When Brits insult American food

BUT, if you have tried baking here, cakes, etc don't come out as moist and the texture a bit more rough. so while the flour here to better for you, baking fancy cakes here might be a waste of time and money because they won't come out as well without the same ingredients. if anyone else has had a different experience, let me know!

Baking can be pretty sensitive, right enough.  The recipes themselves make a difference.  I really only ever use US recipes for baking, because I find British recipes too dry, because that's apparently how they want them. (IMHO, if you can pick it up with your fingers and eat it without making a mess, then it's not a very good cake.)  But even with US recipes, it helps if you're experienced enough to have a good feel for the batter consistency, etc.  You have to be prepared to tinker a bit, but then, the same is sometimes true in the US (i.e. higher altitudes, different weather, etc.).  You might find that, with the difference in ingredients, your old recipes from home are just a little less forgiving, so you have to be more careful with measuring, etc. 

For texture, you could try using cake flour instead of all-purpose/plain.  Never bothered with this myself, even in the US, but it is meant to give a finer crumb/lighter texture.  Technically, it's an extra-finely milled, lower protein flour.  Not sure if you can actually find it here (maybe a speciality shop, if you're down south), but this substitute would probably accomplish the same thing:
http://joythebaker.com/2009/09/how-to-make-cake-flour/

Also, if it seems too dense/tough, or too crumbly, sugar could be the problem.  Granulated here is a little bigger than our regular sugar, which means you're getting a little less in a cup (= crumbly).  Caster sugar is finer, which means you're getting a little more in a cup (= tough).  So if a particular recipe isn't working, try either switching the kind of sugar you're using, or adjusting the amount a little.

As far as things being too dry, the first thing is to look at how you're measuring.  I'm lazy, and often wouldn't bother sifting the flour-- but skipping that can lead to too much flour, which leads to dry, heavy cake.  If you're trying to convert between US & metric, make sure you're right, or you could be inadvertently shorting yourself on liquids/fats.

Take a look at your pan size, too.  If you used to bake in a 9" x 13" pan, and now all you've got is a 14" x 10" roasting pan, your batter will be spread thinner, which means you'll need to lower your baking temp a little, and probably shorten the time a bit.

You could also try using a little extra butter or oil (but just a little!), adding a small amount (i.e. 1/2 - 1 c.) of plain yogurt/sour cream, or subbing brown sugar for some or all of the white (will change the colour & flavour slightly, so best for chocolate or other dark cakes).  Also, if it's a recipe that uses beaten egg whites, try using smaller eggs (i.e. Med instead of Jumbo), and make sure you're  not over-beating.

Of course, if one recipe isn't working well, you can also just look for another.  Generally, I find cake recipes that use oil are more soft/moist (and also quicker) than ones that use butter.  Whatever you do, be prepared to experiment.  If you're trying to get something just right, you may need a few trial runs.  The good news is, even the failed experiments are still cake, and probably delicious. 

thanks for all the info actually cake flour is the flour that is banned here. but my boss was able to get me some, he gets them from a farm down south. and good to know about the sugar, so many things call for caster sugar and i'd never heard of it!

i had made some cupcakes weeks ago with buttermilk and sour cream and still came out really dry and flavorless :/ and it helps to know the differences in ingredients (it was an american recipe)

thanks again

thanks for all the info actually cake flour is the flour that is banned here. but my boss was able to get me some, he gets them from a farm down south. and good to know about the sugar, so many things call for caster sugar and i'd never heard of it!

i had made some cupcakes weeks ago with buttermilk and sour cream and still came out really dry and flavorless :/ and it helps to know the differences in ingredients (it was an american recipe)

thanks again

I remember a few years ago there were some discussions here on the forum about how to bake using UK ingredients and how to adjust quantities etc. (i.e. you might need to use more UK flour, or a different type of flour than the US recipe says), because people were posting about how no matter what they tried, their cakes and cookies wouldn't turn out right.

I remember trying to bake a cake in the US using a UK recipe (but US ingredients) and it turned out weirdly and tasted completely different .

Some of the old threads and posts about using UK flour/sugar/baking powder in recipes:

http://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=9339.0;all
http://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=19675.msg231550#msg231550
http://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=19675.msg231550#msg231550
http://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=31293.msg1075847;topicseen#msg1075847

Goodness, where do you do your shopping? I'd try a local small butcher if you want good cuts of meat. They're usually not that expensive, and you can tell them exactly what you want.

I was thinking the same thing! Our Tescos has really nice pork chops and you can get sliced pork loin. They even have the small packaged pork loins I used to buy in the US. We get some really nice steaks at Tescos and Sainsbury's!

Our Tescos has the best produce and meat of the big three and I prefer to shop there it's just the furthest away.

actually cake flour is the flour that is banned here.

