Cooks: Your best tip

[Fire Me Boy!]

I read an article on The Kitchn about tips a maître d learned by working in a 3-star restaurant, and it made me think about a comment Inmem58 made in the What's for Dinner thread.

Originally Posted by Inmem58

I wonder who here really tries each others recipes or tips.

I know FMB tried my goldish recipe, he didn't care for it though. I found the meat to be more tender so to speak. What about the rest of you guys?

So it made me wonder, what's the best tip you'd give someone starting cooking, or even a seasoned home cook? One piece of advice that might make someone better in the kitchen?

[Fire Me Boy!]

My piece of advice is simply to taste and adjust your food before you serve it. After you taste it, you'll know if it needs seasoning - salt, sweet, sour, bitter.

[Sorce]

Originally Posted by Fire Me Boy!

My piece of advice is simply to taste and adjust your food before you serve it. After you taste it, you'll know if it needs seasoning - salt, sweet, sour, bitter.

This and when cooking from a recipe, read the entire recipe, measure out and chop everything up before you start cooking, then probably read the recipe again. This is especially important if you get easily flustered.

[Fire Me Boy!]

Originally Posted by Sorce

This and when cooking from a recipe, read the entire recipe, measure out and chop everything up before you start cooking, then probably read the recipe again. This is especially important if you get easily flustered.

One of my favorite stories to tell about my wife is early on in our marriage she wanted to make "dinner." I use quotes because it was Hamburger Helper.

Now I know my wife, and I know she has trouble following directions - she'll skip a step or omit ingredients or whatever. So I tell her to be sure to read the instructions, and she launches full tilt into how she knows how to make HH and to leave her alone. So I do.

Come to find out she didn't follow instructions and put the meat, the noodles, the water, and the spice packet all in the skillet at the same time.

We ended up picking up Chinese takeout.

[Saccopoo]

Originally Posted by Sorce

This and when cooking from a recipe, read the entire recipe, measure out and chop everything up before you start cooking, then probably read the recipe again. This is especially important if you get easily flustered.

You know who uses recipes?

Housewives. Who can't cook.

**** recipes.

Make it your own.

[Fire Me Boy!]

Originally Posted by Saccopoo

You know who uses recipes?

Housewives. Who can't cook.

**** recipes.

Make it your own.

So if you're attempting something new, you wouldn't defer to a recipe for a starting point?

[Sorce]

Originally Posted by Fire Me Boy!

So if you're attempting something new, you wouldn't defer to a recipe for a starting point?

I made Japanese food for easter, I am not Japanese I am not familiar with cooking that cuisine. You're damn right I used a recipe, next time I make the same thing I might adjust a few things.

Typically the first time I make something I'll stick to the recipe with maybe a few adjustments to spices or something along the way if I'm familiar with the cuisine, the next time I make something I will make changes if there is something I think could be better.

[Saccopoo]

Originally Posted by Fire Me Boy!

So if you're attempting something new, you wouldn't defer to a recipe for a starting point?

Actually, no.

I like to do research into the history of the region if it's a geographical/ethnic based dish, or history on the dish itself if it's a stand alone, but I don't like looking at recipes.

Case in point, I recently was involved in a charity event that featured a soup contest. The theme of the event was the Oscar's/Hollywood, but they were also doing a post event Kentucky Derby party the next day.

After some research, I went with the progression of the Brown Derby (a longtime Hollywood standby restaurant that is now defunct) that made it's reputation on the Hot Brown, which has the original name of the Kentucky Hot Brown sandwich, which a soup is derived from of the same name. However, through research, I found that the actual soup that is "officially" associated with the Kentucky Derby is the Burgoo, which is a kitchen sink approach that straddles the soup/stew fence. And as such, I decided on the Burgoo as a six degrees of separation thing going from Hollywood (Brown Derby) to the Kentucky Derby for the same group but on different days.

That's how I cook.

[BucEyedPea]

Originally Posted by Saccopoo

You know who uses recipes?

Housewives. Who can't cook.

**** recipes.

Make it your own.

I make up a lot of stuff as I go for cooking meals, but I also use recipes for new things I am not familiar with. I don't mess around that much on baking and follow the recipe because it's chemistry. I mean unless you just changing out blueberries for raspberries or something.

Everyone wishes my Nonna wrote down her ravioli filling recipe. No one has ever been able to duplicate it. Whatta shame! It was soooo good.

[Sorce]

Originally Posted by BucEyedPea

Everyone wishes my Nonna wrote down her ravioli filling recipe. No one has ever been able to duplicate it. Whatta shame! It was soooo good.

My wife gets mad at me sometimes for not measuring / writing down everything especially when for whatever reason she really likes the latest variation of a dish I've made before.

[BucEyedPea]

Originally Posted by Sorce

This and when cooking from a recipe, read the entire recipe, measure out and chop everything up before you start cooking, then probably read the recipe again. This is especially important if you get easily flustered.

I've made that mistake numerous times....not reading all the way down through the instructions. Whattamess.

[Frosty]

Fixed

[Fire Me Boy!]

Originally Posted by Frosty

Tip: "you're" is a contraction of "you are"

**** beans, I never mess that up. Goddammit.

[CoMoChief]

Don't put foil in the microwave

you're welcome.

[BigMeatballDave]

Don't make grilled cheese in a stainless steel skillet.