The day I stopped tweaking recipes and just tasted as I went

I used to be the guy who would follow a recipe to the letter, measuring every spice down to the 1/8th teaspoon. Then about 3 months ago, I was making a big batch of chili for a friday night rush and realized I'd accidentally doubled the cumin. Instead of panicking, I just tasted it, added a touch more sugar and some extra tomato paste, and it turned out better than any batch I'd made before. Now I barely look at measurements, just the ingredient list and my own taste buds. Has anyone else had that moment where they finally trusted their palate over the printed page?

2 comments

2 Comments

dylanward1mo ago

That's the only way to cook. Recipes are just training wheels.

blair_davis1mo ago

Oh man, @dylanward, you're speaking my language but also calling me out big time. I've burned more dinners flying by the seat of my pants than I care to admit. Like last week I tried to "freestyle" a stir fry and ended up with something that tasted like regret and burnt soy sauce. Recipes are definitely training wheels, but I need those training wheels because without them I'm crashing into the kitchen cabinets.