Are you good at improvising meals?

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I'm like that when I cook for Thanksgiving YT. :cool:

I'm pretty good at improvising. As someone said, it can be learned, but I think some aspects of it really can't be learned. Some people can "taste" what something will taste like even before they make it. I am pretty good at that. My biggest problem is that I don't have enough experience with some herbs and spices to know how they will make something taste. As I experiment with more of them, I am able to do that though. For those who aren't able to imagine how something will taste before making it, trial and error help. They can also look at others' recipes and see what kinds of herbs and spices others are using for certain kinds of dishes.

LOL For some reason this kind of reminds me of sewing. I know some people who can sew but have trouble picking the right fabric for a pattern (and the person it is being made for). Fortunately, that is a gift I do have. I guess cooking and sewing are alike in that way--finding the right ingredients to go with the pattern/recipe. Sheesh, can you tell I'm way behind on my sewing?! LOL

:)Barbara
 
I think it is either a skill you have or you don't. I don't have it. I need a recipe or at least need to have something planned out ahead of time.

I agree - I also think that's what separates the cooks from the bakers. I'm pretty good at baking because I measure exactly and know just what to look for in each step of my recipe's preparation. However, I completely fail at adding spices "to taste" or letting things cook "until done." I have absolutely no aptitude for judging when it's right. I feel that people who are detail-oriented and precise in the kitchen are likely to be better bakers than cooks. People who can create dishes based on what feels right are more successful as cooks than as bakers. Just an idea I've always had. Any thoughts on that?
 
Cherryred, I agree with you.

I like to think I am good at improvising (since I am not good at baking) I can create something with whatever I have on hand. Although my daughter did once accuse me of cooking meals to be served on Fear Factor!
 
LOL - my aunt once got that from her (then 6-year-old) son. As amusing as that criticism is, I'm sure there's really nothing wrong with your cooking. :)
 
I agree - I also think that's what separates the cooks from the bakers. I'm pretty good at baking because I measure exactly and know just what to look for in each step of my recipe's preparation. However, I completely fail at adding spices "to taste" or letting things cook "until done." I have absolutely no aptitude for judging when it's right. I feel that people who are detail-oriented and precise in the kitchen are likely to be better bakers than cooks. People who can create dishes based on what feels right are more successful as cooks than as bakers. Just an idea I've always had. Any thoughts on that?
That's exactly me, Cherry. It's one of the reasons I have never been able to learn to cook til now. People would tell me "oh this is easy and you'll be able to make it no problem" and then proceed to give me a "recipe" that wouldn't include baking times or even exact oven temps and included phrases like "add salt and pepper". When I would press for things like how long to cook it or how much salt and pepper, etc., I would get blank looks. "Cook it until it's done, of course!" Only I had no freaking idea of how to tell when it's done!!!! (Oh my, I obviously still get worked up about this - sorry.) Anyway, I am good at baking and even my friends who are great cooks ask me to make baked goods. I can also sew up a storm but I can't work without a pattern.
 
I think I am very good at improvising. As the matter of fact I am the complete opposite of you Corazon, I cannot plan ahead. I made plans the other day for Chinese food, bought all kind of stuff and now it’s been seating in the fridge for more than a week now. I’m afraid I’ll have to dump half of what I bought.
 
I can also sew up a storm but I can't work without a pattern.
I'm the same way. I can sew anything--as long as I have a pattern. My aunt, on the other hand, saw some dresses in a store window one year and went home and made them for us for Easter!

I definitely need a recipe for baking. I will make some changes (raisins instead of dates, add spices or nuts, etc.) but I'm afraid to do too much or I'm afraid I will ruin it. I take more liberties with regular cooking, as it is more forgiving than baking.

:)Barbara
 
:)Thats because cooking is an art where you can really play around baking is science not much room to play around.I make jewelry creating designs is really hard but the color matching and size of stones is a breeze Im good with color but design is a pain.
 
I'm good at improvising & planning, I find both fun. An unexpected guest shows up & I like the challenge of creating a meal & dessert with what I have at the last minute. I also love to plan ahead a great meal or try a new recipe.

When in Isla Mujeres, MX it is hard to plan....if my husband has a great fishing day then it could be sushi or grilled fish if not...I pull something out of the freezer or see what's left at the market. Some days the produce trucks don't make it over to our Island so you can't have your heart set on something.

One thing I find fun is grilling up a couple steaks & some veggies & making them into several meals....the first night steak & veggies, the next day, a salad with steak & veggies or a steak & veggies quasadilla or omelet or panini or fajita or philly cheese steak sandwich, etc. I do the same with chicken, fish, shrimp & pork tenderloin...one night could be a soup, pasta, rice dish. etc. It's easy & always tasty. Have fun experimenting!
 
Improvising and tweaking is all I do even when I plan a meal. I like to play around with recipes and make them my own. I think it's a matter of experimenting and trying out new things in the kitchen. You'd be surprised at what you can create.
 
