I saw my brother cooking a lamb over Easter .. Oven gets opened..peeks in. Pokes the carcass.. Shuts oven.. .. 15 minutes go by.. Opens oven door..peeks in. Takes a knife to the carcass.. inspects for redness.. Shuts oven door.. Repeats until he gets sick of it and says some cuss word and if anybody doesn’t like it tough (second cuss-word). .. Nothing catches the Easter Holiday Spirit like underdone lamb and cussing. .. But it doesn’t have to be this way…
Most people think of recipes mostly with regards to complicated dishes, especially baking. I guess because baking has no forgiveness or very little of it.. Mess up and you’ll pay. But you can take this same recipe concept down to the basic level and have much less stress in your day to day cooking.
For instance, if I’m cooking a hamburg say.. I know from experience that the cast iron skillet should be set on 8 1/2 (yes I have to suffer with an electric range..maybe someday) and that side one will be done in three minutes. Flip and side two will be done in three minutes. Finished burger. Perfect and juicy every time. No fussing, patting it on it’s behind with the spatula etc. Just put it on, do whatever else in the kitchen (I never recommend leaving an operating stove) and take action when the timer calls. And the fact that it’s repeatable is because I make the patties about the same thickness, use the same pan and the same burner and from some trial and error have arrived at the optimal settings.
You can do this for just about anything you make. My Father is a stickler about measuring the same way every time for his cooking. And his dishes taste awesome ..every time. He says his Mother use to be either a great or nasty cook depending on the day because she liked to socialize and wouldn’t always pay attention to measuring properly. .. So develop your own recipes, cook consistently and chillll.
Hope you liked this post. Maybe you are thinking of sharing it with your own brother.. or sister.. or Mother. Good luck!