Ocado sells cake flour: https://www.ocado.com/webshop/product/Snowflake-Cake-Wheat-Flour/95492011

I find that plain flour here is softer than all-purpose. My mother ALWAYS used cake flour, she had been a professional baker in her youth and wouldn't let me use all-purpose for anything delicate. Here I use plain flour and get the same results. I have noticed some store-bought cakes can be a bit dry (meant to go with tea!) but when I make American recipes here they seem to turn out okay. I sift and measure carefully though...my mother's daughter in that respect.

When Emeril Lagasse was on Food Network (USA version), he always emphasized a couple of things. The first was that baking is a formula - stick to it. Sure great cooks have learned over time what they can and cannot change/adjust. The rest of us measure, sift, and follow directions. The other thing Emeril always did was either remove the control knob or point to it....and remind folks that everything didn't need to be cooked on high.

I've found that fan ovens are not the best for baking. I do the temperature adjustments, but it's a fine balance between cooking time/temperature/pan size. One of the things I am definitely having when we complete our kitchen extension/remodel over the next few weeks is a conventional oven, likely one oven in a built in 'double oven'.

Personally I think chocolate here is far superior, and when I visit the US I bring chocolate for family and close friends. All of them say it's the best they've ever had for commercially produced chocolate.

I grew up in the South, and came from a family of cooks. My mother could bake anything and her cakes were legend. BUT - during her entire life she cooked meat until it was shoe leather, then a bit more just to be sure. Every vegetable was boiled, fried or otherwise cremated. Anything that she thought would benefit from a slab of fatback (green beans, pinto beans, whatever) was so greasy it left an oil slick. Growing up, this was my 'norm' and I thought it was great. Once I moved to a different part of the US and discovered other food (plus started cooking), I discovered that other ways of cooking often (pretty much always) produced a better roast, and really nice vegetables.

I didn't eat any 'ethnic cuisine' until I was an adult. Even Chinese wasn't available where I lived, and no way was my family about to try anything different. I had lamb for the first time when I was about 27, again, as it wasn't sold where we lived, and my mother wouldn't have known what to do with it.

Badly prepared Mexican food can be a greasy mess. What I learned to cook from former in-laws is wonderful. I love Thai food, and learned to prepare it properly. As our horizons expand, and we move out of our food 'comfort zone', many of us find that the food we knew and always thought we loved isn't as great as it could be, and that there's a lot of really great food out there just waiting for us.

I missed British food when I was back in the US far more than I miss American food. When I think of the American food I do miss....well, mostly it's not 'American' by some standards, even though it's highly 'Americanized'. I miss the kielbasa (fresh not smoked) that I used to get when I lived near Chicago, which has a huge Polish community. I miss the Mexican food I got in little dives on business trips to Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas (and the excursions south of the border and street food). I sometimes long for a chicken Spiedie from Binghamton, a pizza from another little place in Batavia NY, and so on.

But that's me - your mileage may vary. Cut the co-workers some slack; maybe they are winding you up because it's so easy to get a reaction from you.

But what is British food?  Every magazine/newspaper supplement I look at has recipes for the most exotic foods I would ever imagine.  Everything has peri peri, harissa, curry, chili, etc. etc.  Or salt added to sweet things (can't be good for the BP)  There was an article (I think in The Times) about eating bugs and scorpions.  Has the British food industry rebelled against the "boring" image it once had and swung to the opposite extreme?  Does anybody really use these recipes?

Canadian flour is sold at Ocado and Waitrose and I use it for any UK/US/Can recipe without problems. Problem solved! 

As for Brits insulting American food, I think it can someimes just be a different sense of humour that maybe doesn't culturally translate well, especially if one is new to UK culture. And if someone bothers you, I'd just ignore them or limit time together. Those kind of people are not worth the energy, IME. 

As for Brits insulting American food, I think it can sometimes just be a different sense of humour that maybe doesn't culturally translate well, especially if one is new to UK culture. And if someone bothers you, I'd just ignore them or limit time together. Those kind of people are not worth the energy, IME.

Think you hit the nail on the head there. I know mine still has trouble translating over here in the States.

Regarding brits complaining about US portion sizes, I never understood that either until recently! I think it's because they don't automatically do doggy bags over here. The portions aren't typically big enough to last more than one meal where as in the US you get a big portion and expect to take the rest home for later. If you don't finish, they ASK if you want to take the rest home where as in the UK they just assume it's to be thrown out and you have to catch them before they take your plate away to ask for a takeaway box. They just assume we eat all of that in one go and that is why they think it's TOO much. They feel they are paying for stuff that they aren't going to eat [at least that is what I've understood based on talks with friends and in-laws over here].

Regarding brits complaining about US portion sizes, I never understood that either until recently! I think it's because they don't automatically do doggy bags over here. The portions aren't typically big enough to last more than one meal where as in the US you get a big portion and expect to take the rest home for later. If you don't finish, they ASK if you want to take the rest home where as in the UK they just assume it's to be thrown out and you have to catch them before they take your plate away to ask for a takeaway box.

