mish said:
..." if you can follow a recipe, you know how to cook. The rest is trial and error and adapting a recipe to one's own tastes. It's not rocket science. My ancestors cooked with no recipes.
I will quietly agree to disagree with this quote. There is some rocket science involved, at least for the way I cook.
But then again, I've been a technician and an engineer for the better part of my life. I look at things a bit differently. And I've been involved in the science of how things work for most of my life as well.
Thus, for me, cooking is not only an art form and a way to fill my belly, it is about techniques, hundreds of techniques, and the applications of those techniques to attain specific results. And those techniques involve not only the mechanics of cooking, but pairing of textures, flavors, and colors in such a way as to present beautiful food that is ballanced in every aspect. I sometimes fall short of my cullinary goals. But I get one step closer every time I try something.
And recipes, I quit using them long ago.
Cooking is like mathematics. Sure, you can use a cheat sheet and mimick someone elses recipe. Or you can use the limitless tools available to create foods that appeal not only to oneself, but to everyone you cook for.
That is after all, what cooking is about for me, satisfying the tastes of those I cook for, and certainly to satisfy my own standards. And the more tools I have (knowledge), the beter I am able to achieve my culinary goals.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North