I blend improvisation and recipes in a kinda haphazard way that works for me. I bookmark things or just google chaotically a lot, and once I’m comfortable, I like to riff without one. I especially enjoy technique/method-driven stuff like ATK, because that’s instruction I can apply to different meals.
I would LOVE to know your kitchen hacks, and I’m also super curious about ehy random blogs slay SEO and major pubs like BA and NYT Cooking (except for their relentless google ads) don’t rank higher. Knowing how to sift through recipe search results is a real trial takes background knowledge/skill most people don’t have.
I LOVE a good recipe! My partner and I meal plan our lunches and dinners for the week, and having a recipe, whether online or from one of my cookbooks, makes cooking easier and more enjoyable.
One thing to simplify our meal planning is the Google spreadsheet I created to keep track of all the online recipes. I have a tab for absolute favorites, one for tried and true, one for recipes to try out eventually, as well as a tab for good sources when we're on the hunt for something new. I categorize the recipe by meal type, and of course include notes.
I had a baking blog from 2011-2014 and shared recipes I developed, so for me it's critical to have well-tested and thoughtful recipes to work with. And Sara I agree with you completely about how to source these kind of recipes. I often check the comments to see if people are having similar issues with a spot, and I read the recipe through to see if it makes sense. I've been burned a couple of times by recipes that promise a lot (and deliver only headaches), so taking some time to evaluate is key.
I love a good recipe, particularly when trying a new food. I find I return to some of those recipes over and over, as if I will get lost in the woods without them splayed open on my kitchen counter. However, there's another side to my cooking - the risky creator. Nothing jazzes me more than pulling ingredients out of the frig and pantry to see what I can create, like the Concord Grape Crisp I created for Thanksgiving (using the abundant crop we had from our backyard arbor). Love this newsletter SO much.
I LOVE recipes. Cookbooks are my favorite. I also have folders full of recipes from the internet, but I find it harder to keep those organized and useful. I pay for the wonderful service Eat Your Books -- a way to digitally keep track of my cookbooks and search their recipes by ingredient. It's been so much fun to use, because I have 150+ cookbooks and it's now so easy to find what I need.
I use recipes pretty regularly, again because I love them, but I do cook simple food every day for breakfast and lunch and never use recipes for things like scrambled eggs, roasted veggies, sauteed greens, etc. I'm not comfortable cooking meat so I pretty much always use a recipe if meat is involved.
Anyway, I use the Mealime app and NYT (5-stars for both) and I typically follow the recipe the first few times. I find I end up riffing on the substitutions, versus quantities, etc. Like if a dish calls for chicken but I feel like I've had that a lot recently I might try it with pork. Brussels? I might try with green beans. It doesn't always work, but I like living on the edge.
And then there are the substitutions I make for the kids, but that's a different story and always a crap shoot.
I blend improvisation and recipes in a kinda haphazard way that works for me. I bookmark things or just google chaotically a lot, and once I’m comfortable, I like to riff without one. I especially enjoy technique/method-driven stuff like ATK, because that’s instruction I can apply to different meals.
I would LOVE to know your kitchen hacks, and I’m also super curious about ehy random blogs slay SEO and major pubs like BA and NYT Cooking (except for their relentless google ads) don’t rank higher. Knowing how to sift through recipe search results is a real trial takes background knowledge/skill most people don’t have.
I LOVE a good recipe! My partner and I meal plan our lunches and dinners for the week, and having a recipe, whether online or from one of my cookbooks, makes cooking easier and more enjoyable.
One thing to simplify our meal planning is the Google spreadsheet I created to keep track of all the online recipes. I have a tab for absolute favorites, one for tried and true, one for recipes to try out eventually, as well as a tab for good sources when we're on the hunt for something new. I categorize the recipe by meal type, and of course include notes.
I had a baking blog from 2011-2014 and shared recipes I developed, so for me it's critical to have well-tested and thoughtful recipes to work with. And Sara I agree with you completely about how to source these kind of recipes. I often check the comments to see if people are having similar issues with a spot, and I read the recipe through to see if it makes sense. I've been burned a couple of times by recipes that promise a lot (and deliver only headaches), so taking some time to evaluate is key.
I love a good recipe, particularly when trying a new food. I find I return to some of those recipes over and over, as if I will get lost in the woods without them splayed open on my kitchen counter. However, there's another side to my cooking - the risky creator. Nothing jazzes me more than pulling ingredients out of the frig and pantry to see what I can create, like the Concord Grape Crisp I created for Thanksgiving (using the abundant crop we had from our backyard arbor). Love this newsletter SO much.
I LOVE recipes. Cookbooks are my favorite. I also have folders full of recipes from the internet, but I find it harder to keep those organized and useful. I pay for the wonderful service Eat Your Books -- a way to digitally keep track of my cookbooks and search their recipes by ingredient. It's been so much fun to use, because I have 150+ cookbooks and it's now so easy to find what I need.
I use recipes pretty regularly, again because I love them, but I do cook simple food every day for breakfast and lunch and never use recipes for things like scrambled eggs, roasted veggies, sauteed greens, etc. I'm not comfortable cooking meat so I pretty much always use a recipe if meat is involved.
First time, long time...huge fan!
Anyway, I use the Mealime app and NYT (5-stars for both) and I typically follow the recipe the first few times. I find I end up riffing on the substitutions, versus quantities, etc. Like if a dish calls for chicken but I feel like I've had that a lot recently I might try it with pork. Brussels? I might try with green beans. It doesn't always work, but I like living on the edge.
And then there are the substitutions I make for the kids, but that's a different story and always a crap shoot.