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When cooking, do you usually follow instructions or wing it?

Tanya Turner

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Cooking is an art and baking is a science LOL.

Don't mess with baking , measure things with a scale and follow the instruction. You are trying to create certain chemical reactions. That's why when you see a lot of baking recipes for the same type of things they are basically the same and the proportions or flavoring is that thing that changes.

I personally like to read a couple of recipes and figure out what works for me. Whether is cooking or baking, like I take the cake from one recipe and buttercream from another and make my own fillings.

With cooking I like to figure out what are the usual flavours and techniques and once i get an idea I decide what I am going to adapt to make it work for me.

For example: I wanted to make bulgogi but I didn't have any of the fruits for the marinade so I made my own version without fruit.
 

emptybubbles

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Depends on how I feel that day. Sometimes I just like to live dangerously and no amount of prior error is going to stop me.
 

maybelle

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I usually follow the instructions because I find that substituting an ingredient or leaving something out can drastically alter the taste. I don't want to waste my time cooking or baking for nothing.
 

ThatChic704

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Definitely wing it when cooking, 99% of the time it turns out great, that 1% was some dressing I made with entirely too much sage, it was awful. Baking you gotta follow directions. There is a different between self rising flour and all purpose flour... trust me
 

Reflection

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I wing it with both. With baking I won’t change the ratios too much but I’ll do things like add more spices, swap oil for butter or applesauce depending on my mood and what I have on hand, decrease the amount of sugar (most recipes especially those with southern in the name are too sweet for my liking) and add extracts, chocolate, or fruits to suit my fancy. I’ve been baking and making Sunday dinners since I was in middle school so I know what I’m doing.
 

Delebe

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That looks like the brownies I keep ordering from dominos that keep making me sick :ROFLMAO:
Cooking I just improvise and do my thing. I don’t enjoy baking because I don’t like the preciseness required to bake. You can’t just substitute whatever you want either which is too much work for me lol.
 

sage

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I tried to make some peanut butter cookie brownies. I'm pretty sure I was supposed to layer it, like one layer cookie mix and then the next layer is brownie mix, etc. But I just poured the chocolate in first and then the pb mix on top. It's not "pretty" because the chocolate surfaced during the baking process but it is delicious!

IMG-1913.jpg

Baking is not cooking. It's very different to wing a baking recipe vs cooking recipe. Even while winging a baking recipe, you need to know your ratios of ingredients. You can wing it with flavors, but baking is not as forgiving as cooking.
 

byanymeans

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Baking yes, cooking no.

I have more fun cooking because the more I do a recipe the more I feel comfortable switching things up to my liking.

I never feel comfortable improvising when baking lol I'm reading the box 100 times, YouTubing videos and calling my mama 3-5 times lmao
 

Sackboy

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I wing it with both. With baking I won’t change the ratios too much but I’ll do things like add more spices, swap oil for butter or applesauce depending on my mood and what I have on hand, decrease the amount of sugar (most recipes especially those with southern in the name are too sweet for my liking) and add extracts, chocolate, or fruits to suit my fancy. I’ve been baking and making Sunday dinners since I was in middle school so I know what I’m doing.
Wait, what are you doing with the applesauce?
 

Sackboy

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That looks like the brownies I keep ordering from dominos that keep making me sick :ROFLMAO:
Cooking I just improvise and do my thing. I don’t enjoy baking because I don’t like the preciseness required to bake. You can’t just substitute whatever you want either which is too much work for me lol.
Why are you buying food that keeps making you sick? Lol
 

PinkPancakes

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When it's my first time trying it out, I always follow the recipe unless it's a minor change. For example a recipe I tried called for orzo but I didn't have it and used rice instead. I will make adjustments the next time around. When baking it is very important to follow the recipe. The things you can change around are spices like cinnamon, nutmeg etc. you can also adjust the sugar content.
 

Miss NiceNastay

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I get irritated/lose patience with following recipes for some strange reason so while I try to follow, I end up just doing my own thing.
 

honey8271

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I follow directions for baking but cooking is less precise and allows for adjustments and substitutions depending on your personal preference so I do any experimentation there.
 

lilcaps

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I tried to make some peanut butter cookie brownies. I'm pretty sure I was supposed to layer it, like one layer cookie mix and then the next layer is brownie mix, etc. But I just poured the chocolate in first and then the pb mix on top. It's not "pretty" because the chocolate surfaced during the baking process but it is delicious!

IMG-1913.jpg
OP I can tell you are adventurous. Well on a positive note it looks better than that raggedy lasagna you posted.

The good news is chocolate and peanut butter taste good together so yea, you got lucky this time. lmao

Baking can be a beast you really have to follow the directions.

I made a homemade german chocolate cake and I think I put baking powder instead of baking soda. The cake came out looking beautiful. and with the homemade icing, whew Lord looked mouth-watering.it.

That cake tasted like I had poured a box of salt in it.

tenor.gif
 

Sackboy

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OP I can tell you are adventurous. Well on a positive note it looks better than that raggedy lasagna you posted.

The good news is chocolate and peanut butter taste good together so yea, you got lucky this time. lmao

Baking can be a beast you really have to follow the directions.

I made a homemade german chocolate cake and I think I put baking powder instead of baking soda. The cake came out looking beautiful. and with the homemade icing, whew Lord looked mouth-watering.it.

