Do you taste the food while cooking it?
By checkmail
@checkmail (2039)
India
November 24, 2009 7:41am CST
Hello Mylot friends this is checkmail and am staring an discusison over our cooking habbits.Yeah most of the time many peoples tend to check their food taste when its cooking.Is it correct way to cook the food?
On my side in our traditions its not allowed to taste food while cooking as it is always first offered to God as "Naivaidya" and later its ready to eat.Me too even when i cook food, just add up the spices and salt(less) with the dishes and later taste it while am eating it, and not before it.This method have also improved my cooking and its taste.What about you?
10 people like this
62 responses
@eshaan (6188)
• India
24 Nov 09
ya...i also had that habit of tasting food..but recently for the same reason i have stopped tasting ...one panditji came to our place and he said that its very necessary to take out bhog for God..so i have to be very careful now..that ..that habit doesnt spoil the food...but u know..when i accidentally do it..how i think and forgive myself ...u know about shabri?? she tasted the bor (Indian fruit) and then offered to shree Ram...so that he can get all tasty fruits, so i think myself to be Shabri ..who for her lord tasted and then offered..though i know that my story is not going to be popular like shabri
2 people like this
@eshaan (6188)
• India
25 Nov 09
nothing special friend, we just take out all the things that we have cooked in one plate like we serve to someone and then place that dish in front of God (Pictures or idols) also keep water and then let it be kept there for enough time, later the food is given to Cow, which is also worshiped in India and considered a sacred animal. God never comes to eat though we believe so..
1 person likes this
@checkmail (2039)
• India
26 Nov 09
Hello eshaan this is checkmail and thanks for responding to the discussion of cooking and its preferences and sharing in your experience and knowledge about it.Well its an good practice in general, not to taste the food till its properly cooked and offered to our Gods.Means the food we will eat will not be halfcooked and will also be blessed by the God.Yeah you have narrated the best part of the epic Ramayan, about Prabhu Shri Ram and shabri.Excellent keep on going with it.Keep it up.
@sulsisels (1685)
• United States
24 Nov 09
eshaan. I find this so interesting but would like to know how you give it up to God first? How exactly is this done? Thanks J
@neelianoscet (9615)
• Philippines
24 Nov 09
I taste my food after it is already cook then i just add spices if they still taste bland, with little salt. Just like you when I first cook my food. I do fry all those spices like garlic first, then onions and if their is a meat i also add it. Then, when the meat becomes slightly brown it is then i add water then have to leave it for at least 15 to 30 minutes depending on the cooking time till all the ingredients is cook. If it is a vegetables i leave it for 3 minutes until it is fully cook and just taste the broth. if its lacking in taste it is then i add salt, aji no moto or other herbs to add a distinctive tastes in my dishes.
1 person likes this
@neelianoscet (9615)
• Philippines
28 Nov 09
hello checkmail,
well, that is my likes all the time I enjoy cooking, eating and at the same time to serve food to my family. It is a great pleasure seeing them devour happily on the food with a lot of admiration and appreciation is given to your from cooking made from labor of love.
@checkmail (2039)
• India
26 Nov 09
Hello neelianoscet this is checkmail and tahnks for responding to the discussion of cooking and its preferences and shraing in your experience and knowledge about cooking.Well its wonderful and an appropriate way you are cooking, you must have been an expert in cooking till now.Means your cooking skills and judgement of cooking in both veg and non-veg.And also its far more healthy.Hope you enjoyed the discusison.Keep it up.
@ANTIQUELADY (36440)
• United States
24 Nov 09
I have never been a taster when i cook. There are a few things i will taste like dressing for one to make sure i have enough sage in it. Hope u have a great thanksgiving.
@ANTIQUELADY (36440)
• United States
25 Nov 09
i just always want my dressing to be really good. I don't like veryone's dressing & everyone seems to like mine which is good, lol. Thanks for your response.
@checkmail (2039)
• India
25 Nov 09
Hello ANTIQUELADY this is checkmail and thanks for responding to the discussion of cooking preferences and sharing in your experience and views about it.Well its good that you don't taste the food while its cooking as its good for our cooking skill as well as our health.But can the dressing over the foods be an exception, as we can add as much of sweet, salt, spice over our food after taking its taste.Anyways keep it up.
