How to Cook Without a Book

Many people wish to cook without having to rely on a traditional cookbook. Some of the best cooks know how to make great meals without having to follow a recipe and measure out each listed ingredient. Without a cookbook as your guide, you're more likely to experiment and make delicious homemade food.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Check your fridge and cupboards to see what ingredients you have on hand. The main benefit of cooking without a book is that you can make a meal even if you don't have all listed ingredients in a recipe.

2. Keep the core ingredients of a meal in your mind. As long as you know the three or four main ingredients in a dish, you won't need a book to finish the rest of the recipe.

3. Improvise with the rest of the ingredients. For the ingredients you don't know or have on hand for a recipe, you can add your own. For example, if you're making a spaghetti sauce you can add peppers, garlic, oregano, basil, mushrooms and more. Keep tasting things as you cook in order to make adjustments.

4. Memorize cooking methods. To cook without a book, you should memorize and utilize the best ways to cook your food. For example, if you know you don't have a lot of time to cook dinner, then you should make a quick meal by grilling.

5. Stock your pantry with the basics. On the website Living on a Dime, the author suggests keeping an ample supply of baking powder, baking soda, yeast, vinegar, salt, pepper, olive oil, vegetable oil and more in your cupboards.

Tips & Warnings

• You may have a couple of meals come out less than tasty at first when cooking without a book. However, after a few tries, you'll likely master the technique of adding the best tasting ingredients and amounts.

Who Can Help:

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Resources

• Pantry basics at Living on a Dime

[mscathi]

on 8/7/2008 Yes! Sometimes also I think "has this dinner got . ."
1) a protein
2) a preferably wholegrain carb
3) as many vegs as poss or if in a hurry, salad.
If it's a lunch or breakfast then it doesn't matter lol
Yum