What's Your Cookbook Personality?

[barbszy]

How do you use your cookbooks?

You may check more than one answer in our poll!

[DeBora4BobbyL]

I usually follow the recipe to the letter the first time I make it. However, I then rewrite the recipe to my liking and many times don't even follow the recipe, except on baked foods such as cake and breads. I have had to figure out measurements for when I share recipes.

[happy6]

I love reading recipe books but hardly ever follow the exact recipe. It seems there is always something I've got to change!

[cat lover]

The first time I make a recipe I follow it except for substituting so I can follow DH diet for LOW fat/no fat. If we like it then, I may change it around some otherwise. I have two separate files for "finished" recipes. Once we are happy with the results I write it on a 3 x 5 and it goes into those files. This way we have a know we like it" that can be choosen from! Plus these usually become our "favorites" so at that time I follow the recipe exactly! Even if the recipe reguires little or no change; once we decide it is a "favorite" and it may be in a cookbook I still put it on a 3 X 5 foir keeps. I have soooo many cookbooks I'd never find it again! I also do write the date and whether it was a keeper or not (or bad if not) directly in the cookbook for fututre reference if I come across it again.

[ctawna]

:D I usually change something in the recipe. I am a "sneaky" nutritional cook. I sneak in extra vegetables or wheat germ or some kind of nuts, whatever will make the recipe better for you. I find that the taste is usually better.

Take care,

Colleen


Fear less, hope more, eat less, chew more, whine less, breathe more, talk less, say more, hate less, love more and all good things will be yours.

Swedish Proverb

[Bilby]

Yes no and maybe, I have my well worn recipe books I have ones I use for inspiration and ones that just seem to look good on my book shelf LOL

[pag36]

Bilby I too have some that I liked the looks of lol. But also have read majority of my books. For the most part I have made at least some recipes out of all my books except the French cooking one which once belonged to my beloved MIL. Adam (17 yr old g-son) wants it since it belonged to his great grand mom even tho' unfortunately he did not actually know her.

[Liza50]

I have a lot of cookbooks! I use some for inspiration and one that is so worn that I have two back-up copies of it. It is out of print and my sister-in-law had one that she never used! Found the other on EBay.
I usually make it the way the recipe reads the first time, make notes and any changes for the next time right in the cookbook. If the recipe is a winner, I have a blank recipe book that I transfer it into, since I don't always remember what book it came from!

[cat lover]

Liza50, drop in at this link and introduce yourself so others can get to know you!
http://www.momsmenu.com/forums/showthread.php?t=252&page=26

Look forward to seeing you around MomsMenu and sharing food talk with you.

[DeBora4BobbyL]

You sound a lot like me Liza. I look forward to seeing you on the Welcome thread (http://www.momsmenu.com/forums/showthread.php?p=10299&posted=1#post10299)so that others may get a chance to meet you as well as Catlover said.

[Sammi1961]

The first time I make something I will usually at least try to follow the recipe but after that I often change things or alter things that I wasn't thrilled with the first time. I may alter spices especially. Tonight I am making a chicken recipe that I have definitely altered.

[raggd3]

If I'm baking anything (bread,cake,other desserts) I usually follow the recipe. The ingredients are all balanced out, so I don't mess with them. too much, except for spices

But everything else is fair game. I'm always substituting one meat for another and swapping vegetables.

I like my food tasty so I'm more heavy handed on spices than most people.

I cook for my own taste. It can't be too bad, cause I've been told for many years that I'm a real good cook. Maybe they were just real hungry. LOL

[ewriggs]

I do all the same things everyone else does with my cookbooks!
Some are for "looking pretty" on the shelf
Some are for ideas
Some are "old friends" that I pull out often

First time around, I pretty closely follow the recipe (making them a little less "spicy" if necessary for DH's stomach)
After that, the recipe is "fair game!"

We now get a lot of our recipes from food network. The FoodTV.com website has all the recipes the major chefs demonstrate on their programs each day, so we download those as desired. Our recipe collection was getting so unwieldy that we invested in a good recipe organizing program: Living Cookbook (http://www.livingcookbook.com/?gclid=COekqp_x0IgCFQI1UAodYTK4Qg). It took a little getting used to, but now we each have it on our laptops (which we use in the living room while watching the food network. We can share our recipes with each other as desired, so that's a "good thing." I recommend this program, but realize there are many other recipe programs "out there" that others may find better for them.

Cheerio!
Elizabeth