Do you have the habit of always tasting your foods while you are cooking?

[ReadmeByAmy]

I just had this question in my mind because I remembered my mom was always angry to me before when I was just starting to learn how to cook. Before I had this habit that while I am cooking I always taste and taste because I want to make sure that my cooking taste good even sometimes my tongue got hurt when I tasted it and it is too hot. She said it will damage my teeth and at the same time it is unhygienic to see if I am always like that when I am cooking. Are you also like this while you are cooking? Or you are just relying on your measurement on your recipes and not tasting anymore while you are cooking?

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I always taste it whilst making it. How else do you know if it is even fit to serve? It annoys me that my husband won't taste it at all until it is the bowl and you are eating it! Only then does he work out that it didn't work, that it needed more pepper, more curry powder, more sugar, more..... and sometimes is not even edible!

It is only 'unhygienic' if a you are paranoid about germs (some exposure to germs is actually good for the body), you are ill, or you are not going to be bringing it back to the boil and killing all germs in sight.... or if you re-use the same spoon time and time again, and between you and me, when it is just the two of you and you are a married couple, there are plenty of other, less safe ways of 'transferring germs'

 

[Berties]

I have to try the seasoning and texture of dishes every time we cook something , I have a pot of spoons in water and discard them after use, not my finger , or double dip a spoon ,if you don't try food how do know it is seasoned correctly or rice is done etc

 

[Caribbean girl]

I believe a good cook should be in the habit of tasting what they are cooking. I always taste my food while I am cooking it. However, I do not do so continuously throughout the cooking, just about once or twice to make sure that everything has just the right taste. I do not think it is a good idea to make a guess that the measurements we are adding to the food is the right amount.

 

[DancingLady]

If I am making something new I will taste it, but otherwise no. I was taught not to do this if I am making things I am familiar with because my mom thought it was one reason why so many women struggled to lose weight, because they forget that every taste has calories and they don't remove it from their plate when they dish up. I would rather not have to dish myself up a particularly small portion of the finished product to account for what I ate tasting.

 

[winterybella]

I believe a good cook should be in the habit of tasting what they are cooking. I always taste my food while I am cooking it. However, I do not do so continuously throughout the cooking, just about once or twice to make sure that everything has just the right taste. I do not think it is a good idea to make a guess that the measurements we are adding to the food is the right amount.

Some might argue the really good cook doesn't need to taste because they are that good. I don't agree, but I have heard that argument. My sister who by her own admission isn't the greatest cook says she almost never taste her cooking. As for me, I like perfection when it comes to my cooking so I don't take chances. I make sure it is where I want it to be and that requires tasting. I need to know what it taste like to see if I have to make any adjustments or announcements. If things go south with me in the kitchen I let everyone know before I present the meal.

 

[Zyni]

Yes, I've always cooked to taste. I don't eat half the meal while tasting it though, lol. I just touch the tip of the spoon to it and then wash the spoon. I usually taste it once or twice, maybe three times if it's something that needs to be cooked for a long time. The kids always came in for a taste too, like when I'm making spaghetti sauce or something like that. I don't see anything wrong with it.

 

[Rosyrain]

We always taste the food as we cook it. There is no other way that you will know if it needs more of something unless you taste it. If I am just cooking for my family, then I will reuse the spoon because we live in the same house and exchange germs anyway. If I am cooking for others, I will do them the favor and not resuse the same spoon. I would hate to put something on our plates that does not taste quite right because I did not take the time to give it a taste test. The only time I have really burnt my mouth is when I try to taste test a piece of pasta and there was still water inside of it (shell noodles and the like).

 

[queenbellevue]

Yes of course I do. You HAVE to taste your food as you're cooking. As for the germs thing, it's not a big deal at all, unless you're sick or something.

 

[missbishi]

I can only echo what everyone else has said on the matter - tasting is essential. You won't know what it's like otherwise. I don't see it as unsanitary at all - the heat kills off any germs anyway.

 

[GadgetGuy]

I just had this question in my mind because I remembered my mom was always angry to me before when I was just starting to learn how to cook. Before I had this habit that while I am cooking I always taste and taste because I want to make sure that my cooking taste good even sometimes my tongue got hurt when I tasted it and it is too hot. She said it will damage my teeth and at the same time it is unhygienic to see if I am always like that when I am cooking. Are you also like this while you are cooking? Or you are just relying on your measurement on your recipes and not tasting anymore while you are cooking?

It is always a good thing to taste-test the food that you are cooking. I do it every time that I cook. Easpecially something that is being cooked on top of the stove. I have what looks like a little baby spoon just for this purpose!

In November while in Georgia, on Thanksgiving Day, after making some Magic Cookie Bars, I took the fork used to get them out of the baking pan, tasted the crust, but I forgot & put the fork back into the pan, and it still had some of the cookie bars in it! My 11-year-old grand nephew saw this, & he jumped all over me for it!! He yelled at me, saying; "Uncle Shermie, you're not supposed to do that!! That is not right! You're supposed to put the fork in the sink after it's been in your mouth!!" I had to apoligize to him for it. But he was mad at me for doing it!

 

[Pat]

I taste as I cook. I want to make sure the salt is not to much in the food as I like to season lightly and let everyone add to their taste. I wash the spoon or fork off after tasting to make sure I do not add germs to the food. Fried foods and baked foods sometimes you may not feel you need to wash the fork or spoon because it will get very hot in the oven and kill any germs, but I still wash off the item just so if someone is watching me, if they are concerned with germs.

 

[GadgetGuy]

I taste as I cook. I want to make sure the salt is not to much in the food as I like to season lightly and let everyone add to their taste. I wash the spoon or fork off after tasting to make sure I do not add germs to the food. Fried foods and baked foods sometimes you may not feel you need to wash the fork or spoon because it will get very hot in the oven and kill any germs, but I still wash off the item just so if someone is watching me, if they are concerned with germs.

Usually, you have to test-taste anyway, like you said, but not only to see how much salt is in the food, but also, to see if it has enough spices in it.
When a recipe tells you to "adjust seasonings if needed or desired, that is when I test-taste again. To make sure that the seasonings are right. Whether there is too much or still too little.

 

[tipoywizard]

I love to taste the food that I am cooking. I wanted to know if it had the proper amount of salt, sugar or spices. I do these especially for soups and anything that have a sauce in it.

 

[ChanellG]

I have been cooking for so long that most of the time I just cook without thinking about it. If you've made something several hundred times, you know how it is going to taste. If I am trying something for the first time and using a recipe, or improvising one, I may taste as I go, but doing that often makes you not want to eat when you're done with the cooking as technically you've been eating while you were cooking.