That cake tasted like I had poured a box of salt in it.

tenor.gif
Lmao that wasn’t even my lasagna, don’t try to play me!
 

Sackboy

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I get irritated/lose patience with following recipes for some strange reason so while I try to follow, I end up just doing my own thing.
I was with them until I realized I was supposed to layer. I was like hell naw lol how bad could it be. Whew
 

rosescented

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I tried to make some peanut butter cookie brownies. I'm pretty sure I was supposed to layer it, like one layer cookie mix and then the next layer is brownie mix, etc. But I just poured the chocolate in first and then the pb mix on top. It's not "pretty" because the chocolate surfaced during the baking process but it is delicious!

IMG-1913.jpg

wing it. mess up. try again... just like life lol
 

QuesoCurlZ

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I typically follow the gist of the recipe but will experiment with the flavor, spices, etc. And I have go-to ingredients that pretty much go on everything, regardless of what the recipe calls for.
 

celinebean

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baking sorta, I will usually skip some sugar and eggs.

cooking, no. I try to understand the gist of the recipe and go from there.
 

Lexonfiyah

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Both. But like someone else said above, cooking and baking are different. You have to be exact in baking.
 

okaywhatever

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As my mama would say, “baking is a science.” You gotta follow the instructions. But I do what the hell ever when it comes to cooking.
 

ChihulyGlass

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I tried to make some peanut butter cookie brownies. I'm pretty sure I was supposed to layer it, like one layer cookie mix and then the next layer is brownie mix, etc. But I just poured the chocolate in first and then the pb mix on top. It's not "pretty" because the chocolate surfaced during the baking process but it is delicious!

IMG-1913.jpg
OP, this is a dumb question, but I like to get dumb things off my chest. I am looking at your avatar. Is that you? If it is, are you Travie from Gym Class Heroes?

I follow a recipe for baking. Cooking is more freeform.
 
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tanykaB

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Cooking I follow the directions at first, then wing it after that. Baking I follow the directions, but I downloaded this book about ratios that one of those cooking youtubers mentioned lmao and it made things a lot easier. Like pancakes is just one part egg, two parts flour, two parts liquid, half part fat, and of course sugar and 1tsp(or .5 can’t remember) baking powder.
Long as you have a scale to weigh your items you’ll be fine with baking. Weighing your things is the most precise way and you don’t have to worry about ducking up your measurements. Only thing that could mess you up is overworking your mixture
Sis got a link for that book?
 

Go-Go Girlie

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I've been baking for 40+ years so I do wing it occasionally. I know how to substitute baking powder for baking soda in an emergency. Or that you can add a tablespoon of vinegar to whole milk to sub for buttermilk. I never use margarine or shortening in cookies--only butter. I also will make brown butter and sub for regular butter in chocolate chips.

I always wing recipes. I will look up several recipes and create my own.
 

Morning View

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I've been baking for 40+ years so I do wing it occasionally. I know how to substitute baking powder for baking soda in an emergency. Or that you can add a tablespoon of vinegar to whole milk to sub for buttermilk. I never use margarine or shortening in cookies--only butter. I also will make brown butter and sub for regular butter in chocolate chips.

I always wing recipes. I will look up several recipes and create my own.
Brown butter is the best thing in the world lmao. I use it for my cookies and brownies.
 

Sackboy

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I've been baking for 40+ years so I do wing it occasionally. I know how to substitute baking powder for baking soda in an emergency. Or that you can add a tablespoon of vinegar to whole milk to sub for buttermilk. I never use margarine or shortening in cookies--only butter. I also will make brown butter and sub for regular butter in chocolate chips.

I always wing recipes. I will look up several recipes and create my own.

Brown butter is the best thing in the world lmao. I use it for my cookies and brownies.
What’s that?
 

Morning View

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What’s that?
It’s when you cook the butter down till the solids appear. It’ll get a nice amber color and have a nice nutty taste to it, I usually cook it on a low heat to not burn it and constantly stir it si the solids don’t burn.
 

Qui Vive

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I tried to make some peanut butter cookie brownies. I'm pretty sure I was supposed to layer it, like one layer cookie mix and then the next layer is brownie mix, etc. But I just poured the chocolate in first and then the pb mix on top. It's not "pretty" because the chocolate surfaced during the baking process but it is delicious!

IMG-1913.jpg
When cooking, I wing it but when baking I'm precise because things can go wrong or the texture could change. I'm glad your brownie thing turned out yummy though lol
 

Go-Go Girlie

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It’s when you cook the butter down till the solids appear. It’ll get a nice amber color and have a nice nutty taste to it, I usually cook it on a low heat to not burn it and constantly stir it si the solids don’t burn.
I also found that using a wide shallow pan works best. And then I put it in the fridge for about an hour to get more solid. Brown butter changed the game for me with baking. That and toasted my nuts.
 

Morning View

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I also found that using a wide shallow pan works best. And then I put it in the fridge for about an hour to get more solid. Brown butter changed the game for me with baking. That and toasted my nuts.
Definitely gonna try the toasted nuts!
 

lipstickalley08

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New Dishes - follow the recipe, of course
Baking - exact measurements, really can't wing baking, gotta trust the science lol
Cooking everything else esp if it is a staple, go-to meal, I let the ancestors lead me lol
 

RaRaRaHu

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Honestly...I actually just wing it. I take a recipe, and then modify it to the way I want and with the ingredients I want. I mix like 3 recipes when I cook.
 

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