Own your cook to improve

[bbqLuv]

I enjoy reading recipe reviews. Do you?
When a review of 1 star out of 5 is given, they start with "I followed the recipe exactly".
Is it the recipe's fault or the cook's? Excuse me, but the recipe is not the Pit Master, or is it?
If I blamed all my bad cooks on the recipe I would run out of recipes.
I propose owning your cook is a good step toward improving.

Enough of my rant.

[SheilaAnn]

Imma gonna agree with you here…. EX: If a recipe states “med-low”, then set the burner or electric thingy accordingly, right? That said, medium-low is also an interpretation by the cook, right?

I think It all depends on our experience (better cook) and knowing our equipment (my oven runs about 10-15* lower and I adjust accordingly).

do I make sense?

[bbqLuv]

You are correct.

[RonB]

You should be able to adjust your oven so that the temp you want is what shows on the knob. Just google your model oven and add something like "adjust oven temp knob", or (dial).

[hoovarmin]

Cooking from recipes requires more tacit knowledge than most recipe readers have obtained.

[yakima]

"Tacit knowledge". An interesting and thought provoking phrase.

[hoovarmin]

SheilaAnn you know it, and that's exactly what I mean. Until a person has put in the reps they can't tell if a recipe is well written or not. Don't even get me started on the Instagram recipes my daughter is constantly asking me to make. I tell her, "that won't work, but I know what will."

[Bob K]

yakima - have to agree. looking forward to finding opportunities to use "tacit knowledge" going forward

[Finster]

I more enjoy reviews when said reviewer has made changes to the recipe as written, and comments that it didn't turn out 🙄

[bbqLuv]

I do that frequently but tend to keep it to myself. "Oh well, that didn't work like I thought it would."

[Finster]

bbqLuv
I get a sense when it happens to you, you’re not blaming it on the original recipe not being any good like the folks I’m referring to do..

[bbqLuv]

Finster you are so correct.

[RonB]

My dear departed MIL was a very smart woman, but she just did not have any cooking sense. If a recipe said add 1 tbsp of salt instead of 1 tsp, she would add 1 tbsp.

[au4stree]

You just described my lovely wife. Not the departed part, my wife is very much alive.

[Duanessmokedmeats]

I read then tweak.

[Carolyn]

I have seen more one star reviews stating the outcome was bland when they made a bland recipe as written.

[bbqLuv]

And the Truth will set you free.

[Carolyn]

Recipe: Boil this broccoli and eat it.
Review: I made this, and it was bland. 1 star.

[FireMan]

I think we need a poll: Do wee blame a bad cook on the recipe or the lousy cook?

[bbqLuv]

Recipes are like automobiles, if it weren't for cars there would be no drunk drivers.

[Duanessmokedmeats]

Has to be the recipe....😜

[hoovarmin]

It depends. Some recipes are written carelessly, especially on the internet. I think that a beginner has a much better chance of pulling off a dish published by Kenji at SE than one thrown together by an intern at the Food Network.

[DavidNorcross]

I have to agree that typically the problem is not with the recipe. However, there are indeed some bad recipe's out there and good cooks should be able to recognize that...

[au4stree]

Recipes get me in the ballpark, I adjust as I see fit.

[bbqLuv]

It's better to adjust as you see fit than to see and throw a fit.

[HawkerXP]

Recipe? What that?

[bbqLuv]

No two are the same---Copy That?

[HawkerXP]

Awe.... just wing it.

[Murdy]

There's a whole sub-reddit devoted to this called "I Didn't Have Eggs": https://www.reddit.com/r/ididnthaveeggs/

Pretty amusing sometimes.

[Carolyn]

I just read some of that. Has to be a few people just messing around in the comments like on Amazon.

[carolts]

A recipe Is like the Pirate Code...they're more like guidelines, actually.

[bbqLuv]

That is so true. The 3-2-1 rib recipe is a great example of a guide.

[Tennessee BBQ Guy]

Also the quality of the ingredients are important too. Good quality oils and butter and seasonings makes all the difference. Not to mention the quality of the proteins.

[Bob K]

this has been said before, but I always love the reviews with "made as instructed, but had to substitute cotton candy for the garlic and was out of soy sauce so i used welch's grape juice -- gotta say, this one's not a keeper"