Kitchen Style

[Mottmott]

How do you do it?

Do you use recipes most of the time, seldom, never? For everyday cooking or just party cooking? And where are you? novice? experienced? granny-cook? professional? I know some of you even keep inventories of your home pantries.

I love cookbooks, read 'em, collect 'em, check out the mags all the time. Enjoy the cooking shows. I "hoard" recipes. But most of my cooking does not actually follow a particular recipe. (Except baking, of course.) And with a few exceptions I seldom make a dish the same way more than once.

I'm doubt it's a matter of experience as much as temperament. I've cooked for many years, and I've always used cookbooks and recipes more as a learning tool than a guide for a particular dish or meal. I enjoy snuffling around the market to see what's looking fresh and tempting and perhaps find something I haven't used before and then making up a meal to fit. Or am I just rationalizing disorganization?

[fifi]

Or am I just rationalizing disorganization?

Not at all. I would call it being creative.

I have a very few things that I continue to cook from the recipe. Mostly, recipes are inspiration and starting point. I consider myself an "experienced" cook and one of the most fun things is to see what is fresh or on sale and then dream something up.

[peanutgirl]

What she said .

[Jason Perlow]

We tend to make things by technique and not by recipe. When we go shopping we buy what looks good in terms of produce, meat and and other ingredients (or looks good and is on sale, depending if its a good month or not!) and then we formulate what kinds of things we can prepare from that. We eat a lot of Asian type things and that can be pretty flexible when it comes to produce providing you have the staples and spices/condiments on hand.

Occassionally, if we have a real craving for a very specific dish, or if its a holiday gathering or other special occasion we will use a recipe.

Recipes can be very good starting points but I don't think its necessary to stick to them 100 percent -- unless its something like baking in which case it has to be an exact science. Pretty much in every recipe things can be substituted unless the recipe itself has very few ingredients and its a key ingredient to the flavor or textural profile of the dish.

[torakris]

This is one of my sore points.

I hate to eat the same dish twice (unless it is really incerdible) so I find myself turning to recipes for ideas, sometimes following them and sometimes not.

Because I rarely cook the same thing and I jump around the world in the cuisines that I cook I feel I don't have the basics (techniques, etc) for anything down yet.

Because I don't have these basics down I keep turning to recipes to get the techniques and then find myself in a vicious circle.

After 10 years of cooking I find I am still using recipes half of the time and I would like to get down to about 1/4, though I would still browse fro ideas.

Another problem for me is that I am on a very tight food budget for 5 people, so I am scared to experiment because if I mess it up we could have nothing for dinner, calling out for pizza is not an option for us. So I feel I need to make everything work......

I have to admit I have improved over the last couple years, even just a couple years ago I was cooking about 85% from recipes often using up to 5 in just one night.

My fallback cuisines are Italian and Japanese and these are what I turn to when I need a quick dinner made from what is in the refrigerator. I still can't even make a a meatloaf with out a recipe though......

[bloviatrix]

We tend to make things by technique and not by recipe

There are times when I come across a recipe and feel a need to replicate it. But, ultimately, if you rely on recipes constantly, you begin to feel hamstrung -- if you can't find a specific ingredient, you're stuck. That's why technique is so important. You know what cooking methods best suit your ingredients and you can create something based on what's on hand. It frees you.

[fifi]

I suppose that my definition of "experienced cook" is someone that understands techniques and the principles behind them so that they can adapt and cook without a recipe. It is very liberating. And just as neverending. There are still some things I haven't really mastered and am looking forward to expanding my repertoir. I buy a lot of books just to read about the techniques.

Another trick is to read several recipes for the same "dish". You start to spot the commonalities and recognize the important techniques. That is a fun process to me.

[hjshorter]

I'm a competent home cook, went to cooking school for a couple of years, worked in a bakery, and have done some private catering. I use recipes a lot, mostly for inspration. If we like whatever it is, it goes in the file for frequent use. If it's not quite right, I make notes and try to get it to our taste. We like to try new things.

Once a dish has been tweaked to perfection I don't see the point in deviating from the recipe, and I almost never experiment if we're entertaining. As Kristin pointed out, when you're on a tight budget you have less room for error. I don't have the luxury of dumping something that doesn't work in the trash.

Edit: I forgot to mention that a big part of our meal planning is based on what my toddler and preschooler will eat. Once we find something they like it usually shows up on the table at least twice a week. Emma is going through a very suspicious phase, so big food changes aren't wise. I swear, sometimes it seems she thinks we're trying to poison her.

Edited January 11, 2004 by hjshorter (log)

[hwilson41]

Another problem for me is that I am on a very tight food budget for 5 people, so I am scared to experiment because if I mess it up we could have nothing for dinner, calling out for pizza is not an option for us. So I feel I need to make everything work...... 

