PSA: My lazy cooking habit ruined a pot roast
I always thought I could skip searing meat before slow cooking. The other day, I made a pot roast without browning it first. The result was a gray, bland mess that no one wanted to eat. It hit me that the extra step really does build flavor. Now I spend the time to sear, and my roasts are much better. That fail taught me to respect the process in recipes. Sometimes adulting means doing the boring stuff right.