1 person likes this
@marguicha (222389)
• Chile
24 Nov 09
I seldom taste the food that I´m cooking, but I smell it. I know how much salt a dish will need but I use my nose to see if I add more spices or herbs. I cook with less salt than most of the people I know because some friends have small kidney problems and some others have high blood pressure.
1 person likes this
@marguicha (222389)
• Chile
26 Nov 09
I have known for a long time that, as food cooks, the salt and spices we add get stronger. So it´s better to be on the safe side, specially when you get older like myself. Now, the good thing about getting older is that you have learned some things
@checkmail (2039)
• India
26 Nov 09
Hello marguicha this is checkmail and thanks for respondign to the discussion of cooking and its preference and sharing in your experience and views about it.Well using less salt while cooking is an good trick and works to its best.Even if some salt or spice is less in our cooked food we can add up and adjust it while eating.But we cannot judge the taste while cooking than that of the cooked food.This practice improves our skills and judgement in cooking.
@yolanda19191 (1934)
• China
26 Nov 09
when i was a child, and would taste the food first, to test if i had put the salt or not, if put the salt too more or too less. but now, seldom, though seldom cooking.
1 person likes this
@checkmail (2039)
• India
26 Nov 09
Hello yolanda19191 this is checkmail and thanks for your response to the discussion of cooking and its preferences and sharing in your experience and views about it.Well addin salt to cooking should alays be less, so that if required after tasting it can add a little up.Nice improvement in your cooking style the seldom cooking, more healthy and more easy.Keep it up.
@neelimaravi (1793)
• India
25 Nov 09
hi checkmail, yeah, i taste the food while i am cooking, mainly i check for the salt and spicyy, becasue my kids won't so much spicy, so, i avoid to put so much spicy. for that i check the taste. thankyou, have a nice day.
1 person likes this
@checkmail (2039)
• India
25 Nov 09
Hello neelimaravi this is checkmail and thanks for responding to the discussion of cooking and sharing in your experience and views about it.Well if you give an try not to taste while cooking and add less of spices and salts while cooking may improve your judgement of cooking.In few days you might get an perfect cooking style and even if less in taste you can add up later while eating it.Anyways keep it up.
@neelimaravi (1793)
• India
25 Nov 09
hi, my pleasure to give response to all our friends, to share our opinions. thankyou, have a good day.
@Aingealicia (1905)
• United States
27 Nov 09
Hello Checkmail,
I have been cooking in Professional kitchens in America since I was 9. I was taught by my Gram to always taste the cooking as you cook. The reason why is if you will not eat your food why should the people whom you cook for and you never know who is looking when you cook. For some over here in my traditions of cooking it would be rude not to eat the food and you may find some will not eat the food if you did not taste it as you were cooking.
I am Native American and Irish. I just had to respond to your discussion because our worlds are so different. I admire and appreciate what you do for your cooking and had never heard of others doing that before.
Take care,
Ainge
1 person likes this
@checkmail (2039)
• India
28 Nov 09
Hello Aingelicia this is checkmail and thanks for responding to the discussion of cooking and its preferences and shring in your experience and knowledge with us.Think that you got mine point but still again would like to clear it out.Well the original taste of food is when its completely cooked and ready to eat, and not while its cooking , so its useless to taste the food while its cooking.And the best part of it is the judgment that a cook has in his hands.Even over here many times its said that his hands have got some taste, whose judgement is nearly perfect.And this practice also improves our cooking skill, way to become an expert in cooking.Its strange but true and its fact.Anyways keep it up.
@taface412 (3175)
• United States
28 Nov 09
I pretaste my food before I serve it. Also it helps to try it out while cooking to make sure the seasoning is just right.
1 person likes this
@checkmail (2039)
• India
28 Nov 09
Hello taface412 this is checkmail and thanks for responding to the discussion of cooking and its preferences and sharing in your experience and views about it.Well its an good practice to follow as it improves our cooking skills.And yeah yoiu can pretest the food before serving but after its cooked completely.and not before it.You can check the seasoning when you taste it, if someting less than can add a little bit while eating it/serving it.Keep it up.
@haiershen (1080)
• China
26 Nov 09
for me, all the food i cooked should be taste nearly ready as i'm not good at it, sometimes, i will forget some spice in it, sometimes i will put more salt in it, so it is very important process to taste food while cooking. but my mum doesn't as she cooked for many years.she know well how much the spice for each dish need is? good luck and have a nice day!
