3 ms·

Tbh I can't actually imagine the measurements in a cookbook were ever really intended to be precise, at least in the kind I've seen. Like even 4 cloves of garli

by setr 9y ago

Tbh I can't actually imagine the measurements in a cookbook were ever really intended to be precise, at least in the kind I've seen. Like even 4 cloves of garlic is vague; it'd have to be given in weight, but no one actually reading a recipe would prefer 30g of garlic over 1 clove. Maybe differs in a restaurant or business, but for home cooking thinking of recipes as precise seems absurd to me. Its 600g... a number that was clearly rounded, and I would bet they eyeballed the amount they wanted and then measured it. Theres too much imprecision in a home kitchen to pretend to be precise

drusepth 9y ago
As someone relatively amateur to cooking, this is entirely news to me. Whenever something doesn't turn out right, I just assume I didn't follow the recipe exact enough somewhere along the way, but have no idea where. Outside of "be more precise when baking", I don't know enough to know when I need to follow recipes exactly and/or how much leeway I have for fudging otherwise. It's actually incredibly frustrating when trying to follow a cook book _because_ they're often so vague. Even things like "4 cloves of garlic" are nerve-wracking because I have no idea how big the average garlic clove is, whether mine is above or below that, how much that matters, in what ways that will affect the taste, how I should accommodate for more/less garlic later, and so on. Garlic's an easy example, but this frustration applies to almost every ingredient -- especially when they're "to taste" or "until brown" (how brown?) or "until ready" and so on. Give me 600g, give me "stir for 2 seconds", give me detail! If I wanted to go off-book, I wouldn't be using a recipe!
- setr 9y ago
  just what do you intend to do? Get a recipe that says 2 pounds chicken leg, 30g garlic, 10 sesame seeds and 4.2 cups yogurt; and then sit down and measure everything to these precise requirements? Realize you only have 4.1 cups of yogurt, and start skimming a little meat of the chicken to toss? It'd take you a day just to prepare the ingredient measurements! Drop some yogurt and you're back to the measuring table Home cooking is an improvised activity, primarily because its so lenient in what it'll accept. Of course, maybe the french will tell you otherwise, but most food doesn't come with any intent to be 100% reproducible (and it'd be extremely boring if it were), or "designed". They come out leniently tasty, and they look good leniently. Until brown? Until it looks like a good shade of brown. Until ready? Until it feels like its ready. To taste? Until its tasty. Its imprecise, because its an ancient activity. You do what seems like a good idea, and don't do it next time if it fails. Its a game where losing is kinda fun (unless you're "designing" food, which I have nothing to say about)
  - drusepth 9y ago
    Personally, I don't find "losing" (e.g. making food that isn't good) fun at all, but rather a large waste of time. I would love a recipe that details the quantities of everything I need, and -- yes -- I would (and do) measure down other ingredients when I don't have enough of one, because the minor upfront time cost of doing so outweighs the risk of wasting the entire meal if it turns out bad, IMO. I recognize that some people enjoy the art of cooking, but I personally don't. I cook to make food so I can survive. Perhaps I just haven't found the right cook books for my demographic.

by setr 9y ago

drusepth 9y ago

As someone relatively amateur to cooking, this is entirely news to me. Whenever something doesn't turn out right, I just assume I didn't follow the recipe exact enough somewhere along the way, but have no idea where. Outside of "be more precise when baking", I don't know enough to know when I need to follow recipes exactly and/or how much leeway I have for fudging otherwise. It's actually incredibly frustrating when trying to follow a cook book _because_ they're often so vague. Even things like "4 cloves of garlic" are nerve-wracking because I have no idea how big the average garlic clove is, whether mine is above or below that, how much that matters, in what ways that will affect the taste, how I should accommodate for more/less garlic later, and so on. Garlic's an easy example, but this frustration applies to almost every ingredient -- especially when they're "to taste" or "until brown" (how brown?) or "until ready" and so on. Give me 600g, give me "stir for 2 seconds", give me detail! If I wanted to go off-book, I wouldn't be using a recipe!

setr 9y ago
just what do you intend to do? Get a recipe that says 2 pounds chicken leg, 30g garlic, 10 sesame seeds and 4.2 cups yogurt; and then sit down and measure everything to these precise requirements? Realize you only have 4.1 cups of yogurt, and start skimming a little meat of the chicken to toss? It'd take you a day just to prepare the ingredient measurements! Drop some yogurt and you're back to the measuring table Home cooking is an improvised activity, primarily because its so lenient in what it'll accept. Of course, maybe the french will tell you otherwise, but most food doesn't come with any intent to be 100% reproducible (and it'd be extremely boring if it were), or "designed". They come out leniently tasty, and they look good leniently. Until brown? Until it looks like a good shade of brown. Until ready? Until it feels like its ready. To taste? Until its tasty. Its imprecise, because its an ancient activity. You do what seems like a good idea, and don't do it next time if it fails. Its a game where losing is kinda fun (unless you're "designing" food, which I have nothing to say about)
- drusepth 9y ago
  Personally, I don't find "losing" (e.g. making food that isn't good) fun at all, but rather a large waste of time. I would love a recipe that details the quantities of everything I need, and -- yes -- I would (and do) measure down other ingredients when I don't have enough of one, because the minor upfront time cost of doing so outweighs the risk of wasting the entire meal if it turns out bad, IMO. I recognize that some people enjoy the art of cooking, but I personally don't. I cook to make food so I can survive. Perhaps I just haven't found the right cook books for my demographic.