Cookaholics Bulletin Board

Folks,

Lindsay's blog linked me to an interesting blog from David Lebovitz, asking readers about the required precision of recipes in cookbooks: http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2012/11/ho ... need-to-be

There's three pages of comments, so I'm gonna quote my own since you'll never find it otherwise:



How do you feel about recipe precision and depth of description in the last few cookbooks you bought? What do you think of the phrase "season to taste"?

I don't have a problem with recipes that say something like "a glug of wine" or some other deliberately imprecise measure. It helps educate that often precise measurements are unnecessary if you're not baking a cake.

"Season to taste" suggests salt and/or pepper, but I would not expect someone to consider lemon juice without more instruction..

I am used to imprecision in recipes....my mother's recipes ( those we could get her to write down), said things like" add water until its the consistency of mud".

I always mess with recipes anyway...I taste it, decide whether or not it needs something, add what I think it needs and serve. But I have to admit I appreciate Ina Garten's precise measurement of salt and pepper (takes all guesswork out, even though I tend to use less than what she calls or in terms of salt), and her tips about how to finish (squeeze of lemon, extra herbs, etc.). But I cook without a recipe more often than not,which makes it tough for me to give friends recipes when they ask. I give procedures instead.

It is easy to disregard precision if desired, but impossible to add it if it is missing.

I can't think of many books I have that aren't very precise, except maybe bread books - they often have things like "6-6 1/2 c flour", which makes sense, as humidity in the air as well as the flour can affect the dough. I usually follow a new recipe to the letter, esp. if it is a new type of food, then I make notes, if I think changes should be made. Some things (garlic, hot peppers, chocolate, FI) I have gotten to where I can tell if there is not enough or too much (never too much chocolate) in a recipe, just by reading it. Salt, or salty sauce, is one personal taste, as is hot ingredients, and these I can usually adjust before tasting. However, when a recipe has 15 or 20 ingredients, as many Asian recipes I make do, it's a good idea to follow the recipe until you get comfortable changing odd ingredients, as it can easily throw off the balance of the dish.

Yeah, what Paul said.

Also, I absolutely suck at estimating volume. I'm a measurer, I admit it. I like my recipes to be precise. I even like that "Season to taste" bit. Sometimes I will forget to do that otherwise. I also keep a list of all of my household chores so I don't forget any. I figure these are just fun little manifestations of what remains of my ADD

On Essential Pepin, Jacques said "Taste, cook. Taste, cook. Cooking is the art of adjustment."

fitzie

You still need something to adjust *from*; a starting point. You don't have to like the authors decisions, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't be informed by them.

Also, Pepin has done his share of industrial cooking. Somehow I doubt he left his assistant the instructions to just put stuff in until it tastes good.

Sorry, I should have said he was salting a dish before serving.

fitzie