My worst was lumpy gravy.
I have to have help lifting the heavy stuff and loading the oven.
I learned I could cook my mashed potatoes the same time as I cooked my turkey in the oven in a all metal pot. We now do the eat it out of the pot, except for the bread, turkey and cranberry sauce.
I remember years ago when my grandmother’s usually wonderful home-made dinner rolls were rock hard. No one said anything as they tried to cut or break them to butter them - just left them on their plate.
Finally my grandma got around to her roll, and we all watched. She gave up quickly and then realized we were all looking at her. She laughed and then in her broken English said “Well, the ingredients are there.”