Ditching the Recipe Cards

That´s exactly how I learned to cook and now it is one of my most loved hobbies besides being a wonderful cook (my friends, family AND granchildren say it). I made my first meal when I was 18, just married. I had a maid then because my husband could afford one (he was a pro soccer player) and I could not boil water without burning it. Once the maid went out for her evening out and did not come back. The next day there was the unfrozen meat that I had taken out of the freezer and noone to turn it into a soup with big chunks of veggies that we call "cazuela" in my country. I said to myself: you are not dumb, you can do it. And decided to throw into the hot water the different foods, guessing which ones took more time to cook. It was a hit!!! From then on I stated to cook, bake, make desserts, you name it. Cookbooks are books where I get ideas, not recipes. Now that I´m a widow and ccannot afford to eat out, I am taken by my friends to expensive restaurants as payment to my gourmet cooking My grandchildren stand in awe as I do better than anyone the dishes thay like best.

i have to say that i am not a very adventurous chef. i leave that to my hubby! however, i have hardly ever followed a recipe but done most of my cooking from scratch.

Wow. That sounds very exciting! I wish I had that much confidence in my cooking. But maybe one day I will and I'll be able to do magic in the kitchen. Heh. For now, I'll either follow the recipe to the letter or have my Mom on speed-dial Have you considered sharing those recipes with others? They might be a hit on the INternet as well!

I've been a fan of cooking since I can remember. I used to follow recipes (not very strictly) but typically when I'm cooking I do it because I get an idea of ingredients to use. I'm constantly "winging it" in the kitchen, trying new things, seeing what works... that's the best way to do it! It's nice to follow a recipe sometimes though for things like cookies just so you get the proportions right and such. But yeah, I totally commend you for ditching the cards! Cooking is so much more fun when you're able to experiment for yourself and discover things on your own instead of following someone elses recipe. Plus, you get such a better feeling when people like what you cooked- and it was completely your own recipe!

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I also have this habit of ditching recipe cards. I am rather interested in making my way through every meals that I prepare. It is not always successful but every cooking is a learning experience which helps me become a better cook. It is nice to have recipes to follow and I recommend that for those who are just starting to learn how to cook. However if you already know your way, it can be really rewarding if you play with your creativity. Trial and error can be a best teacher when it comes to cooking. Also, nothing beats the feeling of being able to come up with a decent meal that you concocted yourself.

HI dear, I don't do much in cooking but I like cooking. If no one at home, it is my pleasure to try my way of preparation. I don't refer any of the creepies. As I am good taster, I can presume what all the ingredients and what proportion would be good enough to make a dish with veg or non veg items. It is our general common sense which help for it. If we got some idea about the kitchen matters, we can adapt our own way of cooking. Only thing some time we only have to finish all!!

I am truly fearful of this. I am not kidding when I say that. I am afraid that I my mix things together that don't match and then I land up of wating food. How do you do that? Do you think about what type of dish you intend to mkae as your looking for items in your house or do you pick items first and go from there? Do you generally land up eating a balanced diet when you do this?