Christine Dabney wrote:
>
> I do the same thing. My feeling is (especially if the recipe is from a
> noted chef/cook) that the author may have some specific outcome in
> mind, or a flavor combination that he/she is trying to achieve. If I
> start messing with the recipe right from the bat, I may miss what it
> was intended to be, and that intention might well be spectacular if
> the directions are followed.


I just wish they'd explain their reasoning in a sentence at the top or
in a side bar. One of the last times I tried following a recipe
exactly, the instructions said to boil the vegetables for 20 minutes or
until soft. As I was doing it, I was thinking "these aren't going to be
soft; they're going to yucky mush" And you know what? They turned out
to be yucky mush.


I wish I'd listened to my common sense instead of following
instructions. If the recipe writer had explained something along the
lines of how they were supposed to be very soft or mushy for a reason,
maybe something to do with authenticity or the way the flavors mix with
others, I'd have understood and altered the recipe accordingly. Now I
go with my common sense to start.


--Lia