Recipe Overkill

[mish]

When reading a recipe I would like to try, and I see half dozen or more herbs and spices, I'm turned off - i.e. overkill. For me, I would like to taste the food, and perhaps 3 herbs/spices is enough to enhance the flavor. (The exception might be in a rub or certain cuisines, i.e. Indian perhaps?) When I prepare a dish and someone sits down to eat, & without tasting the dish reaches for salt, pepper, hot sauce and extra condiments, I feel my cooking effort is lost. I prefer the taste of the food.

Anyone relate?

 

[Andy M.]

I agree in some cases. Often I prefer meats cooked plain. That is, no sauces or seasoning beyond salt and pepper because I enjoy the taste of the meat.

On the other hand, I just made a batch of dirty rice (Paul Prudhomme's recipe) and the recipe called for ten different herbs and spices. I think, in that case, it's worth the effort.

I guess you have to take it on a case to case basis.

 

[texasgirl]

DH puts ketchup on everything, even steak. That ticks me off. That to me ruins the taste of the steak.
As for spices, that doesn't bother me too much, I have a problem with a recipe that takes up an entire page for the directions )

 

[kleenex]

DH puts ketchup on everything, even steak. That ticks me off. That to me ruins the taste of the steak.
As for spices, that doesn't bother me too much, I have a problem with a recipe that takes up an entire page for the directions )

Even Cereal???

 

[jkath]

My husband puts hot sauce on way too many foods, imo. I wouldn't mind so much, except that he puts it on before tasting the food.

As for recipes with a gazillion ingreds, I'm the same way, Mish. I hate all those extras!
I try to figure out how the dish will taste, then pare down the spices. This is also helpful when it will call for 1/4 tsp of, say, 5 different spices, of which you may only own 2.

 

[middie]

mish do what i do. just use whatever seasoning /spices you want. i think just beacause they're listed doesn't mean you have to use them all

 

[texasgirl]

Even Cereal???

ok ok, maybe not EVERYTHING, a LOT of things, even mac & cheese

 

[KAYLINDA]

My pet peeve isn't so much the number of spices...but rather the amounts. 1/4 teaspoon of this...1/2 of that...3/4 of that...I make 'em all 1/2 teaspoon or whatever comes close...and call the recipe mine....lol.

 

[Tater Tot]

spice

When reading a recipe I would like to try, and I see half dozen or more herbs and spices, I'm turned off - i.e. overkill. For me, I would like to taste the food, and perhaps 3 herbs/spices is enough to enhance the flavor. (The exception might be in a rub or certain cuisines, i.e. Indian perhaps?) When I prepare a dish and someone sits down to eat, & without tasting the dish reaches for salt, pepper, hot sauce and extra condiments, I feel my cooking effort is lost. I prefer the taste of the food.

Anyone relate?

Well for me I like to over spice but when the dish calls for 10+ spices I feel I must try it..For the most part spices help each other into forming a perfect delicate flavor....kinda like garlic powder, lemon pepper (the cheepist you can find) and dill will give shrimp a delicate buttery flavor.

just my thoughts..(many spices can blend into one lace like flavor)

The tot

 

[Tater Tot]

Making a dish

mish do what i do. just use whatever seasoning /spices you want. i think just beacause they're listed doesn't mean you have to use them all

The way I see it: Use what ever you want!!! But if your making a "dish" and you change it then call it something else because you are no longer making that dish..I cook "food" all the time and make all sorts of changes to a certain dish but I am no longer making that dish once I stray from it...

Tater tot

Eat well, no matter what you put in it!

P.S. Just give me fry bread and mutton stew and Ill be happy..

 

[Michael in FtW]

Did anyone here ever see the episode of Chef where someone did this wanting to "reseason" the dish without ever tasting it? One of my favorite episodes!

The number, and amounts, of herbs/spices are usually to achieve a certain balance of flavors. It's like a culinary "symphony" - you cut the number of herbs/spices and instead of a symphony you get a 2-man band - you get the melody but not the full effect. Ignore the amounts and just use the same amount for everything - maybe too many in the brass section to hear the violin section, too many in the violin and not enough in the viola section .... etc.

Of course, if you don't want to follow the recipe ... you can always make sure there is plenty of salt, pepper, hot sauce and extra condiments on the table.

 

[Tater Tot]

Did anyone here ever see the episode of Chef where someone did this wanting to "reseason" the dish without ever tasting it? One of my favorite episodes!

The number, and amounts, of herbs/spices are usually to achieve a certain balance of flavors. It's like a culinary "symphony" - you cut the number of herbs/spices and instead of a symphony you get a 2-man band - you get the melody but not the full effect. Ignore the amounts and just use the same amount for everything - maybe too many in the brass section to hear the violin section, too many in the violin and not enough in the viola section .... etc.

Of course, if you don't want to follow the recipe ... you can always make sure there is plenty of salt, pepper, hot sauce and extra condiments on the table.