1 person likes this
@checkmail (2039)
• India
26 Nov 09
Hello haiershen this is checkmail and thanks for respondign to the discussion of cooking and its preferences and sharing in your experience and views about it.
The practice of cooking food without tasting it while cooking is an good way to cook food.Yeah you do have to remeber always what integrediants you have to add in the cooking.As well as add less if your judgement is not so good.But always tast it when its completely cooked, and if anthing less in taste just add up before eating.Keep it up.
@rosepedal64 (4188)
• United States
24 Nov 09
Hi checkmail
Yeah..I am one of those that taste the food whiling cooking. I always use an extra spoon for taste testing reasons. I do this to make sure that I have enough spice,salt or pepper in my dish that I am cooking. Some things I don't have to do this to.
Have a nice day and keep smiling.
@checkmail (2039)
• India
25 Nov 09
Hello rosepedal64 this is checkmail and thanks for respondign to the discussion over our cooking habbits and preference, also for sharing in your experience and views.Welll we can taste our food later when its served, just we need to add less of spices and salts while cooking.I don' think it affects our cooking but improves our way of cooking.Keep it up.
@rosepedal64 (4188)
• United States
25 Nov 09
I wanted to share something with you. Just last night I was cooking dinner and I went to get out a spoon and taste my sauce. I thought about this discussion while I was doing that and got tickled. My point being that I do remember the discussions that I respond to...LOL
Keep Smiling.
@ChrysanTflower (1607)
• Indonesia
2 Dec 09
Hi checkmail
I see.. so it is the tradition in your country. In my country, and my home especially, I often look my mom tasting the food while cooking it, so I guess that habit influence me and I do that too, taste the food while cooking. It helps me to know its taste and maybe add some salt or other spices into it. If I add spices after that food finish to be cooked, usually the taste will be different than if I add spices while the food still in cooking-process
My dad doesn't like salty food, but I and my mom love salty. So we often do the same as you, add the spices and salt in less amount, then add it after my dad take his portion..
1 person likes this
@checkmail (2039)
• India
2 Dec 09
Hello ChrysanTflower this is checkmail and thanks for responding ot eh discussion of cooking and its preferences and sharing in your experience and views aobut it.Well its good to nkow that you too follow the same practice as we do while cooking, but its really not good to taste the food while ooking as we lose our original taste in that process of getting perfect.We must get perfect in our cooking through our perfect judgement in it.Well can say cookig is an pure game of confidence and judgement.Anywys keep it up.
@msfrancisco9369 (10002)
• Boston, Massachusetts
24 Nov 09
Hi Checkmail,
I taste the food while i am cooking to check on it's taste. I need to make sure that it tastes good. Everything must be there. I don't want to miss any ingredients and i can determine what is lacking or missing.
@checkmail (2039)
• India
26 Nov 09
Hello msfrancisco9369 this is checkmail and thanks for responding to the discussion of cooking and its preference and sharing in you experience and views about it.Well its always good to taste our food after its completely cooked as its the real taste that we like.Well you must be atleast perfect in adding up the integredients while cooking, even can add less of it so that if less in the taste can add on while eating.Mainly its salt and spices.This practice aims at imroving our cooking skills.Keep it up.
@msfrancisco9369 (10002)
• Boston, Massachusetts
26 Nov 09
yes, i preferred not to put on so much salt or any spices because there is a way to do it "individually" in the eating session. each can prepare their own sauce to add more taste. I like hot and spicy sauce with lemon.
@epicure35 (2814)
• United States
26 Nov 09
I do taste what I am cooking as I go along. Many times I don't use an exact recipe, so I need to be sure of the seasoning. Even when I do an exact amount, it still needs tasting to be sure of saltiness and spiciness since some of the ingredients, such as cheeses, etc. vary in saltiness.. Most professional cooks, as in those on Food Network, always taste for seasoning, as conditions vary and foods vary some, too. I believe also, the French standard for a well-cooked meal is that it should be seasoned to the taste of the chef in classic style and should not require further salting, etc. by the patron.
@checkmail (2039)
• India
26 Nov 09
Hello epicure35 this is checkmail and thanks for responding to the discussion of cooking and its preferences and for sharing in your experience and knowledge about it.Well practically this method yields more easily as compared to other methods.The food must be cooked well in order to taste or else the taste that we take during its cooking its just an halfcooked food tasted.And even is considered as an sign of inexperience, lack of judgements.Even sometimes due to tasting in between the cooking makes our own taste worst.Well anyways keep it up.
