I cook very little with a recipe. I even do cakes without one much of the time. Sometimes when trying something new, I use a recipe, but once I have the proportions, I usually cook without one. Hopwever, I do think there are times when precision is necessary. Mostly I judge measurements by how it looks in my hand or the bowl. My grandmother cooked the same way, and she was a very good cook. However, because I rarely measure, or use a recipe, it does make it a challenge to write a recipe down for someone else. My future daughter-in-law recently came to me and asked me to put some of my favorite recipe's together for her. Now comes the challenge of transfering my mental measuring cup to an actual measuring cup. At times like this I wish I reciped.

Little Bit Farm

-- Little Bit Farm (littlebit@bright.net), October 02, 2004

Answers

My DH is like that--excellent marinades/rubs for BBQ, but never to be replicated exactly *sigh*.

With baking, I tend to follow recipes--want to get the right portion of leavening, for example. Other things, like soup, not so important.

Maybe you could invite your future DIL over and you could do the recipes while she watches and measures (or even videotape or has a tape recorder running in the background)--that way, if you need to "adjust", you can tell how much you adjust by. Also, she'll have your comments about things like "this is just the right color when it's done," etc.

For example, to me, a "pinch" is one finger against a thumb. I watch Martha Stewart for example, and to her, it is all four fingers against the thumb. Big difference, depending upon the ingredient! I used to be pretty good at heaping a teaspoon when it came to Ovaltine, although it is much easier to heap Nestle Quick--because of the cornstarch, I think, LOL.

-- GT (nospam@nospam.com), October 05, 2004.

Yes I told her, that I would have to just show her some things. There is no better way to do it than that on some recipes. For instance our family biscuits have a special way of mixing them that is critical to the way they turn out.

Little Bit Farm

-- Little Bit Farm (littlebit@bright.net), October 07, 2004.