Torakris;

I sympathize completely. Earlier in our lives, we had the same problem. I couldn't experiment because if I screwed something up, we might have nothing (edible) for supper. You can't really experiment to a great extent until you can afford to fail, which you will do occasionally (unless you're a lot smarter than I am ). I've been reading cookbooks for close to 35 years, and think I know "the basics" of cooking, but occasionally I get a harebrained idea and it turns out to be a disaster. It doesn't happen very often, but when it does, I just throw it out and we order in Chinese or pizza. Once your kids are older, a lot of this problem will go away, so hang in there .

THW

[Susan in FL]

I am about 50-50 for recipes vs. no recipe or making it up or a recipe that's in my head. When we use recipes, we rarely follow them exactly and usually use as guides. I read recipes all the time, though, and cut them out or print them out or mark them in a cookbook... That is my reading material as much, if not more, than any other kind of book or whatever. The exception to a recipe as a guide is baking, which I rarely do, or formally testing a recipe.

As for where I am... an experienced cook or a competent one -- whatever you wish to call it -- and passionate about it.

I experiment a lot. With an empty nest, it's not such a problem if you screw up. So I agree, Torakis, hang in there... a lot of your problem will go away when your kids are grown.

[fifi]

If you are really lucky, when the kids are grown they will have fun experimenting along with you. I really enjoyed the few years my son lived with me when he was in his 20s finishing school.

[Moopheus]

I eat my mistakes. I figure it's the only way to really learn from them. Plus, I'm usually not in a position to just dump something either. I guess I've gotten good enough now that most of my mistakes are still edible. I probably cook from a recipe most of them time, partly because I also like to try new things, though I also have what I think of as 'staple' recipes that have become familiar. Most recipes can be easily adapted for personal preference or availability of ingredients. Usually when there's a problem it's a failure of technique--didn't whip something enough, used too high heat, didn't use enough heat, etc.

I've cooked to some degree or other most of my life, but it's really been in the past couple of years that I've gotten more serious about it and tried to expand my range and general food knowledge.

[Susan in FL]

I eat my mistakes. I figure it's the only way to really learn from them. Plus, I'm usually not in a position to just dump something either. I guess I've gotten good enough now that most of my mistakes are still edible. I probably cook from a recipe most of them time, partly because I also like to try new things, though I also have what I think of as 'staple' recipes that have become familiar. Most recipes can be easily adapted for personal preference or availability of ingredients. Usually when there's a problem it's a failure of technique--didn't whip something enough, used too high heat, didn't use enough heat, etc.

I've cooked to some degree or other most of my life, but it's really been in the past couple of years that I've gotten more serious about it and tried to expand my range and general food knowledge.

You made good points... Come to think of it, I rarely screw up to the point that the meal is not edible. This past week when I spilled the whole can of black pepper into the sauteed cabbage was the first time in years I can remember. Like you, usually a mistake is minor and related to technique, and it still tastes good.

Here's what happened about the pepper.

The intention for Thursday's dinner was sliced cabbage and leeks, sauteed in goose fat, seasoned with savory, salt and pepper, with roasted chestnuts thrown in at the end, to go with pan broiled pork chops. However, I got the bright idea of shaking on some coarse ground pepper rather than freshly grinding it, and the lid was not on tightly, and the whole can fell into it. It would have been so good, but it was inedible. So we ate the pork chops and then ordered a pizza delivery.

[docsconz]

My wife can cook anything from a recipe and often does varying her sources. I love cokbooks, but use them more as advice then as a guide. I almost never make the same thing twice, if for no other reason than most of my measurements are approximations and intuition. Sometimes it works and sometimes...it doesn't. Fortunately, they are rarely inedible.

[Nick]

I generally use recipes as a starting point, sometimes sticking fairly close, and sometimes thinking it needs more of "this" or less of "that." The only recipe I can think of that I followed exactly was a couple of years ago when I wanted to make corn chowder. I'd never made it before and I followed the recipe in the Pro Chef exactly, including weighing all the ingredients. It was the best corn chowder I'd ever had and all the people I gave some to thought the same. I still make it by that recipe. More recently I roasted a leg of lamb for Thanksgiving and pretty much followed Judy Rodgers' recipe from Zuni Cafe, including the corkscrew boning technique. I highly recommend it.

[Carlovski]

For cuisines I am familiar with, I am a fairly freestyle cook, even if I am working to a recipe, and invariably fiddle with it. If I am cooking something where I have little experince or knowledge on the style of cooking I am a lot more restrained, and follow the recipe. Also, some cuisines, and cooking styles are more tinker friendly than others, you can fiddle with most casseroles and braises depending on your mood, pasta sauces I quite often make up as I go along, but you have to be a bit more careful when you are dealing with Sichuan Peppercorns and chilles, a lot more scope for producing something completely inedible.

[birder53]

I have a lot to learn before I can cook without a recipe. The few times I decided to wing it and just throw something together I immediately threw it out. I follow recipes, and not always successfully. What I'm learning from this forum is that I really need to know my ingredients and learn some techniques to move on from following recipes to actually cooking. I'm lacking the basics which can allow me to throw something together successfully. I get a lot of inspiration from you folks! I'll get there, and the fact that I finally realized I'm not really cooking is the first step. I doubt I would ever abandon recipes, but as least I would know how to make substitutions without fear.

