The Paradox of Recipe Reading (and Writing)

A recipe can be a tricky beast; one day your best friend; the next, a plate of inedible smudge. What is a recipe? Why do we have them, and what's the best approach?

In an ideal world a recipe is a template that can be recreated over and over with perfect consistency, but nature doesn't give us perfectly consistent ingredients to work with. So, in reality it's just a guideline, a rough draft of a dish that one must edit with every publication.

In writing recipes, I try hard to find the best middle ground. Giving the cook enough info for inspiration, but with room for preferential variation. So keep in mind that I think of my recipes as foundations on which to build. Read them knowing that I hope you take license, and let me know if it works (or if it doesn't). My goal with Grill-A-Chef is to encourage people to cook, and that takes a little experimentation and awareness. As the cook it's your job to adjust for nature's inconsistency, and whenever possible, enjoy the variations it provides. All too often someone becomes hell-bent on recreating some dish or meal that made an impression, and we forget to appreciate what we're eating while we're eating it.

For more insight and recipes check out my blog.