chocolate, caramel, nougat, and peanuts is undeniably satisfying. So, my logic went, why not transform this beloved candy bar into a sophisticated dessert? The idea was to capture all those familiar flavors in a new, perhaps layered, form. The execution, however, was a different story entirely. What I ended up with was a blobby, gooey, unphotogenic mess. It was incredibly difficult to plate attractively, as its amorphous form resisted any attempt at elegance. More critically, it was overwhelmingly sweet – even for someone with a robust sweet tooth like mine! The balance was completely off, and the distinct Snickers elements melded into a singular, sugary assault on the palate. Sometimes, the original is simply perfect as is, and attempts to “elevate” it only diminish its charm. I can’t even with myself sometimes; it was truly annoying.

Dutch Oven Flatbread: An Unceremonious Departure

Ah, the allure of freshly baked bread! The promise of a warm, chewy flatbread emerging from a Dutch oven seemed like a culinary dream. The process itself is a labor of love: hours of kneading, patient resting periods, careful shaping, and yet another round of resting. Each step is filled with anticipation, a silent prayer that the yeast will work its magic and the oven will deliver. Imagine my profound disappointment when, after all that dedication and effort, these flatbreads emerged from the oven. They weren’t just a little off; they were utterly inedible. Hard, dense, and completely devoid of the inviting texture I had envisioned. It’s rare for me to completely discard something without even a single taste, but these flatbreads were laid to rest immediately. The sheer investment of time and energy, only to be met with such a definitive failure, was a tough pill to swallow. Please, someone lock me in with a perfect recipe next time!

Embracing the Full Spectrum of Kitchen Experiences

I could undoubtedly share many more photos and tales of culinary woe, but I believe you’ve seen enough to get the gist! These failed recipes of 2017 are not just stories of mistakes; they are narratives of growth, learning, and the unwavering passion that drives us in the kitchen. For us “food people,” every experience, good or bad, is an integral part of our journey. We embrace the successes that fill us with joy and the failures that teach us invaluable lessons. It’s this full spectrum of experiences that truly enriches our understanding and appreciation of food.

As we close the chapter on 2017 and look ahead to 2018, I wish you another year filled with bold experiments, delicious successes, and yes, even a few memorable failures that you can laugh about later. Here’s to continuous learning, boundless creativity, and the enduring joy of cooking. Happy 2018! 🎉🎉

Thank you so much for joining me on this honest reflection. Your presence and support mean the world to me. I appreciate you like whoa. xoxo