How often have you seen a dish on TV, on your Facebook feed etc. and wanted to add it to your repertoire? So the next thing you do is you run to the internet and Google some recipes for that dish. But sometimes things don’t work out the way you want them too, for various reasons your culinary efforts are not successful. Let’s take a quick look at the how’s and why’s of searching a recipe for the first time and making it go in your favor.
The first thing I want to point out is that before you even open up your browser, you should always be running an antivirus app. It can even be a free antivirus app, you don’t have to spend serious money on it or anything. And if you’re on your phone, get a mobile antivirus without thinking twice about it. ‘Nuff said.
Now, you have to keep in mind that not all recipes are created equal, and the easiest way to cook up some mediocre food is to strictly follow any recipe to the letter. What is much more recommended is to get at least four or five similar but different recipes online and compare them, meditate on it for a little bit then, think on it, then come up with your own recipe based on what you have studied. This method has literally never failed me. It requires deeper thought and even a little creativity and some informed decision making, and these are the things great food and great art are born of.
Don’t be afraid to swap out ingredients for other ingredients either, or add things you think could improve the dish. This is obviously good for dishes that aren’t spicy that can be made into spicy little paradises with a little bit of the right pepper. This means you must know your ingredients inside out, of course.
But also, don’t just stay in your comfort zone. This especially goes for cases where a recipe calls for an ingredient you are not familiar with, like some new vegetable or spice. Most US cities or major cities worldwide have “ethnic” (hate that term but you know what I mean) markets, where you can get different foodstuffs from parts of Asia or Africa that may be new to you. Obviously, taste the ingredients before they go in ANY recipe. Learn them and their uses and you may start to incoroporate them in your own cooking.
