Do you follow directions for a recipe to the letter?

As far as I know when baking is concerned, the directions should be followed precisely. That is what I always hear from pastry chefs. For cooking though, this practice is not too strict. Maybe when your cooking for commercial reasons then that is a different story.

Anyway personally, I don't follow a recipe to a t. When I cook, I do it for myself or for family so I can basically do whatever. Heck, I sometimes even experiment and do my own recipe. Lol.
 
MandyMarieB said:
No... I tend to get creative. Or lazy. Oops. (At least when it comes to exact measurements. I like to eyeball things a little too much.)
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That is how I cook also. I eyeball the instructions and do my thing. The directions may call for 6 cups of sugar and I may only use 4 cups or no oil when I use bananas. The bad part of cooking like this I can never make the same meal twice. I make some cookies that were so good, they tasted like the girl scout oatmeal cookies and I have no idea how I did it.
 
Yes is my answer because I admit that I don't have the aptitude in the kitchen. That's why I really admire my husband because like me, he had no training but he knows what cooking is all about. Like in sauteing, he knows why the need for onions and why 3 pieces? The same with garlic and some other flavorings like ginger and lemon grass. He would always say that too much black pepper will make the dish hot and ruin the flavor. Unlike me, my husband doesn't use any recipe for he conconts his own kitchen formula.
 
Recipes are a starting point for me. But with pastry and cakes, I'm more careful as you can't really taste and adjust them. I taste things all the time when cooking. Its really the only way to learn and to develop a 'palate'. Do I 'double dip'? Yes, when cooking for my family.

Double dipping is putting the same teaspoon back in for another taste after you have put it in your mouth. I feel a new thread coming on!
 
With everyday savory cooking, I consider recipes more of a guideline than something that I have to follow to the letter. Seasonings, the type of fats used, the types of meat and veggies can all be adjusted to taste without causing too much of an issue with the base recipe. I often cut down on the amount of oil and salt in recipes, and make up for it by using a heavier hand with the spices, and I've never had a problem.

Baking is different though, I've often heard it pastry chefs refer to it as a science, and it's so true. Substitutions can be made within reason, but the ratios have to stay the same otherwise the finished product just isn't going to have the right taste or texture. Leaving out things like eggs will definitely affect the structure of your baked goods, and it will also affect whether or not they rise properly.

The most I'll usually change in a baking recipe is the type of flavour extract, or the type of 'add-ins'. Switching raisins for cranberries or chocolate chips won't make any real difference, besides the taste.
 
I love using recipe for the approximation of amounts. I do this when I'm cooking not baking. I realize baking is more of a science and the proportions need to bang on for it to work out. But when I cook I never measure I just use my eye and guestimate amounts. I will alter amounts and substitute depending on the flavours I want in the dish. It's more fun and creative to cook this way. If you stick to the recipe and it doesn't turn out then what.
 
No, I do not follow a recipe to the letter. I tend to look over the recipe and then add or omit ingredients. Sometimes, I don't have the ingredient or think another herb or spice would be nice. On the rare occasion that I have followed a recipe, the result was that I wish I had added something more. I am the type of cook who looks in my pantry and creates. Majority of the time it is a winner with the occasional fail.
 
Maybe it's just a pet peeve of mine, but if I see a recipe I like and it seems logical, I try to stick as close to the recipe as possible at least once, to try it as intended. Especially if the recipe is written by an actual chef. I get rather annoyed when I try to check out the reviews for a given recipe, and almost every single person has to chime in that they didn't follow it exactly, but instead did "this", "this" and "this". If you're not going to follow the recipe as it's written, then we can't get any sense of how good it is or not from your reviews. Also, it kind of seems a bit rude if a person is going to go through the trouble of testing out and writing a recipe to share with everyone - only to have most of their readers not at least try it out as they intended it to be. Especially if they give it a negative review, when they already changed out like 75% of the ingredients and didn't follow any of the cooking instructions as written.
 
If you are cooking..by all means just season to taste, add a little of this and a little of that. If you are baking, well that's another story. Your ingredients have to be precise or your final product will not be that great. It really is a science and that's why alot of people who are not great in the kitchen stay away from baking altogether.
 
Usually the first time I make something I follow the recipe to the t.
When I make it again I go off piste to tweak it to my taste or improve upon the original. My cooking books are full of post-it notes with suggestions on how to make recipes better.
 
Cooking, I will improvise. Although I do NOT recommend using a tablespoon of bullion powder when the recipe says 1 teaspoon. To those using metric, that a tablespoon is equivalent to 3 teaspoons. I misread the instructions.
Oh and my Jambalaya is never the same twice.
One time, it had leftover 4 meat fried rice and Spanish rice.

Baking, I follow the recipe although I do have to cut back a little on the yeast when I am baking breads. I am at 3,000 ft in elevation.
 
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