> Do people normally measure spices? For me, no, not anymore. Recipes serve as inspiration and I rarely do more than scan the ingredients list and then go off

> Do people normally measure spices? For me, no, not anymore. Recipes serve as inspiration and I rarely do more than scan the ingredients list and then go off to make something (inspired). It's taken me a lot longer to develop a great intuition of which herbs, spices, and ingredients combine to make a great flavor than it did to develop the intuition of how /much/ to use if I know what I'm using. The problem here is the threeish kinds of cooks: - beginner - experienced recipe follower - experienced intuitive I've been asked for "recipes" by people in camp #2 - and they don't know what to do with what I'm able to give them. Which is fair - my recipes are just a list of general ingredients, spices, and a method of cooking in my head. "These vegetables (sauté), these meats (brown), combine, these spices ("enough", go heavy on this particular one), this preparation (slow simmer for hours, like a chili), this finish." Camps #1 and #2 want exactly the same thing, they just need varying level of specificity. Both would strongly prefer you give them exact measurements. My guess is #1/#2 is the bulk of people who cook. The recipe cards that everyone's family seems to have as heirloom keepsakes - those are all more #2 with a dash of #3 ambiguity thrown in to throw off any people trying to copy grandma's old recipe. The recipes swapped at potlucks and family dinners - same. There's usually a (simpler or more shortcuty than the person might want to admit) recipe buried under there.