Exact measurements or 'little of this, pinch of that'?

This is about what I do too. The very first time I make a recipe, I am very careful because I want to see how it turns out. THEN when I make it again, I can kind of 'season to taste' or begin adjusting things based on how well I liked it made straight from the recipe. I do always add more pepper than things call for, and often I add garlic and onion, either more than specified or just because - my family and I love garlic and onion and spicy things.

Yeah, I tend to add a lot of garlic to recipes too -- I just like the taste!

Yep, that's why I am more careful with baking. I don't want my baked goods to come out dry or tasteless. I have found also with some things that using substitutes causes a change in texture - there are some really good easy cake batter cookies I make that i simply cannot sub applesauce for oil, they get sticky and then they don't turn out good. Applesauce tends to be good in cakes and breads rather than cookies - to make them moister and more healthy.

that's me, but if i am baking mostly its brownies. i don't do cake because i don't like frosting. and yes my kids like it, but my motto is i am not cooking anything i don't eat.LOL

I don't bake that much either, although I need to make some banana bread with my brown bananas - especially since I am having some people over tomorrow. I generally only bake if I am craving something sweet or there is an occasion.

Yes it does, I think it has to do with chemical reactions between ingredients when baking. Those reactions do not happen in cooking so it's not so easy to ruin a meal as it is a cake, souffle, cookie, or other dessert.

That's why I improvise in one but not the other :):) I do improvise some in souffles but more in what I add than in the quantities.

I haven't either! I made some poached fish a long time ago that ended up HORRIBLE, but that was over 3 years ago. Of course my husband has never let me forget it! It reminds me of this one time my mom made some eggplant dish. It was awful. My dad made signs behind his back that I should meet him outside so we could sneak off to Burger King! My mom was SOOO mad at us but later even she admitted the casserole was a disaster. I have never ever tried to cook eggplant and I never would.

Definitely. If it is good, EVERYBODY will tell you! In the same vein, if it is horrible there's no way you'd not know that either lol.

I've had to do that before too, but sometimes it's impossible and you have to run to the store to pick up a missing ingredient.

Same. It's hard to feel like experimenting when you are in uncharted waters lol!

I must admit I do add salt - BUT the reason I add extra spice is so I can reduce the amount of extra salt. My husband always salts his food and I prefer salty to sweet in most dishes. I don't actually need to restrict it though. I've thought about infusing oil to get extra flavor and then be able to use less oil too. I use mostly olive rather than vegetable.

I too follow exactly the first time to ensure it at least ends up edible. I do admit to adding certain seasonings on top of what is listed if they aren't listed because I know certain flavors I like in most of my cooking.

I like cooking unless I'm grouchy and tired. I employ a lot of ways to make it easy though, I try to make recipes that don't include too many steps or too many ingredients, and I either prep in advance or buy things already prepped like canned seasoned things, soups for sauces, shredded carrot, washed salad greens etc. I can still make things from scratch = like I should make some banana bread today but I don't make cakes or cookies from scratch these days.

LOL! When you get familiar with a few recipes maybe you won't feel like a bad cook any more.

LOL! Drawn and quartered, huh? I can also make something out of five ingreds, I actually have a cookbook somewhere which is a 5 ingred or less complilation. Of course I'm picky about some of my recipes so I even sub things or improvise from recipes there. My latest concoction is a spicy mexican chicken soup that can be made from basic canned staples in your pantry (chicken broth, spicy diced tomatoes, corn) and left over shredded chicken from a whole roasted chicken or cooked pieces from any other recipe, some basic spices, and fresh zucchini & tortellini (optional). I also have 5 ingredient fancy chicken cordon bleu that takes approx 10-15 min to put together and then maybe an hour to bake.

You're welcome It IS a fun topic because I like to see how many others experiment as well. I noticed that people who experiment tend to enjoy cooking, and cook from scratch often. People who do not experiment often hate to cook and/or aren't very good at it and therefore need to make sure they don't make fatal mistakes so they end up gettng takeout nightly lol.

Yep. I think baking recipes are just more finicky, everything has to be exactly right in order for things to rise or come out the correct texture. It's also important not to bake too long, while with baking other things, like casseroles, you can err one way or the other and as long as you have meat that you can check the temp of, it doesn't ruin the dish to cook a little shorter, longer, or at a diff temp.

I sometimes have to double recipes because they are traditionally written to serve 3-4 people. If you either have to cook for 6 or you cook for 4 but they each eat like two, then you have to double almost all the time. It's also nice to double or make extra so that you can pack some for lunch or a snack on another day.

I figure this is how new recipes unfold, somebody tweaks something and makes something MUCH BETTER than the original!

I think it has to do with chemistry... the same reactions aren't always present in cooking as in baking. At least not with the things I cook lol. For instance, I rarely use yeast or need a recipe to rise when I'm making dishes for a meal. I have also mostly used baking mixes in the last few years because my daughter has no patience for me to bake from scratch these days!