Reasons Not to Alter a Recipe

There is nothing wrong with trying new recipes. In fact, I think it is a great idea because not only does it eliminate being in a routine but it helps everyone look forward to the next meal. Even if the casserole turns out terrible on Thursday, Friday’s meal will surely be a better one than the night before.

However, I can’t say that I know 365 recipes off the top of my head so it’s not odd to turn to the web for the next inspiration.  First, I look for what I am craving say a chicken pasta or easy appetizers. Then, I sort all the recipes by rating to see which are the most enjoyed/recommended. To make sure I know what I am getting into, I read the first five reviews or so.

Here is one example of a useful review:

“This recipe is great. It’s definitely going into my cookbook stash. I followed the recipe exactly how it said though I had to reread some of it because I got confused. Still, 5 out of 5 stars, yum.”

And here is the problem that I continue to see…

 “Don’t try this recipe! I followed the reviewer below me and changed some things. I didn’t like how much cheese there was so I added only half what was needed. It was lacking some kick so I added more seasonings. Even after the changes though it wasn’t as good as everyone else described. Mine was bland and really salty, ew. My family wondered what happened to my glorious weekend meals. L I’d say 2 out of 5.”

Let’s just make the naughty list (then maybe you can see where the second reviewer went wrong)

Do not change: Lessons for begginers or the unsure.

1.    Leave main ingredients alone like meats (changing the amount can change how much time it needs to be cooked.

2.   Don’t believe in all substitutions because wheat pasta doesn’t work with everything.

3.   Seasonings, you can’t double the salt and expect it to work out. Nor should you think that leaving out salt altogether will bring the natural flavors out in the meat.

4.   Measuring, stirring and cooking…if it says to do any of these even cookingfor 5 minutes do it for 5 not 1. It is easy to ruin the consistency of a sauce when it’s overcooked or not stirred. No one likes clumpy gravy.

5.   Sometimes even getting rid of mushrooms can change the meal. So be aware of what you are changing and what kind of taste you are trying to get to if you do omit something.

6. Basic recipes like pancakes, cookies, cakes and breads. No need to make things harder.

*Note: When it comes down to cooking, if a recipe gets a lot of hype and ratings just leave it as is. However, if you must change the recipe, the number 1 reason (other than for allergies) should be that you have tasted it prior to changing and that by adding or omitting an ingredient would suit your taste better.

Though it doesn’t seem like it there are things that are great to change. Next time, I will go into what can make a recipe 10 out of 10 just by tweaking a few things.