Cooking variants, deviating from the recipe

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

I know some of you cook. I am curious about whether you follow the recipe exactly, or routinely make changes, like skipping the garlic or adding extra.

 

ok, me first.  With almost any chocolate recipe, cakes, cookies, puddings, I’ll add an ounce or two of dark rum  and another ounce or two of coffee or instant espresso.

 

I’ll often add some lemon juice to a soup or salad.  Had my 6yr old grandson squeezing lemons for my pesto last week.))))

 

 

[Allie Mo, SASS No. 25217]

For baking, I follow recipes. For main dishes and vegetable dishes, I somewhat loosely follow the recipe.

 

Sometimes, like my Steak Diane, I've gone from Brandy to red wine (because I like the flavor better) and fresh mushrooms to canned (because I'm lazy and after you get all the jus together, you I can't tell the difference).

[Subdeacon Joe]

If it is not similar to something I have made before I'll usually follow the recipe.  I might use yellow onions for white, or shallots instead of onions the first time around.  After that I'll start playing with seasonings and ingredients.  Neither my wife nor I care for green bell peppers so no matter what we substitute in red, yellow, or orange.  Except in sloppy joes - we will use a little green bell pepper in those, something about the bitterness of the green peppers is needed in that, maybe to offset the sweet.

I hadn't thought of rum in recipes with chocolate, but I routinely substitute cold coffee for water in them.  Soups/sauces I'll add some vinegar or vinegar based pepper sauce to brighten them up.

 

Salad dressings I go 1:1 oil and vinegar, add in any fresh herbs I have used in something else for the meal.  I've often used lime juice rather than vinegar, or half and half lime juice and vinegar.  I've found that lime juice helps emulsify the oil whereas neither vinegar nor lemon juice will.  Odd.

 

Swapping out pork for chicken isn't unusual.  And neither of us likes asparagus so we either leave it out without replacing it or substitute in green beans.

 

I'm sure there are lots of other ways we play with our food.  I just can't think of them right now.

 

[Texas Joker]

Cooking is chemistry. If you don't know what substitutes it can get disastrous. 

Like Joe said if its new I follow recipes and then kinda start humming the tune and dancing around the idea. 

[Abilene Slim SASS 81783]

For my wife, recipes are basically guidelines as she most always adapts them. The results are awesome.

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

I edited the OP to say “dark rum” which I got from one of Mario Batali’s books. I have forgotten whether “any alcohol” was among the suggestions but I keep a bottle of Myers Dark around for chocolate days.

[Subdeacon Joe]

15 minutes ago, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said:

I edited the OP to say “dark rum” which I got from one of Mario Batali’s books. I have forgotten whether “any alcohol” was among the suggestions but I keep a bottle of Myers Dark around for chocolate days.

 

LOL. I had assumed Myers Dark from the context. 

 

 

Once I was making a beer battered something,  didn't have any beer, did have a bottle of champagne (OK, California sparkling white wine).   Came out pretty good. 

 

 

There was a PBS (make that a CBC show that I watched on PBS) cooking show,  The Urban Peasant,  that taught more method than hard and fast recipes.   "It's your food,  use what tastes good to you.   Don't have red onions?  Use white.   Don't have chicken stock?  Use vegetable stock or water.  Use whatever beer you have on hand. "

 

 

[punxsutawneypete]

I used to be on the competitive chili cooking circuit.  I had a pretty standard recipe I developed, but that was the starting point.  I was looking for a particular combination of heat and flavor, and I would make adjustments to the spices if they weren't as potent as in the past.

 

Probably the most significant single change I ever made was with my stuffed mushrooms.  I found the original recipe in an ethnic cookbook my stepmother had.  I made a batch per the recipe and it turned out OK.  One of my favorite spices is Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning.   On a whim,  I substitued  1 1/2 teaspoons of Tony Chachre's Seasoning for the 1 teaspoon of salt called for in the original recipe and that gave my stuffed mushrooms the signature zing that made my stuffed mushrooms a welcomed hoeres d'erv wherever I brought them. 

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

I like his pepper grinder(Urban Peasants’), the modified wine bottle.

 

for baking, yes you want to follow the recipe as closely as you can but when that’s not possible it’s helpful to be consistent. I have baked in Russia, I know.

 

tip from watching the video: when you use your knife to push things around on your board, use the back of your knife.

 

 

[Dawg Hair, SASS #29557]

I find that following recipes to the letter can sometimes ruin the dish because there are too many variables which come into play, like oven temperatures, brands, etc.  But, not following the recipe means you'll never get the same exact outcome every time.  I'm more of a "mas o menos" cook, or, a little bit of this, and a little bit of that.    

I'm all for your dark rum idea with chocolate.

 

[Subdeacon Joe]

42 minutes ago, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said:

for baking, yes you want to follow the recipe as closely as you can

 

I  would say for pastry,  yes.  For bread, cornbread,  biscuits, and dumplings "close enough" is fine.   Don't get too far outside the lines,  but half a cup of flour in an 8 cup bread recipe isn't really noticeable. 

[Sedalia Dave]

Wife and I both experiment with recipes. We'll usually follow a recipe pretty close the first time. If we really like it then we don't tinker, if it turns out just OK we will adjust to suit our tastes.

 

Like SDJ some substitutions happen because we prefer one variety of an ingredient over another. We almost always use Sweet Yellow onions. Paprika is one where we never use whats available in the local grocery store. Depending on the recipe I may use a Smoked or sweet variety or a combination of both to change a flavor profile.