[tammylc]

I appear to be in the "uses recipes" minority...

I probably use recipes about 75% of the time, unless I'm making old standbys that I know by heart or real meat and potatoes type things. When I'm on the ball with my menu planning I'll go through my cookbooks, pick out a bunch of things I want to make, and assemble a shopping list for that week's meals. I love menu planning, because it lets me cook from recipes without the "damn, missing that ingredient" problem.

That said, I certainly take liberties with the recipes, adding or substituting ingredients depending on what I like or what's available. But I don't usually stray very far. On a really experimental day, I might look up two or three recipes for the same thing, and come up with some version that incorporates bits of each.

My housemate is constantly surprised by this, and says that I'm the only person in her mental category of "excellent cooks" who follows recipes.

[essvee]

Professional cook (retired from the trenches) of long standing checking in. I cook from recipes almost exclusively. I have a lot of good cookbooks and I use them.

Three reasons: I have learned over the years (the hard way) to trust the folks who have been there before. A good regional cookbook is the distillation of hundreds, or even thousands (Asian) of years of cooks' experience. Who am I to countermand that?

As well, I am lazy. I want it to come out right with minimal effort.

And lastly, I am a purist of sorts. My goal is not to be original but to be authentic. I want it to taste like it is supposed to. I have little interest in forging my own style: this is partially why I never aspired to head chefdom.

Now, I am not slavish by any means. All competent and interested cooks develop a recipe lingua franca. We can read a recipe and gain an understanding of how it will taste and if we will enjoy preparing it, and we often instinctively know to modify a recipe if some technique or ingredient doesn't belong in our cooking gestalt.

I will make a minor tweak or two here or there. For instance, I love Marcella passionately but through long experience I have learned to cut her amount of fat/oil in half and drain most of the fat from cooked meat (mostly) right before off the bat. It may be authentic but it is also way too oily for my taste. (Ever read some old-time Italian cookbook authors, like Luigi Carneseca? Man, he calls for salt pork, pork rind, olive oil, and lard all in the same recipe sometimes. Yikes!)

But I always prepare a dish sticking very close to the recipe the first time or two. If it sticks in my repatoire, I probably will tweak it to meet my aesthetic standards. Not always though. I've made Ken Hom's Chicken and Black Mushroom casserole dozens of times, or Marcella's chicken and red cabbage, and I always follow the recipe. No need to tweak perfection.

If I am making a roast chix with mashies, or pizza, or other basic things, of course I don't consult a recipe, but usually I did follow a recipe at some point. That's how I learned that I like Marcella's chix with two lemons, or how to rub a chix with soft butter before roasting, or to soak the mozzerella in a bit of olive oil, or that potato puree with cooking water and butter or olive oil tastes good, and I don't need milk or cream all the time.

I've always been wary of folks who say they don't follow recipes. To my mind, that means their learning curve and technique haven't progressed very much. If you always do it "your way," then perhaps all your food ends up tasting the same, perhaps? I view this in somewhat the same fashion as someone who is right all the time (hi Dad!). If you are always right, you can't learn and grow as a person. This applies to cooking as well. Like the monks suggest, I try to bring an "empty mind" when I'm trying something new.

Of course, this is my opinion only, and I am not criticizing anyone in this thread, really. This is something I've spent a fair amount of time thinking about, and I wanted to share it with you all.

[Busboy]

In the introduction to "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" Julia Child wrote that, with experience, the home cook she was trying to reach would stop seeing recipes as strict prescriptions regarding the preparation of individual dishes, and begin using them as a starting point to express their own taste and preferences.

I think it's odd to see people stress over the percentage of their cooking that comes from recipes. I don't find it any easier to cook either from a recipe or improvisationally and besides, the test is whether the food taste good when it gets to the table, not whether it originate in your brain or Escoffier's. Besides, the accounting gets tough. If I cook scallops with a lime beurre blanc, but didn't open a cookbook, does that count as with or without a recipe. I didn't use a recipe this time, but the first time I made a buerre blanc I was surely getting direction from somewhere. What if I spike the buerre blanc with ginger and make it with rice vinegar and wine vinegar, and call it "asian buerre blanc"? (I know, purists would be aghast, but it's tasty)

Maybe 90% of what I cook has its genesis in some recipe or another, but by now many of the dishes have evolved dramatically from the version first written down. I think that's the great fun of cookbooks -- they teach new skills and flavors that can be used as is, or thrown around promiscuously in search of some greater thrill. (Eating your mistakes is a learning experience.) Drawing a line between recipe cooking and individual cooking seems artificial and unnecessary.

Edited January 12, 2004 by Busboy (log)

[Hest88]

Hm. When I'm cooking (not baking) I use recipes only when it's a new dish, and I never follow it exactly. In fact, I usually combine 3 or more recipes, adjusting various factors according to my tastes or the tastes of my guests. I guess that means that I cook with recipes maybe 10% of the time.

When I bake I tend to use recipes, but those are usually tweaked as well--only much less so. So I guess when I bake I use recipes 99% of the time, slightly tweaked 100% of the time.