kana_marie
Veteran
I always use exact measurements. If I approximate, something inevitably goes very wrong. Maybe I need more experience with it, but I can't estimate without being WAY off.
Do You Measure Out Ingredients?
- Thread starter Diane Lane
- Start date
Oh, that's ridiculous! That's like saying you don't make soup because you have to chop up a bunch of ingredients. I'd have to disagree with your mom as well. Only experienced cooks - as in years and years of experience - can get away with that.
If you're not measuring, you're not following to the letter
You're improvising, but that's fine as long as you're happy with the results.I taste the food often, to check for possible adjustment of the seasonings. I can make a mean dish and not measure anything, but about the only thing that I DO measure is the rice & water ratio when cooking rice. To keep it from being too hard or too soft & gummy.
I hardly ever taste while I'm cooking. I just don't make anything that elaborate with that many ingredients that I need to check to be sure it's all balanced. I mostly keep things simple in the kitchen.
GadgetGuy
(Formerly Shermie)
Different strokes for different folks. Will you send out the food police? 
Different strokes for different folks. Will you send out the food police?
Let's hope there are no food police; there will be another ridiculous reality television show like Fashion Police... I thought about this discussion last night as I was trying something out for the first time and had to improvise as I didn't have all the ingredients in all the quantities called for. It turned out okay, but could stand a bit of tweaking for next time around.
Diane Lane
Veteran
I also measure when cooking rice and oatmeal. I find the process is simpler that way. I've noticed on most of the cooking shows I watch, then rarely seem to measure, but have so much experience that they are able to pretty accurately calculate the measurements by sight. That's probably what gave me the courage to stop measuring every ingredient, and I often have to substitute one ingredient for another, which could change the ratios.
I think after a while you now what a tablespoon of oil looks like and if you put in a smide more it's not going to ruin your dish. The same goes for a quarter cup of xyz ingredient. I think it's only an issue when you're baking and need certain ingredients in certain proportions for the chemical reactions to take place.
Berties
Guru
You either cook to a recipe or cook to feel and taste,
Even though I cook to taste I still have a recipe to give others, so they can replicate the dish so we have consistency in the product at work,and it's correctly delivered within profit parameters
Even though I cook to taste I still have a recipe to give others, so they can replicate the dish so we have consistency in the product at work,and it's correctly delivered within profit parameters
rosiep
Veteran
I guess I'm in the minority but I like to measure things out. One I'm a little bit on the meticulous side and two I just never seem to have any luck with eyeballing ingredients. I always second guess myself and then add more, whatever, because it does look like enough. I am notoriously bad about olive oil and then I have items drowning in my pan. So I've learned I need to measure.
I never bother measuring anything out unless I'm baking. Baking is indeed a science and the correct proportions of ingredients are needed to achieve the desired result. Other dishes are just estimated though, I tend to make an OK job of it. Sometimes, a new dish will need a little adjustment but I think that's generally true for all of us.