 

When I make oatmeal cookies I always reduce the amount of sugar called for as I don't like them when they are sickening sweet.

[Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933]

On my Hungryman dinners it says to uncover, stir the potatoes and recover.  Sometimes I do not recover.

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

For when I don’t have something In the pantry or just want to make a change, I refer to a little book, Substituting Ingredients. I also have the much larger Food Substitutions Bible but it does not appear to be as useful.

[Okie Sawbones, SASS #77381]

I've been cooking for many a moon. Recipes are just an outline for me. I can usually look at a recipe and tell if it is worth pursuing or not. As an example, I can look at a Thai recipe and tell if I need to add more or less Thai chilies, more or less fish sauce, throw in extra ingredients like bamboo shoots, baby corn, bean sprouts, etc. Can I change the meat from chicken to shrimp? When I was younger, I followed recipes to the letter, but over time recipes become like a foreign language. The more you practice, the more proficient you become. Occasionally I have a substitution that doesn't work, but I learn from that and drive on.

[Allie Mo, SASS No. 25217]

2 hours ago, Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933 said:

On my Hungryman dinners it says to uncover, stir the potatoes and recover.  Sometimes I do not recover.

Don't get Larson wrong. He has excellent taste when it comes to restaurant food. 

[Subdeacon Joe]

2 hours ago, Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933 said:

On my Hungryman dinners it says to uncover, stir the potatoes and recover.  Sometimes I do not recover.

 

 

You wildman!  

[Subdeacon Joe]

I've found that in many stews and such you can swap out the meat and replace it with mushrooms and not miss the meat.

 

And even tofu can be made useful:

 

BIGOS: POLISH HUNTER'S STEW (VEGAN)

Author: Magda | ideliciate.com

Serves: 80-100

INGREDIENTS

 

10 heads Green Cabbage, chopped

2 ½ Gallons Water

20 Bay Leaves

1 1/4 cups Olive Oil

40 Onions, chopped (about 12 quarts)

10 pounds Cremini Mushrooms, chopped (about 40 quarts)

10 heads of Garlic, minced

5 TBS Salt

3 TBS Dried Marjoram

3 TBS Paprika

10 tsp Black Pepper

80 Whole Allspice Berries

60 Juniper Berries

10 Quarts Sauerkraut, well drained

60 ounces Tomato Paste

 

*For Crisped Smoked Tofu (optional):

 

10 blocks smoked or extra-firm tofu, drained and pressed if necessary (about 6 pounds)

vegetable oil

liquid smoke

tamari

 

 

INSTRUCTIONS

Place chopped cabbage into a large pot or slow cooker, add bay leaves, and pour water over the top. Bring to a gentle boil over high heat, then reduce heat and allow to simmer gently. (If using a slow cooker, I like to use hot or boiling water to get it started more quickly.)

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, then add the chopped onions, mushrooms, garlic, and salt and saute for 3-5 minutes, until onions start to become soft and translucent. Turn off heat and stir in marjoram, paprika, and black pepper. Add to the pot of cabbage along with the allspice and juniper berries and stir gently to combine.

Once the cabbage is tender, add the sauerkraut and tomato paste and stir well until all ingredients are thoroughly combined. Continue to simmer over low heat for at least 30-45 minutes or as much as several hours. Season to taste and add smoked tofu if desired.

*To Make Crispy Smoked Tofu (optional):

Chop the tofu into small pieces. Add a few tablespoons of vegetable oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add the chopped tofu. Drizzle tamari and liquid smoke generously over the tofu so that all of it is well coated, then fry for 5-8 minutes until crispy, tossing the tofu every so often to brown all sides

[Allie Mo, SASS No. 25217]

When I make stew, I never list ingredients when I go to the grocery. The only "must buys" are red wine and some kind of beef.

 

I like carrots and red onions too. I prefer it served over rice with Worcestershire on the side. Hubby wants potatoes and cream sauce.  Ho Hum.

[Allie Mo, SASS No. 25217]

PS I haven't made stew in ages. I guess I'd better put potatoes and cream on the grocery list. 

 

Unless I want to eat it all by myself.

[Smuteye John SASS#24774]

2 hours ago, Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933 said:

On my Hungryman dinners it says to uncover, stir the potatoes and recover.  Sometimes I do not recover.

You wild man, you!

 

I don't know if I'm willing to get that wild with recipes.

[Birdgun Quail, SASS #63663]

One thing I almost always change is, depending on the meat, instead of water I use beef or chicken broth.

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

2 hours ago, Birdgun Quail, SASS #63663 said:

One thing I almost always change is, depending on the meat, instead of water I use beef or chicken broth.

Yes!  And since broths don’t have long shelf lives after being opened, if six cups are called for I use either one quart and add water, or two and reduce it.

 

often I use Better Than Boullion.

[Subdeacon Joe]

4 minutes ago, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said:

often I use Better Than Boullion

 

Fantastic product.   That or Orrington Farms powdered base.  They even have vertical good vegan Ham, beef,, and chicken flavored bases. Not overly salty, either. 

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

I have hundreds of recipes.  I'll decide on a dish and get several recipes together and decide what I'm going to do using bits and pieces from each.  It usually works out okay.  Sometimes it's wonderful, but I've come up with some the hogs won't eat.

 

The only recipe I follow religiously is my dad's chess pie formula.  It has never failed me.