Familiar dishes never cooked by some home cooks

Sloppy joes, seafood, Brussels sprouts, paella, and Eggs Benedict were among the familiar foods home cooks said they had never attempted to make. Other dishes never cooked by individual commenters included pie, yeast bread, lasagna, and macaroni and cheese from scratch. These examples come from a cooking discussion among home cooks, where personal preferences and a few cooking concerns helped explain why familiar dishes remained untried.

Sloppy joes: enjoyed, but not yet homemade

Sloppy joes drew repeated responses from people who enjoyed eating them but had not made them. Some accounts also distinguished between having tried canned versions and having made a homemade version.

One commenter praised homemade sloppy joes in contrast with canned ones. That was a personal endorsement, not a tested comparison, but it gives readers who already like the dish a specific possibility to consider: making it themselves rather than stopping at the version they already know.

The discussion did not provide a recipe or settle on ingredients. Its value here is the distinction between liking a familiar food and actually having attempted to cook it.

Why had some cooks skipped seafood?

More than one home cook said they had not cooked seafood because they did not like eating it. One specifically mentioned shrimp and most seafood, and another agreed with the underlying reason.

For these commenters, the barrier was preference rather than a cooking problem they wanted to solve. Their responses should not be read as evidence that seafood is difficult to prepare, or as a request for a technique that would change their minds.

This is an important distinction in the roundup: not every untried dish represents an unfinished cooking goal. Sometimes it is simply something the cook does not want to eat.

Could a different method change Brussels sprouts?

Opinions split on Brussels sprouts. Some commenters disliked them, while one described changing their mind after eating them oven-roasted with garlic and olive oil instead of boiled frozen sprouts.

That account offers a specific option for someone whose dislike is tied to the boiled frozen version. It does not establish that roasting will change everyone’s opinion, but it shows how one person’s experience differed with a different preparation.

Another commenter suggested covering Brussels sprouts with cheese. That suggestion had less support and is better treated as an individual preference, not the discussion’s main advice. No roasting temperature, cooking time, or full instructions were supplied.

What about paella and hollandaise?

One commenter owned a paella pan but had never made paella. A reply described paella as potentially tough even with the pan, so the discussion did not present owning the equipment as enough to remove the hesitation.

• For paella hesitation: one commenter suggested fideuà as an alternative, describing a similar flavor with less risk of turning to mush. This was an individual suggestion rather than an established comparison.
• For hollandaise hesitation: a commenter who liked Eggs Benedict was nervous about making the sauce. A reply recommended trying a microwave hollandaise recipe.

Both suggestions respond to a specific concern. Neither came with cooking instructions in the extracted discussion, so they are options to investigate rather than methods that can be reproduced from this roundup alone.

Which other familiar dishes went unmade?

The less-discussed examples broadened the list, but each appeared without substantial follow-up. They are useful as ideas, not as evidence of what home cooks generally avoid.

• Pie and pie crust, yeast bread, and mashed potatoes.
• Refried beans, pot roast, pasta dishes, and casseroles.
• Sweet potatoes with marshmallows, cacio e pepe, and meatloaf.
• Lasagna, stuffing, and omelettes.

Macaroni and cheese also appeared as a dish one commenter had not made from scratch. Another person said they avoided cooking for one and usually heated items instead, adding a personal reason distinct from disliking a food or worrying about a particular preparation.

What to consider trying first

If sloppy joes are something you already enjoy but have not made, they are the clearest first idea from the repeated responses. If Brussels sprouts are the sticking point, the oven-roasted version with garlic and olive oil offers a specific, though anecdotal, alternative to boiled frozen sprouts.

Keep the scope modest: this discussion supplies ideas and personal experiences, not tested recipes or a single dish everyone should try.