What type of a cook are you ?

[obbie]

I just love to experiment, throw things together, add herbs and spices, and it always works out.

Our closest takeaway is 25 minutes away, so I cook every night, also a couple of times a week for Mum and Dad too.
I then bake biccies, cakes on the weekends, and just love to stay in the kitchen for hours.

Footy sunday , was great, as i did heaps of breads, foccacias, dips ect.

Robyn

[cookie1]

I love to cook, especially cakes, biscuits and breads. Having said that I wouldn't say I was a great cook as I'm not into 'plating up' and all the fancy bits and pieces. I do love to try new things (everyday of the week  ). I say I stick to a recipe but Dh said I don't. ONce I have made something once I may fool around with it and alter things. I do like to have something to guide me though.
Since Termite we have never eaten so many types of breads. I make more steamed things too. I have always rated my recipes. Three dots for great and make again, two dots for not too good, don't make again and one dot means don't even think of it. I tend to make notes all over my cookbooks and they look well loved. When converting I try to have pencil and paper handy although I often just use instinct with Termite now.
Not sure what type of cook that all makes me, but I love it and don't really care.

[Frozzie]

lol cookie re the dot system...mum told me to rate every recipe i try out of 5 so i remember what it was like as i often cook new recipes I sometimes forget I made it until its too late lol!!! so the rating definately helps..sometimes i dont rate and just put plain yuk!!! and i keep the recipe so i know not to repeat!..As some of you know im a bit additcted to cookbooks but i also have alot of recipes from all over in both languages on evernote..im similar to what lellyj said also...i can usualy tell if a recipe wil be good or not by looking at it and particularly the ingredients and how they are put together..mum is the same and often we talk about some reicpe we found someplace and pass it on..

CP I think most could go on masterchef as they provide recipes most of the time if you notice..however the time constraint would bother me as im not one for enjoying to be rushed and think everything would come undone for me lol

[obbie]

  Frozzie your kitchen is so cute and tiny.

loved the photo.

Robyn

[meganjane]

Where did you see the photo of Frozzie's kitchen, Robyn?

I love reading about how people cook. I use a rating system too, but it's ticks. 1 tick for OK, 2 for great, 3 for excellent.

I'm constantly adapting recipes and noting changes. I only take proper notes now as my daughter complains that my recipes are impossible to follow "What's a dollop, Mum?"   

[Frozzie]

yes robyn so tiny (about 3m square)...but typical of europe..some are even smaller...not many kitchens are that big except in some big old country houses but anywhere close to a city or built up area and there is just no hope..small rooms small kitchens..often joined lounge and dining which is often the biggest part of the house...like i said...miss the open plan and large space rooms in oz...those of you in oz are very much spoilt for space!!  Next house I would like to build and design myself...just to find the right size piece of land (not so easy) in the right area and find builders we can trust (almost impossible lol)..one day!  For the moment its home and its cosy!

MJ its on the whats behind your forum name post that JD posted along with johnros, JDs and Fundjs kitchens  

[meganjane]

MJ its on the whats behind your forum name post that JD posted along with johnros, JDs and Fundjs kitchens  

Gorgeous kitchen!! I somehow missed the thread about our forum names.

[Vivaroo]

Fundj that used to be me until I started writing down anything the kids said they really liked.  I have a little notebook with these kind of made up recipes, usually with whatever was in the fridge at the time.  It's a bit like a diary because I date it and say what was happening around the time too.  I find it hard to remember what worked well when I  just chucked anything in the pot.

With the EDC I am really bad at following directions - I see the list of ingredients and start putting in the TMX - I think it's the whole measuring thing and the simplicity makes me complacent. 

My general rule is first time follow recipe exactly, unless I don't have all the ingredients I never let that stop me, I'm happy to substitute.  Next time I will make changes and when I alter I either make notes in the recipe book, or in my notebook where I also write down good library book recipes, and increasingly with Evernote as my laptop sits in my kitchen now and gets as splashed as much as old cookbooks.  Whatever I decide to cook I like to open about 3 different books and see how each one varies and I mix it up based on this.

Or sometimes I make myself not look at books and forums and try to summon up the great cook that lurks within all of us, depending on what I'm cooking she's usually a traditionally built mamma from ancestry not of my own and wow she can cook.

