recipe follower or not.... which one are you?

14 years ago

Recently I was visiting with two friends - both are really good cooks but very different in style. Both have great libraries of cookbooks and well stocked kitchens. P carefully researches recipes and searches far and wide for the exact ingredients. S is an incredibly gracious southern belle who could turn whatever was in her fridge into a delightful meal. I am somewhere in the middle. I aspire to Ps careful research and Ss casual elegance. We had a funny conversation about Hummus. P wanted an authentic recipe. And looked at us with horror as S and I described our made up hummus recipes. It got me thinking about my own cooking.... Which are you?

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (11)

angelaid
14 years ago
If it's a new "to try" recipe, I start out with the recipe, but tweak it as I go along to suit our taste (needs garlic, onions, etc.). Other stuff is just "fly by the seat of my pants" cooking. If DH really, really, loves something, he's SOL, because I will never remember what I threw in that pot!
donna_loomis
14 years ago
I would put myself smack dab in the middle. I love to try new recipes and the first time I make something I like to follow it as closely as I can. It drives me crazy when people say they tried a certain recipe and didn't like it and then when I ask them what it was about it that they didn't like, they say that they substituted "this" for "that" and omitted "this", etc. Well, how can you say you don't like a recipe if you didn't even FOLLOW the recipe? After I've made it once, THEN I may make substitutions or deletions to my liking.

But I know enough about cooking to often come up with something on my own that is a keeper.

