Well, I went ahead and did it again. And in case you are wondering what it is that I did. I burned a dozen brownies; all over again.
I won't go into the details of what I did prior to burning it, as I told you all about it in my first disaster.
I wanted to kick myself for baking the whole batch in one go. I was so confident this time. Over confident I would say. Since I got it right last time (disregarding the first attempt), I was sure I had it mastered. I had it written down in my new recipe book. Yep!! I have my own recipe book so that I can jot down my tales of success.
Nevertheless, I failed. Again. This time it was hard, but they weren't burnt hopelessly like the first time.
My dad was all encouragement before biting down on the brownie. His teeth, already ravaged by age and nicotine, was not up to the challenge posed by my brownies. His patience was wearing thin.
The second failed attempt at brownie making, and that too the world's Easiest Nutella brownies put me in a retrospective mood.
Why the hell did I pick baking? Mostly it was because of a genetic fault. I cannot understand abstract concepts. I live by measuring aids. Give me a scale and ask me to mark out 100 metres, I would happily do so. But without a scale I am clueless.
If someone gives me directions in distance I am sure I will get lost. Give me landmarks, any day.
What a burden it is, when born into an Indian family. "As required", "to taste", "gut feel", these are the measurements used in traditional cooking. How am I supposed to survive with my DNA all wired wrong. This was exactly why I stayed away from cooking until faced with dire situations.
Baking seemed a godsend. The first rule in baking is to measure and measure accurately. The best part was that the measuring cups and spoons were of universal standards. So I could just find a recipe, measure the ingredients accurately, mix them, stick it in the oven and Voila! I could get the world's easiest brownies for 6 or best chocolate chip cookies for 20. Wow! I mean, WOW!! Does it get any better than this? For somebody impaired like me, it was the next best thing to Paperwhite ;)
With our lives filled with all sorts of nasty things over which we have no control, this was some sort of a relief. A recipe that would yield guaranteed results. Something that is within your control. You are god of what you create. Well it all sounded fantastic.
That was then, this is now. After my first batch of brownies got charred (not just burnt), I realised if I was planning to be god of good brownies then I really have to play it differently.
And after my third batch of brownies, I know for a fact that I am still haunted by genetics. A recipe can only take you thus far. From there it's all about talent and creativity :) I couldn't find a drop of creativity in me, even if my life depended on it.
All said, this is not good-bye. I am not giving up. Impaired or not, I will try again; at the cost of my dad's teeth and mom's kitchen. I will try and try until I bake a batch of yummy brownies. What can I say, except I live to torture myself ;)
I won't go into the details of what I did prior to burning it, as I told you all about it in my first disaster.
I wanted to kick myself for baking the whole batch in one go. I was so confident this time. Over confident I would say. Since I got it right last time (disregarding the first attempt), I was sure I had it mastered. I had it written down in my new recipe book. Yep!! I have my own recipe book so that I can jot down my tales of success.
Nevertheless, I failed. Again. This time it was hard, but they weren't burnt hopelessly like the first time.
My dad was all encouragement before biting down on the brownie. His teeth, already ravaged by age and nicotine, was not up to the challenge posed by my brownies. His patience was wearing thin.
The second failed attempt at brownie making, and that too the world's Easiest Nutella brownies put me in a retrospective mood.
Why the hell did I pick baking? Mostly it was because of a genetic fault. I cannot understand abstract concepts. I live by measuring aids. Give me a scale and ask me to mark out 100 metres, I would happily do so. But without a scale I am clueless.
If someone gives me directions in distance I am sure I will get lost. Give me landmarks, any day.
What a burden it is, when born into an Indian family. "As required", "to taste", "gut feel", these are the measurements used in traditional cooking. How am I supposed to survive with my DNA all wired wrong. This was exactly why I stayed away from cooking until faced with dire situations.
Baking seemed a godsend. The first rule in baking is to measure and measure accurately. The best part was that the measuring cups and spoons were of universal standards. So I could just find a recipe, measure the ingredients accurately, mix them, stick it in the oven and Voila! I could get the world's easiest brownies for 6 or best chocolate chip cookies for 20. Wow! I mean, WOW!! Does it get any better than this? For somebody impaired like me, it was the next best thing to Paperwhite ;)
With our lives filled with all sorts of nasty things over which we have no control, this was some sort of a relief. A recipe that would yield guaranteed results. Something that is within your control. You are god of what you create. Well it all sounded fantastic.
That was then, this is now. After my first batch of brownies got charred (not just burnt), I realised if I was planning to be god of good brownies then I really have to play it differently.
And after my third batch of brownies, I know for a fact that I am still haunted by genetics. A recipe can only take you thus far. From there it's all about talent and creativity :) I couldn't find a drop of creativity in me, even if my life depended on it.
All said, this is not good-bye. I am not giving up. Impaired or not, I will try again; at the cost of my dad's teeth and mom's kitchen. I will try and try until I bake a batch of yummy brownies. What can I say, except I live to torture myself ;)
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