Is one a good cook if they just simply follow recipes?

[javadog]

Originally Posted by Henry Schmidt

Wow, it looks like you got your panties in a twist over a difference of opinion....
Chill dude.

Not at all, he asked for me to critique his critique, twice no less.

So I did.

There’s nothing obnoxious in my post, frankly, I’m not sure he even read the recipe.

[Turbo_pro]

Originally Posted by matthewb0051

I'm the guy that can throw things together and get a good result and I can also follow (to an extent) a recipe. Honestly, I think it comes down to imagination. My wife can follow a recipe but can't make it up on her own.

I even see things like this and take off on it and make something good.

Here's something you won't find in most recipes or on the internet.
Grandma secret. The sugar in tomato sauce is generally a way to neutralize the acid in the tomatoes. Grandma skipped the sugar and added a table spoon of Bromo-Seltzer. Now all you taste are the ingredients that bring out the natural favor herbs and vegetables and meat. She also mixed lamb, pork and beef in her sauce. Crumble of Italian sausage gives you that burst of anise when you least expect it.

Originally Posted by javadog

Not at all, he asked for me to critique his critique, twice no less.

So I did.

There’s nothing obnoxious in my post, frankly, I’m not sure he even read the recipe.

Why do you persist with this rant?
My critique couldn't be written without reading the recipe.

Your original statement was "Eat Thomas Keller's Beef Bourguignon and give me your ideas for improving it."
I offered some creative ideas and your response is "You didn't read the recipe". Then you when on a profanity laden attack.
This was fun but you melted like a stick of butter on a hot stove.....peace out!

[javadog]

Profanity? Really?

LoL, OK dude....

[vash]

Originally Posted by KC911

LOL ... the sign out front sez it all...

EATS

Only the regulars know to order it

I can't even spell that dish!! haha..I've eaten at his bakery, and that man can take a baguette, put the tiniest, thinest slice of ham, with a see-thru sheet of cheese in it..with a whimsical hint of mustard and make it taste like a effen party is happening in your mouth, and EVERYONE was invited.

my brain didnt understand what was happening. no kidding. my stepdad was dying of cancer at the time, and he went back and bought a second one and ate it in silence. hahaha..I'll never forget it.

[Arizona_928]

no. In Chemie, anyone can follow a recipe and generate product... e.g. Any yahoo can mix a+b and generate some aspect of ab. The skill or 'art' is the quality of the product and the yield...

[Rusty Heap]

Go ahead and bake 10 batches of Nestle Chocolate Chip Cookies following the same recipe.

can turn out very different!

[Bill Douglas]

Sometimes it's good to cheat. I'm famous for my creme brulees amongst GF's "book club" buddies. They LOVE to come to my house. But the truth be told I mix sachet A with sachet B and keep stirring.

[vash]

following recipes doesnt make you a good cook, in my opinion. means you can produce good food, following instructions.

all good.

I am a humble home cook. sometimes not that humble. I can taste a dish at a restaurant and with a few tries, make it at home. recipe might not be correct, but it tastes the part.

during wildfires, a food truck gave out free food to us first responders. they had a Mac/cheese that was KILLER! they told me it had a secret ingredient. I tasted it, and told them.."I can make this". they said to try and bring them some. I did, and they did agree, I nailed the flavor. they asked, what is our secret ingredient? I said, since it isn't rich like most M/C versions, I think they used chicken stock to cut the béchamel. the man high-fived me. hahahha..

[Henry Schmidt]

Great story. People may not realize what great Mac & Cheese can be.
There is a restaurant in Cambria that serves Lobster M&C. They wasted the Lobster and the cheese. It was horrible.
Just adding a fancy ingredient doesn't guarantee better food or even good food.
I took a cooking course from a local chef who made the same mistake.
He had us make Lobster Risotto. Tasted like paste.
Needless to say, I don't use that recipe.
I same cooking class had us make Cranberry Chutney. Reasonable taste but now I make it every Thanksgiving with the added ingredient of fresh pineapple.
Instead of boiling the cranberries in water and adding sugar and apples I just use apple juice. This allows me to control the sweet vs tart favors.
Always a hit. Grand kids love watching the cranberries pop!

[Turbo_pro]

Originally Posted by Henry Schmidt

PMed for the Cranberry Chutney recipe........sounds great and cool presentation.

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by Alan A

You can follow a recipe and still be a bad cook. Let’s not forget that…

1 + 2 = 4

No matter how hard they try

[GH85Carrera]

My mom was a great cook. Many people over the years asked for recipes, and would tell her theirs never was as good. She would ask, did you follow the recipe precisely? Usually they said well, I had to substitute one or two things. She said that is why yours was was not as good.

My mom said she went too her grandmother's house when she was making biscuits from scratch. She had run a boarding house for many years, and made lots of biscuits for the clients. Many customers said they returned for the biscuits. Mom asked for the recipe and she said there was no fixed recipe. So my mom asked her to make a batch as she watched. She grabbed a handful of flower, and started. Mom asked he to put each ingredient in measuring cups to work out the exact recipe. They never came out quite as good as her just grabbing handfuls of the ingredients. Mom's biscuits were pretty good.

Mom made a sponge cake with just handfuls of ingredients. My brother and I could devour half of it in no time.

[berettafan]

Def some super talented cooks on this forum. I'd say knowing a few good recipes is where most folks are. I'm working on being more adept at managing heat. Very basic I'd say! But we clearly have people here who know all their sauces, bases, etc, etc and basically speak an entire separate language.

[911_Dude]

Cooking well follows the three stages of learning. Going purely by a recipe is only the first stage. So no, being able to follow a recipe does not make you a good cook.

Stage one- Rote following a recipe, no knowledge why things are done the way they are.

Stage two- Understanding the "why".

Stage three- Creativity and mastery of heat, time, sweet, salt acid and fat, etc.

[john70t]

What order to prep ingredients. (ie black beans vs eggs)
Rest rise and marinade times.
Adding water or oils or wines. (ie more salty, sweet, spicy, tangy, direction)
All ovens stoves and baking pans are going to respond differently. (use right ones)
Slow and low vs fast and hot.
To cover or not.
Cooking proteins separately to add later. (ie to not boil unless that is the plan)
Residual heat cooking.