Do you prefer to follow recipes or do you prefer to improvise?

[pepperhead212]

I got two cookbooks years ago- Top Secret - by Todd Wilbur, if I remember correctly, and one only cost me $1.99, and my sister bought me the other (and she probably paid less! ). The one I got I got because it had a supposed copycat of Oreo cookies - something I have never been able to duplicate! However, this called for using a Devil's Food Cake mix in it...why bother? I'm looking to duplicate something from scratch! Maybe duplicate the DF cake, then the Oreos. Anyway, I tried it once, just to see, and it was OK - more like Hydrox, which I always thought was an Oreo, with much less flavor. Most recipes were for restaurant recipes, most of which I wouldn't want anyway. I don't remember if made anything from the other book - if I don't remember it, it wasn't very good. Both of the books are in my "sale" tubs.

 

[pictonguy]

Follow recipe to the T----no confidence in doing otherwise

That will likely change, just hang in there. Keep in mind that most but certainly not all are recipes especially from chefs, that actually are not the recipes they follow but more of a representation that would make it more user friendly, on paper.

I think it might be in your best interest if you want to be more confident is to look at a recipe and pick 5 and after trying them and have picked which one you like the most and I suspect the result is more than likely just slight variations that made a difference.

Try picking a recipe that you normally go to and try making slight variations to that and see where it goes, you may be surprised.

 

[Badjak]

I do read cookbooks, but I generally do not follow recipes.
Unless it is a dish from an area I am absolutely not familiar with.

But generslly, it's open season.
Take pizza dough for example. You gotta adjust for your flour, your temperature and humidity and your oven temperature.
That's great. I want to know how and when to do this.
But toppings? Sorry, I can make those up by myself.
And I find sometimes people/chefs/cookbook writers just want to be different.
After all, everything has been said about pizza margharita...
But I am just not interested in a pizza topped with chicken tikka or shoarma, boerewors or banana and raisins.

And as far as recipes & baking goes, I just remember ratio's.
One of the easy parts of being raised metric

 

[GotGarlic]

I got two cookbooks years ago- Top Secret - by Todd Wilbur, if I remember correctly, and one only cost me $1.99, and my sister bought me the other (and she probably paid less! ). The one I got I got because it had a supposed copycat of Oreo cookies - something I have never been able to duplicate! However, this called for using a Devil's Food Cake mix in it...why bother? I'm looking to duplicate something from scratch!

If you still want to try them, Bravetart is well known for her meticulously crafted recipes recreating classic American treats.
Homemade Oreo Cookies Recipe | BraveTart

 

[pepperhead212]

Thanks GG - I saw that on Serious Eats way back when, and actually tried it (except for the filling, though that looked good, being butter based). I thought maybe that Golden Syrup would be the difference, since I hadn't used that in a cookie before, and they were OK, but not that "Oreo flavor". And I remember the amount of cocoa in it didn't even seem like that much, compared to many chocolate cookies I had made, but I followed it exactly, and it didn't have that flavor.

 

[cookingislife]

It depends. If I'm making something for the first time, I'll follow the recipe (with the exception of maybe leaving out/substituting a type of spice I prefer not to use, etc). But most of the time I improvise or just wing it. Then there are those dishes that I've made so many times, I no longer need the recipe at all.

yeah thats what i meant, "just wing it" but i forgot that term. because some recipes are disgusting so id rather cook it how i want then how other people want me to cook it, ya know?

 

[cookingislife]

i think some people here didnt understand my question. i meant would you rather follow recipes or just wing it? not like improvise for other ingredients. sorry i forgot that stupid term, "just wing it"

 

[caseydog]

i think some people here didnt understand my question. i meant would you rather follow recipes or just wing it? not like improvise for other ingredients. sorry i forgot that stupid term, "just wing it"

I think we understood. A lot of us seem to do something in between, like use a recipe as a loose framework, or for inspiration, and then either adjust the recipe, or make something up from there. Kind of an "informed wing it" style of cooking.

CD