So, both.
Related Discussions
Instant-Hot versus Pot-Filler. If you only get one, which one?
Q
Comments (35)
One nice alternative if you want but can't have an instant hot is an electric kettle---we got one a few months before our remodel, and have been using it for all sorts of things. It boils far faster than our kettle did on the gas stove, and I also love the auto shutoff. No more trying to remember if I turned the stove off after I'm at work! It will have its own space in the new kitchen, and will be the primary source for hot water. We are also in the extreme minority in GW land and only have one water source in the kitchen---not even a fridge line! (Okay, technically it's split for the d/w, so I guess that's 1.5...) It's what we had before and we liked it, so we kept it that way. Works for us. I like the idea of an instant hot, but we have a small kitchen and the under-sink real estate was too valuable to put one in. I contemplated a pot filler, but our stove is close enough to the sink that we wouldn't gain that much. Friends who have one that is very close to the sink still love it because it allows them to fill pots with a child in one arm. You still have to put the child down to empty it, of course, but makes it a little easier! We have a hot water dispenser at work, which I do use, but I do find the water is not quite hot enough for tea. I use it anyway for that since I'm lazy, though. :) (You also may be able to change the settings; no clue how it works, exactly.) I've seen steamers (someone around here who posted a finished kitchen recently has one, I think) and they're very cool, but really only logical to have if you steam things virtually every night or if you have a really large kitchen with space that isn't needed for other things.
...See More
RECIPE: does anyone follow a low-carb vegetarian diet?
Q
Comments (15)
Be careful about low-carb high-protein diets. It may be okay to eat like that for a little while to lose some weight, but it is definitely not a healthy long-term diet. Carbohydrates are very important for cell activity throughout the body. The secret is to keep the blood sugar levels as steady as possible. If it is too high, the excess carbohydrates are turned into fat. If it gets too low, you won't be able to effectively burn any fat. "Good" carbs don't cause a quick raise in blood sugar levels. The glycemic index and glycemic load are definitely worth looking at. They give you a very good idea of which carbs to eat and which ones to avoid. For people who are not diabetic, I wouldn't recommend strictly counting all the carbs or indexes or calories. That would tke all the fun out of eating. Potatoes and whole wheat/grain pasta, brown rice and other not too refined products are very healthy and don't make you fat. They give you much more fiber than a high-protein diet will give you. The problem with eating too much protein is that the digestion of protein yields in large amounts of uric acid and the kidneys have to work hard to get rid of it. Animal proteins are worse than plant proteins. Too much uric acid in the blood can lead to gout. The recommendations for a well-balanced diet are 40% carbs, 40% protein and 20% fat in regards to the total calorie intake. 40-30-30 like RoxieL states above is close to that, but a little too high in fat. The daily recommended amount of fiber is 35 gram which is quite a lot. Most people, including vegetarians, get too much protein and fat, but not enough fiber. By the way, fiber is also a carbohydrate!
...See More
Stews: All but kitchen sink or follow recipe
Q
Comments (12)
"Stew" like meatloaf, are as individual as the people who make them. ;-) But there is some science to it, once you research the subject. Browning the meat - whether to dredge first or not? I dredged the meat before browning it because that was what my mother did. Then I followed a recipe from an old Farm Journal Cookbook that didn't dredge, and all the sudden it was a whole new game. After some research on the subject, I discovered the flour interferes with the browning process (you don't get a good sear on the meat), flour often burns at the high temperatures needed to brown meat, and also makes the bottom of the pan stickier due to adding the starch from the flour, and flour can give an undesirable "raw flour taste" to the stew. If you want to thicken your stew, wait until the end and add a slurry or zap part of the vegetables in a blender and add them back. Browning develops flavor in both the meat and the sauce. Make sure you have lots of heat for this step and don't crowd the pan. It may take 2 or 3 batches to get all the meat browned properly. If the pan and fat isn't hot enough, it won't do the job. If you don't brown the meat first, it will simply stew in its own juices instead of developing the flavors from searing. Browning meat caramelizes the sugar in meat (the Maillard reaction). FYI - searing the meat doesn't "seal in the juices" as we were taught in Home Economics, browning is for developing flavor - not juiciness. To salt, or not to salt.... If you dredge the meat with flour/salt/pepper mixture, the salt draws out more juices and the meat dries out. This is often why people who dredge or salt the meat first use large chunks of beef for stew - to compensate for the toll taken from salting before browning. If you wait to add the salt to the stew after the meat is browned, it produces juicier beef (and also pork if making a pork stew), and you can use smaller cubes of meat and still have moist, fork tender meat when done. The last thing I would purchase is so-called "stew meat", which is always over-priced "meat scraps" and from an unknown portion of the animal, probably the bottom round. I prefer a cut from the chuck, including the shoulder, the top blade, and the chuck eye. I'll also use top round or sirloin tip. Eat it with a spoon, or a fork and knife... I'm a spoon person for a stew (with lots of liquid), but that's just a choice, neither is right or wrong. I prefer meat and vegetables cut into 3/4-inch size pieces so I can get a little of everything on the spoon at once. I don't want to have to tackle a large chunk of meat with a knife and fork, then 1/2 a carrot or a small potato - I like it all together in one nice tidy package. Otherwise I would make New England Boiled Dinner. Variations... -If there is enough liquid, you might want to add some dumplings. My mother used to make tiny dumplings with sage in them when she made chicken stew that was to die for ;-). -There are recipes that add dried fruit (apricots or peaches) to lamb stew. - Add peas or lima beans - I usually add both. - A touch of Worcestershire sauce, a teaspoon of lemon juice or balsamic vinegar, are nice add-ins at the very end, along with fresh parsley.. Simmer the meat mixture for a couple hours, but add the vegetables later in the cooking process (about 30-minutes before it's done) so they don't cook to mush and retain some texture and individual flavor. I'll add peas and lima beans just long enough to cook through (10-15 minutes). Try leeks or shallots instead of onions for something different. Less meat.... I don't use a lot of meat in stew due to cost, and to compensate for that I'll add chewy/meaty vegetables like Portobello or shiitake mushrooms, eggplant, sun-dried tomatoes, or even hominy. From "On Food And Cooking" by Harold McGee - "Stew involves more liquid, smaller pieces of meat [than braising], and generally longer cooking times than the braise. In a stew, we want the flavor of the meat to permeate the large amount of liquid, so we tend to let the meat be cooked well beyond the point at which it is "done". In both cases, though, the end point in cooking is rather fuzzily defined as "fork tender," and so timings are not terribly precise." -Grainlady
...See More
Follow up: Bathroom Wall Paint (white? Which one?)
Q
Comments (4)
Hi! Your bathroom design plans sounds great! Using SW Alabaster or Greek Villa will help to separate the vanity from the walls and allow it to stand out. However, if the seamless look is what you desire, certainly, adding décor and art will assist in the design. Hope this helps! Best of luck!
...See More
Rusty
14 years ago
Guess I'm kinda both.
Depending on what I'm making.

A new to-try recipe,
I pretty much follow to the T
The first time I make it.
After that is when I do the tweaking.

My 'every day' meals
Are just 'put together'.
Which is one reason
why I share so few recipes here.

It's like your Pea Soup
I'd have no idea how to write them down!

:>)

Rusty
jadeite
14 years ago
I'm a fence sitter. I follow directions fairly closely, but dither when there's something that doesn't make sense. If the recipe has had good reviews, or if I trust the writer, I may continue as directed. If not, I may trust my own instincts.

Over time I learn which websites or authors I trust and which won't work for me. So Paula Wolfert and Alice Medrich are absolutely safe, but I've never made anything from a Mark Bittman recipe which turned out well. I know he has his fans, but they must have different tastes from me.

