So many recipes are “fine-tuned” to individual taste rather than a chemical equation… and can also depend on one’s health situation. Thus it’s not always a rigid set of rules.
Re Walnuts… I can munch on them until the cows come home, but I happened to Google them and found that (as with so many things) having more than a certain amount can be harmful.
Doctor has told me never to Google anything medical, but he didn’t say that about Recipes…
Anyway, I found that 4-6 (whole) walnuts daily should be OK.
OH has health problems so I am a bit careful with what he eats.
Other folk might like to eat more walnuts… more of this and that… we’re all different.
Lemon/oil/parmesan… again it’s blended together and individual taste will come into play.
We’ve got a set of metal measuring cups - 1, 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, etc. I assume they are American, but it really doesn’t matter that much provided I use the set for the whole of the recipe, which means I’m being consistent and getting the proportions between the different ingredients correct.
That’s how my OH cooks and it always comes out beautifully.
When quantities are essential, I always mention quantities…
But, for many things, it’s down to personal taste and one needs just a little courage to take that first step into the void.
OH is used to my “specials” and he’s never thrown the food away…
(he married someone who had never even so much as boiled an egg… and we are still happily together …)
Yes, and like my “cups” if you consistently use your own handful and your own glug throughout the recipe it will come out fine.
I remember years ago following Madhur Jaffrey’s Indian recipes and losing the will to live, 1/4 tsp of cumin, 1/4 tsp of coriander, 1/2 tsp of black pepper, 1/4 tsp of chilli flakes and on and on. Now I just throw in whatever comes out the jar - seems to work ok.
Hi Stella, I have been an irregular contributor to the forum since it first started but I seemed to have lost my virtual identity and have started again. To be honest, I shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near a computer!
In the privacy of your own kitchen you can do anything you like! I was specifically referring to the act of passing on a recipe. Surely, in that case, it makes sense for everybody to speak the same language?
This, in no way, affects your ability to adjust a recipe to your own taste. It is up to you how precise you want to be with the given measurement.
It is all very well being able to use the internet to make conversions but if the original supplier of the recipe did the conversion to grams once, it would save everybody else a lot of time.
I have taken everything I need from my old recipe books, done the conversions and keep them in a simple (indexed) Word file. I do the same with Internet recipes.
The recipe is in a simple two column table. That displays as a single recipe card to view on phone or tablet.
The first column is always the amount in grams. It is then easy, if you wish, to add columns to scale the recipe up or down, compute carbohydrates or calories or any other special dietary amounts, or even cost the ingredients – all with totals at the end of the recipe. You could also automatically convert the original measurement in grams to any unit you may prefer.
I do realise however that the chances of persuading traditional cooks to change their ways is virtually zero.
sounds about right…
I must admit none of my cookbooks talk about “cups” of this and that (except tea…),
but if someone gives me a recipe with “cups” and I’m interested enough, I can easily sort it.
Just saying I can cut a 2oz knob of butter but would have to calculate the equivalent in grams. I also naturally think in ft and inches but mostly work in metric.
Old engineer’s saying if the project starts in metric / imperial it stays in metric / imperial.
That’s why I live his recipes, I cook like that too
Reminds me of the story of the shearing shed I grew up with in Oz. It was built in the very late 1800s. The then owner had the plans drawn up, got someone in to build it and ‘popped’ back to England while the build happened. He hot back and excitedly went to see the new shed and almost had a fit, it was HUGE! The plans were in feet and it was built in yards needless to say we had the grandest shearing shed in the whole district! My brother had a huge 18th there, sadly we’d sold up by the time mine came along!!
Jamie, I really like and respect - he’s managed to connect with a generation that did not really know how to cook and his approach really works - I’ve seen it in my children and others and he’s always saying don’t be afraid to experiment.
I’m probably really going to throw a stone amongst the pigeons here - if you have access to Alexa or to Siri or to Google assistant, it’s very easy to ask “what is a cup in grams/oz/teaspoons, etc” Try it out. I use an app called Paprika which is really good. For storing and capturing recipes.
It is clear to me that my comments regarding units of measurement for ingredients have been misunderstood by most people. I was talking about communication NOT cooking. As this was a thread to share recipes I felt it was appropriate. Obviously my communication skills owe more to Frank Spencer than Brian Cox.
However, I do not want to interrupt the flow of excellent recipes being shared so I include my own here for a golden syrup pudding – ready in well under 10 mins from start to finish (in my gramatical format of course)
Don’t blame home cooks who occasionally indulge with something calorific! I blame people not having the time, money, or skills to prepare simple food from raw materials and so buying pre-prepared supermarket food packed full of unnecessary ingredients.
Haven’t had a golden pud for years. Very tempting! It would be a contrast to our rhubarb glut,
Gosh, time, money or skills. I don’t think they’re the main reasons why so many indulge in the highly processed ‘no/limited nutrient’ foods. I think alot of laziness and convenience wins over and then many people simply continue on that treadmill unfortunately. And the big food industry works very very well to keep folks drawn in, until the next stop, medical attention. A bit like smoking - everyone knows the harm it does, yet folks keep smoking - never really understood that
I have a sweet tooth, and love a good desert, but do try to keep a balance