I'm not much help since I like, errr have to cook with a plan as well...

But I do have a friend that can start chopping and pulling out spices and dragging stuff out of the fridge and pantry before he is even really sure what the finished product will be. He's amazing. Drives me nuts. :LOL:

:heart:
Z
 
It certainly helps to have lots of things in the pantry, but when that's not an option something I like to do is variations on simple preparations. Boneless skinless chicken breasts are pretty much the staple protein around here, and it can get old pretty quickly, as I'm sure you all know. However take fried chicken for example. You can do regular homestyle fried, cornmeal fried chicken strips (which are great in wraps too), you can use regular breadcrumbs, specially seasoned breadcrumbs, cornflake crumbs, tempura, cordon bleu, kiev. If you want to do a braise you can use tomatoes, peppers and onions for cacciatore, you can use chicken broth, and some small diced veggies and noodles for chicken noodle soup, mole, chili. Beyond that, there's whole roasted chicken, there's pan roasted breasts, which are great with a simple veg and a variety of sauces. You can stir fry, which opens up the possibilities for a myriad of flavors.

Those are a lot of options, and not even all of the options, for just one protein.

Just look at the things you have, and ask yourself, what is the method of cooking to bring these flavors together?
 
:)Think of casseroles,soups you make those with just about anything in the house.A casserole could have beans,rice,or noodles etc so think what would go with that canned drained tomatoes or a canned soup take the vegies you have like onions,celery,carrots,mushrooms whatever you have that goes together etc and saute them add some garlic and some herbs of your choice add some leftover meat maybe some cheese and bake.Bake off the french bread you keep in freezer.If you dont have lettuce for a salad maybe you might have a cucumber,or tomatoes slice them add some onion or scallions bits of cheese and salad dressing or a simple homemade vinaigrette.But I still think the key is to have a few non perishble items on hand I keep canned mushrooms just for that purpose because town is 45 miles away they can make a great addition to just about anything.
 
I agree - I also think that's what separates the cooks from the bakers. I'm pretty good at baking because I measure exactly and know just what to look for in each step of my recipe's preparation. However, I completely fail at adding spices "to taste" or letting things cook "until done." I have absolutely no aptitude for judging when it's right. I feel that people who are detail-oriented and precise in the kitchen are likely to be better bakers than cooks. People who can create dishes based on what feels right are more successful as cooks than as bakers. Just an idea I've always had. Any thoughts on that?
I'm a baker first and a cook second. Maybe that is why I always feel the need to have a recipe infront of me. Baking is chemistry and I don't mess with the measurements.

Like Dina, I tweak recipes to my own liking but I fail at improvising out of the fridge. Maybe it's an issue of better stocking the freezer and pantry. I think if I did that then I'd have a lot of options.

This thread has really taken off. What an interesting discussion. :chef:
 
Try to think ethnically. Take something as simple as...pork chops. Well...Asian would have you adding ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, scallion, chili, sugar, garlic. That could be served with vegetables, rice or noodles. Mexican would see you use cilantro, lime juice, garlic, cumin, tomatoes, olive oil and maybe corn. You could serve this with torts, rice or beans. Italian would have you pound it out, add tomatoes, cheese, garlic, basil, oregano and serve it with pasta. German would see breaded pork with apple compote (apples and sugar heated) and served with potatoes, dumplings and vegetables. Indian would have you make a curry.

These are total generalizations and simplified for clarity, but if you look at food in this way - the only way really - you see things broken down into cooking methods and different ingredients.

Take the pork chop: You could bake it, fry it, boil it, braise it, roast it, grind it up into a burger and grill it, BBQ it.........the list is endless. These are cooking methods.

The ingredients you add can be as simple as thinking, "What ingredients are in Asian cooking?" Find the answer and use them.

Someone here in another post was speaking of marinating a boneless rib roast in soy sauce and basil. Personally, I wouldn't use them together. Knowing how to combine herbs and spices effectively can again be a answered by regional or ethnic cooking styles. Just look at things simple and see the patterns.

Marko
 
I found that by looking at lots of recipes, you can break them down into components or styles, and then most are just variations on a theme. Cooking theory becomes a lot easier then - may not help your technique but it does help your understanding of what you are doing. The other thing is to learn what flavours work together and that is personal preference as much as classic pairings.

If I have something in my fridge to use up and I don't know what to do with it, or I want to try something new...I google it. I find something that I want to try and then I start looking at a variety of recipes that work. Then I piece it together on my own and try it.
Then I write down the recipe I've "created" and reuse it if it was good...if not, I find something better. I know its not the best improvising, but it works for me... maybe it'll work for you...
 
I usually follow a recipe when I cook, but I also make sure to use the ingredients in the fridge. And you can easily do both searching for recipes containing the ingredients you have. You can even use one of the online "emtpy your fridge"-services.
 
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