Ask any recipe developer, chef, magazine food writer, food blogger, cookbook author or other serious cook for advice and chances are the No. 1 tip will be “read the recipe before you begin.” And yet, many of us skip impatiently to preparing the recipe.
J. Kenji López-Alt, Serious Eats chief culinary consultant and “Food Lab” columnist recalls, “Back when I use to work for Cook's Illustrated magazine, part of our interview process for new hires was to have them cook through recipes. Their only task was to read the recipe and follow it exactly as written. You wouldn't believe the number of folks who would start cooking before reading through every step only to find that they were missing a tool they needed at a time sensitive juncture, or that they hadn't divided ingredients properly.”
Sarasota reader Betsy Nelson e-mailed: “I was struggling with a sabayon, wasting an expensive ice wine in the process. I called Chuck (Kelly, former co-owner of Ophelia’s) for advice. He advised when in doubt, read the recipe out loud. I quickly discovered my mistake (I suspect it was an issue of time . . .). I have used this tip successfully many times.”
Others recommend reading through the entire recipe at least twice. The first time, make sure all of the ingredients listed are included in the instructions and there are no ingredients in the instructions that are not in the ingredient list. Make a note of any ingredients that are divided to be used at different stages of the recipe. Look for amounts (usually typos) that don’t make sense, such as 1/2 cup baking powder or 1/4 teaspoon buttermilk in a recipe for blueberry pancakes. Make note of any ingredients you can’t eat or don’t like and consider how leaving them out or making substitutions might affect the final product.
On the second read-through, visualize yourself completing each step. This may sound excessive or even obsessive, but is totally worth the time and effort.
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
To prevent a mid-recipe market run, suggests thekitchn.com’s Gina Eykemans, make a checklist of the ingredients you will need for the recipe, and then head to the pantry and refrigerator to be sure you have enough of each.
Assemble, measure and arrange ingredients in the order they will be added to the recipe and return unused portions to the pantry or fridge to unclutter your workspace.
Assemble tools and utensils you will need on a portable surface such as a baking sheet, large dinner plate, pie plate or cutting board. This is handy for when you know you’ll be reusing measuring spoons, cups, spatulas, tongs, knives, whisks, etc. When you are done cooking, carry the portable work surface and all the utensils to the sink or dishwasher and wash.
Keep multiple spoons and cups of various sizes in a big bowl. This saves time when you have used one tablespoon to measure olive oil and then discover you need a tablespoon of flour.
Note which ingredients are added collectively and combine them ahead of time, suggests Seriouseats.com associate editor Niki Achitoff-Gray, (for example, cold coffee, eggs and vanilla in brownies, tomato juice and broth in picadillo, and chopped onions and celery in soup or stew) .
“Respect the order of things,” says Eykemans. It might seem tedious and unnecessary to combine wet and dry ingredients separately, but recipe developers familiar with how ingredients react together usually have good reasons for combining them in a particular order.
Pay attention to times provided by the recipe. I usually figure anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes more than the recipe suggests, especially if I am making it for the first time. Variations in ovens, stoves, cookware and freshness of ingredients all affect cooking, rising, resting, curing and baking times.
“Get familiar before getting fancy,” says Eykemans. Follow the recipe’s instructions closely the first time you make it. As you cook, jot down notes about timing and sensory cues so you will know what to expect next time. Over after-dinner coffee, note how you served the recipe (hot, room temperature, cold), what you served with it, who liked it and why, who didn’t like it and why and what you would do differently. It is also nice to include the date and the occasion, if any.
In order to get a feel for a new-to-me recipe, I look at several versions in cookbooks and online and note variations in ingredients, amounts and methods and then choose the one I am most comfortable with.
Don’t judge a recipe by its title, says Shawn Eliav, spoonuniversity.com. The title gives you the basic framework, but the subtle nuances come from the ingredients.
By the same token, don’t be put off by a recipe title that includes many of the ingredients. For example, Lemon-Dill Orzo Pasta Salad with Cucumbers, Olives, and Feta may not be as complicated as it sounds. Check it out below.
Something recipes probably don’t say enough is “taste your food,” Lopez-Alt’s No. 1 rule of cooking. In addition to suggesting times, good recipes provide sensory indicators such as “golden brown,” “soft and translucent,” “fragrant,” “crisp-tender” and “slightly thickened.” But nothing can provide the useful information you get by tasting as you go. “It’s the only way to know if the seasoning is right and if there are any ‘off’ flavors going on,” adds Alt-Lopez.
Remember that recipes are launching pads, inspiration and guidelines. They are not law. And don’t panic if your final product does not look like the picture in books, blogs, magazines, videos or on cooking shows. Chances are more time was spent on styling those appetizing pictures than on preparing the recipe itself. You don’t have to be a food stylist to be a good cook, says Eliav.
I have found an invaluable online resource in the comments of folks who have prepared the recipe and taken the time to comment on blogs and websites.
These tips are from some of those folks:
Use recipes from sources you trust.
Rewriting a recipe in your own words is a good way to become familiar with it. This ensures you have read the entire recipe, and writing it on a sheet of loose leaf paper makes it easy to post on the refrigerator or cupboard door while cooking, make notes and then file in a binder when you are done.
Write oven temperature, prep/cooking times and number of servings in the upper right corner of the recipe sheet for quick reference.
Lemon-Dill Orzo Pasta Salad with Cucumbers, Olives and Feta
1 pound orzo pasta
Zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 medium shallot, grated
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
1 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
2 medium cucumbers peeled except for a few narrow strips, cut in half lengthwise, seeded and sliced
6 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
Cook orzo in generously salted water according to package instructions. Drain; transfer to a large salad bowl.
Lemon-dill vinaigrette: Combine lemon zest and juice, mustard, and shallot in a medium bowl. Whisk everything together with a few pinches of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Slowly add olive oil while whisking, then stir in dill. Taste and adjust as needed.
Pour vinaigrette over the still-warm pasta; toss. Allow to cool to room temperature; add olives and cucumbers. Scatter crumbled feta over the top. Serve.
Serves 8.
From food52.com
Email Linda Brandt at brandtlinda11@gmail.com.
