My mother in law told me my chili was watery and it forced me to fix my technique

She said it right at dinner last Thanksgiving in front of everyone. I had been using too much tomato juice and not letting it simmer long enough. Now I reduce the liquid by half and add a can of rinsed black beans for thickness. Anyone else get blunt feedback from family that actually made their cooking better?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_anna1mo ago

I read this article once that said most people get defensive about their cooking until someone tells them the truth. Your mother in law did you a favor. I had a similar thing happen with my gravy a few years back, my brother said it tasted like paste. He was right, I was using way too much flour. Now I use a cornstarch slurry and it comes out smooth every time. Family calling you out is better than strangers eating bad food and never telling you. At least now your chili has some actual body to it.

ross.river1mo ago

Wait, is it true that most people really don't want to hear the truth about their cooking until someone just lays it out there? I feel like that's the whole reason I keep my mouth shut at potlucks lol. @the_anna is spot on though about family being the ones to actually tell you. My sister once told me my spaghetti sauce tasted like tin cans because I was using crushed tomatoes straight from the can without any seasoning. I was so mad at first but now I add garlic and basil and it's way better. So yeah, sometimes you gotta just take the hit and fix the recipe.