A question about recipes and those who use them.

[josh_swinehart]

Originally Posted by Andy M.

Their culinary upbringing most certainly involved recipes! They were handed down by word of mouth rather than as a computer file or a cookbook.

Agreed, but maybe they do not think of them as recipes.

-Josh hart

[Andy M.]

Originally Posted by josh_swinehart

Agreed, but maybe they do not think of them as recipes.

-Josh hart

That doesn't change reality.

[babetoo]

when i am baking, i follow the recipe carefully. may change vanilla to almond extract, but that's about it.

guest cooking and everyday cooking, i have a rough idea what i want and do that. as time goes on you will be more comfortable in changing things up. however if it is new to me, i follow recipe pretty close.

more experience will tell you when you need a recipe and when you don't.

babe

[lindatooo]

Nobody who prepares meals enjoyed by others is a "lesser" cook!

I'm good a savory cook but if I go to sweets I hunt up a recipe. I also follow a recipe the first time I make a dish but may make subsequent changes to suit my own taste.

When my son was small I used cooking to teach him fractions and reading and he is a great intuitive cook!

Recently while on vacation my Grandaughter (age 4) was turned loose in the kitchen to make her very own cookies without any recipe...well the cookie (as it turned out) was horrible - I'm not sure what she learned from this but she had a good time!

So long as your heart is in your cooking you can't go far wrong - it's just another word for love!

[HMGgal]

I have total respect for those who use recipes. My son-in-law is an executive pastry chef and uses recipes. And I don't want to re-invent the wheel. I love cookbooks and shows like America's Test Kitchens because you get the food science behind why yogurt might work better in a banana bread recipe than sour cream, for example. I might fly without a net making soups and frequently made dishes, but when I'm baking or cooking something I don't often do: recipe, scale, temp gauge in the oven, the works. I like consistency when I'm producing a dish and my memory ain't what it used to be

I have a sensitive palate and good food sense for flavors and what substitutions would work well. But for something I've never cooked before, I would look up lots of different recipes to see what people have done, then choose a recipe that I think will work for me, the equipment I have, and the time I have.

[Bilby]

Different people work differently. That's all it is.

Personally, I am probably worse when I use a recipe than when I don't! I have been known to convert a teaspoon into a tablespoon by the time I have turned from the recipe book to the stove!! (If I do it all from my head though, I would know that there was no way a tablespoon was going to be the right amount!!)

[kadesma]

I started out using recipes, and now I can look at one and know if my family will like it as is or if i need to change some of the herbs and cooking times..And so what to that..You cook your way I cook mine one is not better than the other in our eyes...I enjoy changing and making thing my way, I love going out to a restaurant and then trying to make the dish my way..For me cooking is fun and an adventure..Anyone who dares to insult me or make me feel foolish, is in for a there's the door..I don't take well to insults, nor would I ever insult anyone for the way they prepare their food..I would just admire you for giving it a try..
kadesma

[ironchef]

I always use recipes for referrence, and for creating and making dishes. In a professional kitchen, it's one of the most important factors in ensuring that food is consistent no matter who's working that station. When I'm creating a special, I always create a master recipe so that I can recreate it in the future if need be. When cooking at home, I may not always use a specific recipe, but there are proportions for base recipes that I have memorized which I follow. It's the only way to produce consistent food.

[pacanis]

Originally Posted by GotGarlic

Are you a "fake" cook?

From the pics I've seen, I think you're a pretty good cook, Pacanis, especially since, if I recall correctly, you're a single guy who lives alone. A lot of people in your situation would have cereal with milk for dinner, but you actually cook an entire meal for yourself! I think it's great.

Thanks, GG.
I guess I meant I don't know much about the different foods and all the terminology involved with cooking. I don't know the difference between sliced onions, chopped onions, or diced onions. Nor the difference between folding, stirring or incorporating. Other than it sounds fancier to say you incorporated the diced onions into the dish, rather than you stirred in the chopped onions
And I never have any idea what Vera Blue is having for dinner when she posts, but it sounds like something I would order

Food on a plate, that's me.
I should really start buying cereal again. I love cereal I could be eating some now.

[kitchenelf]

That is really weird that people would turn up their nose at using a recipe. I guess though, if you make the same things over and over and over you don't need them. Trying new things sometimes doesn't require a recipe if you know what proteins, veggies, and flavors go together. It's still nice to use a recipe to break out of a routine and try a tried and true recipe.

I don't get that kind of thinking though...very shallow.