Can I have the salt?

I was tring to say just that...bravo!

 

[GB]

Michaels symphony analogy is right on in my opinion. I would never judge a recipe based on numbers. A recipe should be judged on taste. Just because there are a lot of ingredients does not make it bad. they are there for a reason in most cases. Now if you try it and think some of them are not needed then you have made an informed decision and can probably tweak the recipe to better fit your own palate. i have some recipes that have tons and tons of spices. I have played around with them and sometimes when leaving a few out the end result in not changed, but other times you end up missing that little something that makes people say "what is that flavor. I can't quite figure it out, but I really like it".

As far as people who reach for the salt or condiments before tasting food I have cooked, it drives me crazy. I would never say anything to someone 9other than my wife if she did it), but inside I am yelling. At least taste it first to see if it needs it. If you then decide that it needs something then feel free to alter it however you want to suit your needs. I don't care if that means you pour ketchup all over the steak I just made you if that is going to please your palate, just taste it first to see if you need it.

 

[pdswife]

My pet peeve isn't so much the number of spices...but rather the amounts. 1/4 teaspoon of this...1/2 of that...3/4 of that...I make 'em all 1/2 teaspoon or whatever comes close...and call the recipe mine....lol.

me too~!! Ok.. I never really measure spice. I just start with a small amount and add more if I think it needs it.

By the way... why does any recipe say ONE clove of garlic??
ONE clove is never ever even close to be enough!!

 

[GB]

I never really measure spice.

Me either. All spices just get poured into my palm and then into the food. I pour it into my palm first so that I do not accidentally
pour way too much into the pot. I guess at the amounts. If it calls for a quarter teaspoon then I use just a little. If it calls for 2 tablespoons then I use a lot.

 

[pdswife]

Me either. All spices just get poured into my palm and then into the food. I pour it into my palm first so that I do not accidentally
pour way too much into the pot. I guess at the amounts. If it calls for a quarter teaspoon then I use just a little. If it calls for 2 tablespoons then I use a lot.

OH GOOD! I'm glad I'm not alone.

 

[GB]

You are never alone when you are on DC

 

[urmaniac13]

When reading a recipe I would like to try, and I see half dozen or more herbs and spices, I'm turned off - i.e. overkill. For me, I would like to taste the food, and perhaps 3 herbs/spices is enough to enhance the flavor. (The exception might be in a rub or certain cuisines, i.e. Indian perhaps?) When I prepare a dish and someone sits down to eat, & without tasting the dish reaches for salt, pepper, hot sauce and extra condiments, I feel my cooking effort is lost. I prefer the taste of the food.

Anyone relate?

I am totally with you about what you say here Mish. That's why I never liked Emeril Lagasse, he always complicate the recipes, loading with so many different ingredients, way more than necessary for appearantly no good reason. I get the impression that when they load the recipe with seasoning and condiments, it is to disguise the not-so-good/fresh ingredients... I really learned the art of simpler cooking after coming to Italy, and found out it is so much nicer when you choose a quality, fresh ingredients and enjoy the bursting flavour of each items... in cooking, more often than you think, less is more!!

 

[mish]

As far as people who reach for the salt or condiments before tasting food I have cooked, it drives me crazy. At least taste it first to see if it needs it. Just taste it first to see if you need it.

Glad someone can relate, GB.

Besides the condiments, EXTRAS like cheese and garlic piled onto a "finely-tuned" dish bugs me. Example: If two cloves of garlic (or garlic salt) is good, four would be even better. (Same with cheese.) I silently think, GET A PIZZA.

Back to the spices. I have so many jars/bottles of spices I've used perhaps once or twice for a recipe, and the rest get stale and sit for a year in the pantry. Some I haven't even touched. (Hey, it was on sale, & I might need it someday ) The ones I use frequently, I'm always replacing (rosemary, basil, parsley, sage, paprika, etc.). Wouldn't it be nice, if we could find all the spices in small, med and large sizes - cornstarch too? (I've noticed the prices creeping up.)

Well that's my spicey opinion

 

[mish]

I am totally with you about what you say here Mish. That's why I never liked Emeril Lagasse, he always complicate the recipes, loading with so many different ingredients, way more than necessary for appearantly no good reason. I get the impression that when they load the recipe with seasoning and condiments, it is to disguise the not-so-good/fresh ingredients... I really learned the art of simpler cooking after coming to Italy, and found out it is so much nicer when you choose a quality, fresh ingredients and enjoy the bursting flavour of each items... in cooking, more often than you think, less is more!!

My sentiments precisely, urmaniac.

I have a bottle of ketchup sitting in the fridge for 'bout 4 months. I only use it, pretty much on fries, burgers, and I like it on steak too, Texas (and a little A-1 or Lea & Perrins (sp) once in a while). And Mayo - for me, a little does the trick.