Cheryl
Lars
14 years ago
It definitely depends on the recipe and/or author. I used to use Joy of Cooking when I was in my 20s, and I learned to cut the salt in half for almost all of the recipes, and so when I would come to a new recipe, I would use half as much salt as it called for. I also leave out ingredients that I do not like, realizing that I may be making a completely different recipe.

When it comes to baking and desserts, I follow the recipe very closely, as that is closer to a science, but for meat and vegetables, I feel less of a need to be so accurate. If it is similar to something I have already made, I will adjust a recipe based on my own experience with the ingredients. When I am making a cuisine that is new to me, I follow the recipe very closely the first time.

Lars
annie1992
14 years ago
When I'm making something the first time, I'll follow the recipe closely, so I know what it's "supposed" to taste like. After that, all bets are off.

That said, I'm a rather careless/slapdash kind of cook. I never sift, I measure flour by dipping the cup into the container and shaking it level. If I have a medium egg and an extra large egg and I need two eggs, well, in they go.

If I'm short 1/4 cup of sugar, I'll make whatever it is anyway. If I have no carrots, I'll use parsnips. If I'm out of onions I'll use......never mind, I always make sure I have onions, LOL.

I don't own a scale and I often just pick up the olive oil bottle and glug some in the salad dressing instead of measuring that 3 tablespoons or whatever.

Somehow my food comes out edible anyway.

The one place where I'm very careful is when canning. I always make sure I follow directions perfectly and completely for time and pressure. My kitchen is cleaner than at any other time and I carefully measure acidic ingredients to ensure the safety of the finished product.

Annie
centralcacyclist
14 years ago
I research recipes for authenticity if a certain outcome is expected. I will choose the one that seems the best or I will combine recipes. I rarely make a recipe as written, even when baking. Like Lars, I reduce the salt by half as a rule. For daily cooking I often make "healthy" adjustments like using a scant amount of cooking oil or butter for a saute, milk instead of cream, reducing the salt, white whole wheat instead of AP, and reducing the sugar. For special occasion cooking I aim for ultimate good taste vs healthy eating.

I cook like Annie, a lot by feel and look and taste. I don't do a lot of canning but when I do I am precise about amounts and acid. And I scrub the kitchen down with bleach and ban any critters from the kitchen until I'm done. I haven't done any canning yet this summer because I have the foster dog and she never strays more than a few feet from me. The thought of canning hair into anything horrifies me.

Eileen
lindac
14 years ago
I rarely follow a recipe......
I do for cakes and cookies and perhaps a quick bread...or something I have never made and seldom eaten, I would follow a recipe until I know how it should taste.
But in years of cooking I know how to make a cream soup a broth based soup, pastry crust, yeast breads and rolls, a pasta sauce, meat loaf, salad dressing etc. I know how to roast, braise and grill meats and how to make a dry rub or a brine. Once you can do the basics, it's very easy to all a variation. I have a very analytical tongue and can duplicate most any dish I taste....doesn't always work for method, but nearly always for ingredients....and I am good at finding the answer to "it needs something...but what?"
I can cook for weeks and months without a recipe, but when visiting anywhere that I might be asked to cook....I always take my CD file of recipes!!...Just in case I need to remember just how to make that Frangapani cake or something.
donna_in_sask
14 years ago
For baked items, I usually follow the main part of the recipe...perhaps omit or substitute things like nuts or raisins.

I have so many cookbooks and clipped recipes, but I make the same foods for the family every week - they aren't the most adventurous lot. I almost never measure ingredients for main dishes; it's always by "feel".
arkansas girl
14 years ago
I do both but it's funny this should come up because just the other day I was thinking that when I make up dishes and use the ingredients that I think should go in a dish, I usually enjoy the it more than a followed recipe. I will use a recipe as a guideline but I almost always change things up to suit our tastes.
agmss15
Original Author
14 years ago
Me too.

I am most likely to follow recipes when I'm baking or using unfamiliar ingredients. Especially with herbs and spices - some I feel comfortable imagining in combinations. Others I rarely use so in order to become more comfortable I'll find recipes to try.

I like the idea of Mark Bittman's approach but by the time I'm done his 3 ingredient recipe has 15 ingredients....

There are certain 'ethnic' foods that have become part of american cuisine - pizza, bagels, hummus. While I certainly like finding out about the more traditional versions if I like the american version I don't feel bad about that.

recipe follower or not.... which one are you?

Comments (11)

angelaid

donna_loomis

Related Discussions

Rusty

jadeite

Lars

annie1992

centralcacyclist

lindac

donna_in_sask

arkansas girl

agmss15
Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

recipe follower or not.... which one are you?

Comments (11)

Related Discussions

agmss15Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

agmss15
Original Author