I’m a ‘sniff and dump’ cook. I smell things to see if they will go together, then dump it all in. Hubbs always laughs at my cooking method- yet loves the results.

@gemiwing I love that “sniff and dump”. That’s a new one on me. Sounds like it works great for you!

i would say a recipe is a suggestion.it’s base line and there’s room for tweakiing it a bit or alot depending personal tastes.

I do both. Before I got married, I didn’t do a lot of cooking. At first, I always used recipes and never altered them. Now, there are a lot of things I can make without a recipe and I’m more adventurous about making things up myself. Or, I’ll find a recipe and change it to fit what I have on hand.

Baking is my favorite form of cooking. I love to take recipes for cookies or quick breads and change them a bit to make them yummier and/or healthier. I also like to invent recipes to use up leftovers.

Cooking is one of those things that once you have the basics down, you start to feel more comfortable with experimenting. Usually I have good results, and luckily my husband will eat just about anything.

I do both. The first time or two I make a recipe I follow the recipe closely. After that I start to tweak it to my personal taste. If it’s something that has to be baked, like bread or a cake, I always follow the recipe proportions exactly because if it’s not right you can’t adjust it once you put it in the oven.

I usually at least glance at a recipe before I begin. If it’s a dish I’ve never made, I’ll usually keep the recipe open while I cook, but I don’t follow them religiously. I usually substitute based on what I think would work better or be healthier or cheaper, or use an ingredient we already have instead of buying something new.

When I am cooking something new, I will use a recipe as a guideline but I tend to experiment a lot and I am a chronic taster. Most of the time I end up changing it to suit my “tastes”.

I do a little of both—I usually read several recipes before I start, then combine them in some fashion while I cook. Unless it is baking, then I’m more likely to stick to at least the basic aspects of the recipe.

I will say, my willingness to look at ingredients and sometimes just throw a meal together drives my fiance insane. How can it be replicated if I went on instinct? How can I be sure it will be the most delicious option available if I don’t use a recipe—especially not a Cook’s Illustrated recipe? But he’s not very opinionated, so he doesn’t say anything.

I showed him this and he said, “It is true, I don’t have opinions. I have facts.”

I use cans: canned veggies, canned tomato sauce, canned curry sauce, canned almost anything. I don’t “cook”. I “fix”. :o)

Some times yes and sometimes no. Depends what i’m cooking . When baking always, unless I have it memorized. That doesn’t mean I won’t tweak a recipe once I’ve made it.

Usually not no. Only when I am trying something new,

I seldom use a recipie. Once in awhile, something looks good to me so I try it, but I usually cook my own um.. creations!

Only when I’m baking, so that’s never.

When I was younger I adhered slavishly to recipes, and I’m glad I did, because it taught me to cook. Now I seldom glance at a recipe unless I’m baking, where proportions are critical.

I, also, do both. With something new to me or very complex or something involving baking or something my daughter has eaten at someone else’s house and liked enough to get the recipe from the mom, I tend to follow the recipe fairly closely.

When I want to cook something but I’m not sure what I want to cook, I read several cookbooks to get ideas and then either more or less follow a recipe or use what I have read as inspiration and just go for it.

With certain basic foods, such as marinara sauce or Alfredo sauce, I opt more for a cross between my memory and the “sniff and dump” method cited above.

I do both but often tweak recipes to make it my way.

My mother in law is in hospital at the moment so i have to cook stuff for the kids and myself , so at the moment its all packet mixes and go by the instructions for thing like Lasagna, Casseroles etc, just so that we don’t end up having something with fries every night :)

It depends and get ideas from various places (Paula Dean’s my tv fav) and then put it together based on what I think I would like in it. Works well for me.

Sounds like most folks do a little of both too.

Hi Barb…Yes and no…I have some recipes memorized.

Yes, I do. I’m not yet a good enough or experienced cook to be able to improvise. My hubby, on the other hand, just wings it and is an incredibly good cook. I’m very blessed! :)

All Summer long I watched Emeril’s new show from whole Foods. I use some of his recipes . I also use some of American’s test Kitchen recipes and Rachel Ray’s . I have some Cook books but the INTERNET has a lot to offer .

I like to use recipes when baking (for proportions, as stated by many others), but also change things up as wanted/needed. (For instance, I often use applesauce or yogurt in place of much of the fat; I also add a crapload of cinnamon to sweet baked goods. I’ll add stuff, too, if I need to use it up—small amounts of dried fruit, fresh fruit [not citrus!], etc, goes well in baked goods.)

When I’m cooking—like dinner—then I tend to not follow a recipe. Soup is easy enough to do without looking at a recipe (unless you have a specific goal in mind); greens are easy to saute in oil with salt and garlic. I tend to pick things that sound good and stay away from others.

For instance, tonight, I’m going to throw together some winter soup. I’m going to saute some italian sausage with onion, then add it to a crockpot with chicken broth, chopped carrots, the rest of the onions, whatever greens I have (mustard, collard, spinach), and some chopped potatoes. Spices, too—garlic salt, dry mustard, maybe some marmite for that yeasty flavor. Let it cook on high for a few hours—delicious.

Both (but mostly not), depending on whether I’ve cook it before or not, or whether I’m experimenting.

About 50/50. Baking definitely requires a recipe and measurements, but many things I make, I just wing it.

Cook? What is this thing called cook? ;-)

In cooking in general no but if I am making a cake or cookies, then yes I do follow the recipe.
I FOUND YOU! HAHAHAHA!

@NUNYA YAY you found me!!! ((hugs)) I’m the same way with baking…

I use the recipe carefully the first time or two I prepare a dish. After that, I remember it and add or subtract to it as I wish.

I do and I dont! I tend to change items according to taste and pocket! Sometimes these recipes are written by top class chefs with needless to say unlimited budgets! I tweek them to the above and add a of little this and that according to the overall result I am after.

That depends on whether I have all the ingredients listed in the recipe or not and also whether all the ingredients are to my family’s taste.

I generally follow recipes to the “T” the first time and then experiment to make it more to our taste when I re make it.

only when I am making something for the first time will I use a recipe… and follow it to a tee. After that, I will only use a recipe if I don’t have it memorized, or sometimes, I just look at recipes to get ideas.