@triplejazzm51 (1373)
• Philippines
27 Nov 09
Hi checkmail! I love cooking and i am fond of trying new recipes. When i was just starting with this hobby, i usually taste the food while i am cooking especially if it is a new recipe. Of course i would like it to be delicious so that it will be liked by those who will eat it. In our place we dont have a belief that tasting food before it's served is not allowed so we are free. Recently i dont taste the foods i am cooking anymore because i know the proportion of the engridients already and i know how it tastes.
@checkmail (2039)
• India
28 Nov 09
Hello triplejazzm51 this is checkmail and thanks for responding to the discussion of cooking and its preferences and sharing in your experience and views about it.Well normally even if we are cooking an new recipe we must let the food first cook then taste it.Mine point is that when we taste the food it should be the taste which we eat, completely cooked and not the taste that we do while cooking.
Even if not belief like us its an good practice to follow as it improves our cooking style as well as our judgement in it.Hope you got mine point.Keep it up.
@scarlet_woman (23463)
• United States
26 Nov 09
i do.otherwise i'm not going to know if it needs more seasoning.
offering some to god sounds like a nice tradition to me,but i'd still taste it myself.i wouldn't want to offer something i cooked if it tasted horrible.
i'd feel really bad about that.
1 person likes this
@checkmail (2039)
• India
26 Nov 09
Hello scarlet_woman this is checkmail and thanks for respondign to te discussion of cooking and its preference and shring in your experience and views about it.Well you can taste the food after its fully cooked in order to check the taste before serving anyone.But not during its still cooking, we won't know the actual taste of an coked food.Hope you get mine point.keep it up.
@checkmail (2039)
• India
26 Nov 09
Hello milfea this is checkmail and thanks for responding tot he discussion of cooking and its preferences and sharing in your views about it.Hope you enjoyed the discussion.
@walijo2008 (4644)
• United States
26 Nov 09
Most of the time I don't taste my food while I'm cooking, I can usually look at it and tell what it needs. I don't use alot of salt either, mainly because I'm not supposed to eat salty foods, I just tell everyone to they will have to salt it themselves. If I tasted my food while I was cooking by the time it was ready to eat I wouldn't be hungry..lol.
1 person likes this
@checkmail (2039)
• India
26 Nov 09
Hello walijo2008 this is checkmail and thanks for responding to the discussion of cooking and its preferences and sharing in your experiecne and knowledge about it.
Wel the way you are cooking is quiet a bit good, it improves our cooking skills and our judgement in cooking.Great going, you must be expert by now in cooking.Keep it up.
@happy6162 (3001)
• United States
25 Nov 09
It all depends on what I am cooking. If I add different spices I will taste it to see if I need to add anymore to the food. If I am in a hurry and just open a can and heat up something I will not taste the food.
1 person likes this
@checkmail (2039)
• India
26 Nov 09
Hello happy6162 this is checkmail and thanks for respondign to the discussion of cooking andd its preferences and sharing in your experience about it.Well while cooking we can add up spices much less according to our judgement and can taste the food later when ready to eat.Hope you get mine point.Anyways keep it up.
@Angelindisguise (378)
• India
26 Nov 09
Yes ,Always i do ..Yes in our tradition also we offered to God and later we have it.
1 person likes this
@checkmail (2039)
• India
26 Nov 09
Hello Angelindisguise this is checkmail and thanks for respondign to the discusison of cooking and its preferences and sharing in your experience and views about it.Hope you enjoyed the discussion.Keep it up.
@Jayervin (64)
• United States
25 Nov 09
I used to not do this, but as I learned to cook more food and experiment new flavors I did this more often. I taste it just so I could estimate the goodness of it and what else I have to put. If I don't taste it while I'm cooking, I won't know if it's good enough, so what's the point of serving it?
1 person likes this
@checkmail (2039)
• India
26 Nov 09
Hello Jayervin this si checkmail and thanks for responding to the discussion of cooking and its preferences and sharing in your experience and views about it.
Well the actual taste of the food is when its completely cooked and not when its still cooking, that the point of this practice.And the rest of cooking steps we required are of our skills and judgements, which are improved with this method.Don't thinkanyother method better than this.Tasting inbetween the cooking is an sign of inexperience in cooking.Anyways keep it up.