[Zan]

I'm not a baker/cake maker etc, I don't have a sweet tooth so little interest so just make a few tried and tested recipes and always to a recipe.
But main meals I often make it up as I go along, know what to put in, rarely weigh/measure and just go by instinct or taste.
Though I do love following recipes, but often I'll tweak them due to ingredients I don't eat/don't have.
But no way could i go on masterchef as there are some real basics that despite many many times cooking I would have to look up the recipe (I think it's a bit like driving, if someone has always directed you/used gps then it's harder to learn where you are actually going)

[CreamPuff63]

mum says she always has to follow a recipe so thats who I have to blame 

[Carine]

I'm a "have a go at new recipes" cook when I have time.  I love using new ingredients and experimenting with flavours, then again my menus are most of the time dictated by what we have growing in the veggie patch.

[johnro]

When I asked DH how he would reply to this post his one word answer was - prolific!!!!!!  Now for a true picture, I found this in a book Mindless Eating by Brian Wansink - on reflection I have multiple personalities when it comes to cooking - as I float around amongst all of these types, sadly though I rarely describe myself as a healthy cook if using the descriptors below - makes interesting reading (I hope!!!!!!)        

Friendly
Well-liked, and enthusiastic, giving cooks seldom experiment, they love baking, and like to serve tried-and-true family favorites, although that sometimes means serving less healthful foods.
Healthy
Optimistic, book-loving, nature enthusiasts, healthy cooks experiment with fish, fresh produce, and herbs. Health comes first, even if it means sometimes sacrificing taste.
Methodical
Talented cooks who rely heavily on recipes. The methodical cook has refined tastes and manners. Their creations always look exactly like the picture in the cookbook.
Innovative
Creative and trend-setting, innovative cooks seldom use recipes and like to experiment with ingredients, cuisine styles, and cooking methods.
Competitive
The “Iron Chef” of the neighborhood, competitive cooks have dominant personalities and are intense perfectionists who love to impress their guests.  

This article may also interest some!!!!!!

[Stephanie]

Haha Robyn I think I have a bit of all of those in me!  I love to cook and read so I have read a lot about food and cooking - I think this helps.  Could not live without my Stephanie Alexander bible.    I love to experiment - hence Thermie getting a good workout since he arrived on Monday!    I guess I am above average.  Friends say I should go on Masterchef - but no way - firstly I don't think I'm that good - I look at the mystery boxes and panic and that's just watching it on telly!  Also I do not want to cook for a living and I could not be bothered with all that w*nky cheffy plating up.  We had the degustation meal at the Press Club in Melbourne (George's restaurant) last year  - each course looked amazing but I've eaten better for waaaay less!

DH's mum is a CWA stalwart and winner of many baking awards so I don't even try to compete there - she has given me some great recipes.

I've found that having a coeliac DS has made me experiment even more and use less pre-prepared food (not that we used all that much).  We rarely get takeaway now or eat out because DS can't eat it and if I'm cooking for him I might as well do a full family meal.  Sadly Rockhampton has pretty much no restaurants that combine good food with good service.  GF is hassle for most of them.

Must go and cook dinner - trying the steamed sausages and veges tonight because I have not used the varoma yet.

Stephanie 

[achookwoman]

I really don't know what to say, except that i love to cook.  I like to experiment and have some awful disasters,  like today.  I thought i would cook Jambalaya.  The chooks will enjoy this tomorrow.   i like to eat savory food but love to cook sweet puds.  I love this Forum as there are so many interesting recipes and members are quite honest about the recipes.  I always write down what i need to know when converting a recipe.  I have always done this , even before I had my TMX.   I am a natural 'list maker' so this is easy.   I have hundreds of cooking books, it is a bit of an obsession.  I am fortunate in that we have friends who love to test a new recipe that I have cooked.  The TMX has given me a new interest in life,  after a very challenging working life I found retirement a bit of a drag. That about sums it up.  It is difficult to talk about yourself as I am sure other might see things differently.

[Twitterpated]

I'm an envious cook. I read every day about what everyone has been cooking and wish that I didn't work long hours and had more time to cook. When I have time off work, I'm like everyone else on here making recipe after recipe to try out what's been posted on the forum. When it comes to cooking I generally have a read through the recipe first and decide what it will taste like and what I will and won't follow. As for cooking from scratch I never seem to make the same meal twice. I make it up as I go along and can never remember what I did from one minute to the next.

I can follow a recipe to the letter but generally choose not to (sometimes not a good thing) but my whole family love my cooking and will always choose it over another such as eating out or someone else's cooking. When it comes to TMX I have reigned myself in a lot but am now spreading my wings and trying diffferent things. One thing that I have found is when I need to use another appliance or the stove (other than the oven) I feel really guilty, almost like I am cheating on Thermie.