And in the UK, sometimes the restaurant won't let you take the food home with you, even if you ask for a doggy bag.

We had Sunday Lunch in Wetherspoons once and my brother asked for a doggy bag... the response from the staff:
'Sorry we're not allowed to let you take it home because what happens if you heat it up, get food poisoning and then try to sue us?'

They just assume we eat all of that in one go and that is why they think it's TOO much. They feel they are paying for stuff that they aren't going to eat [at least that is what I've understood based on talks with friends and in-laws over here].

Yes, that's my feeling - I think part of it is about feeling like you're paying for something you can't eat, and another part is that it feels like a waste of food... assuming you can't take it home with you (and the majority of Brits probably won't even know what a doggy bag is), then it feels you are just wasting food that someone else might want or need instead.

I recall in primary school, whenever I didn't clean my plate, the dinnerlady would always say: "But think of the starving children in Africa" .

I remember eating at a diner in Memphis once and our waitress told us that the local the restaurants/diners competed against each other to see who could give customers the most amount of food on one plate.

My reaction was two-fold:
1) Isn't that bad for business? (Giving away so much food for such a cheap price)
and
2) What a waste of food!

I think part of it is about feeling like you're paying for something you can't eat, and another part is that it feels like a waste of food... assuming you can't take it home with you (and the majority of Brits probably won't even know what a doggy bag is), then it feels you are just wasting food that someone else might want or need instead.

I asked my husband about this when i first moved here as he told me I needed to make sure to ask for a to-go pot specifically or they'd throw my food out. I asked why? that was a waste of food so surely that can't be the case and his response was "I don't know. People I guess like to make it look like they can afford to eat out without needing to take the scraps home?". Not sure if that was just his personal opinion or not - I'm sure it was - but he seemed to think that people liked to just go out, pay for their meal, and leave the rest in a way to almost show off for their date or something? Maybe it just depends on the restaurant or the type of person but I think that food does get wasted here as well as in the US so I'm not sure if it's really that they think they are wasting food by not taking it home but I suppose if it's a bigger portion they assume it's like wasting a whole second meal [although it should occur to them at this point that maybe it's MEANT to be taken home an eaten as a second meal??] Granted though, they are likely staying in a hotel that has a 50-50 chance of having a mini-fridge/kitchen so probably don't have a good opportunity to take food home like those of us that LIVE in the U.S. and can easily take it home and reheat for lunch.

My wife and I got in a huge fight over doggy bags.

This one time we went to this burrito place, and they had these huge burritos....like a catcher's mitt.....the kind on a plate with a mound of extra beans and salsa and sour cream and stuff piled on top....sloppy things...

I eat mine, but she asks for a box, and we take it home. It was late and we were watching Blazing Saddles....which I don't really care for.....but I was hanging in there.....and sure enough she nodded off about two-thirds the way through.

Like a thief in the night I tip-toed into the kitchen.....there was like a serving window sort of thing between the rooms, so I could keep an eye on her....eased out the Styrofoam box and devoured the remnants.

It had only improved with the time to cool and congeal.

I am a rotten crook, because I forget about things.....so it ended up being a terrible scene the next day.

It still comes up from time to time.

Many years ago, after my graduation ceremony for my master's degree, my family and I went to a nice French restaurant to celebrate. We had the seven course tasting menu, which also included an amuse-bouche and chocolates with the coffee. We ate every morsel, and when we finished we were just full enough. It was the most perfect calculation of portion sizes I had ever experienced, and that was part of the enjoyment of the evening for us. No eating too much because the food is right there on your plate and you don't want it to get cold, no awkward putting leftovers in a doggy bag, no thinking "do I really want to heat this mess up and eat it tomorrow when it will definitely not be as good?" Just give me enough to fill my belly and no more. Once I was in Cold Stone and I asked for a small cup, and no one could believe that I wouldn't rather have a medium for just ten cents more. I was asked about three times, to the point where I almost shouted "The price isn't the point! I don't want that much ice cream!"

I guess what I'm saying is that portion sizing is an art, and one that I appreciate. And often if you have a small amount you enjoy it more. And I'm glad I don't live in the US anymore and don't have to deal with this.

About portions, it actually bothers me more with groceries (i guess i have bad luck with groceries!) you pay a lot for them but then get really small portions, which on some level i appreciate, but sometimes fish, chicken etc is not even a small portion, it's half a portion! It just is painful when you see your money being thrown away and makes buying the other ingredients feel like a waste too because you make a sauce only to enjoy it with a tiny tiny piece of meat or veg.

Same goes for other products like shampoo and everything. i get my favorite toiletries from the US and they last me a year!

and the doggie bags, my in-laws have always given me the impression it's embarrassing to ask for one so i never do