When you get recipes do you follow what they change or do you change it around.
By suspenseful
@suspenseful (40193)
Canada
November 8, 2008 12:44pm CST
I have several of the "Company's Coming" cookbooks and still am not finished yet. The first ones are falling apart and it shows how much that I have used them, but I am the type of person who may not follow the ingredients exactly. For instance, I will use butter instead of margarine, I will substitute whole wheat flour for half the all purpose, add unsweetened applesauce to cut down on the fat, and use olive oil instead of canola.
So do you follow the recipe directions, and the same ingredients or are you like me into substitution?
2 people like this
16 responses
@ElicBxn (63252)
• United States
8 Nov 08
I do change things like that.
One time the former roommate took a recipie and changed EVERYTHING. It was NASTY and she wondered why! I said, you didn't follow it - you changed from beef to chicken, you changed all the ingrediants - and you expect it to be the same?
She never did that again!
She never did that again!1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
8 Nov 08
You have to know when to change it. I guess she did not.
1 person likes this
@ray770 (4)
• United States
9 Nov 08
A recipe is only aguide, i change it if i think i can make it bgetter, sometimes it turns out better and sometimes not. But i have tried something new. I always use butter it is much better then margarine tastewise and for you. Margarine was invented to make turkeys fat quick.
@JUNGLE (1157)
• South Africa
9 Nov 08
Among my many talents I am also a baker and a cook. When I get a new recipe,I always follow it to the letter.
That way I know the original result. I also like to be innovative and experiment with my own ideas,this way I can have different results and in the process invent new ones. Oh and sometimes I have no alternative but to substitute certain ingredients like when I do not have them on hand.This is not a good thing as sometimes I get some awful if not interesting outcomes.
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
12 Nov 08
I will try it out, but if I can change or substitute something or if it will not affect the texture or flavor I will alter some of the ingredients. I will not make any big change because I want it to be the same, but I may make it spicier or may add some ingredients to it to make it mine.
@slickcut (8141)
• United States
9 Nov 08
I stay with the recipe if i like everything that is in it...If something is not something i like or does not agree with me,then i change it...The basic recipe is all you need ,you should be able to add or take away with no problem...I know on that "Taco soup recipe" it calls for hominy,but i have also changed to corn instead...
@anujs007 (98)
• India
9 Nov 08
thats a very interested discussion you started there suspenseful....well,as of me..if I have all the ingredients with me,i try to stick to the recipe.
If not,i do a bit of the changes here and there...also after learning a recipe,its fun to tweak it a bit to suit your taste.
what do you think?
1 person likes this
@Yestheypayme2dothis (7874)
• United States
9 Nov 08
I change the recipe as much as I can to cut down on fat. It usually tastes very good anyway. Some of the recipes out there have so much fat. It is horrible.
1 person likes this
@whittby (3072)
• United States
8 Nov 08
Well, perhaps I am not a very organized shopper or menu planner. When I make a recipe, I find that I will often not have one or more ingredients and substitute out of necessity that way.
Also, like you, I will substitute for health reasons - put some whole wheat flour in, cut down on the fat, use less cheese than the recipe calls for, add more vegetables to the casserole.
@chrislotz (8137)
• Canada
11 Nov 08
I very seldom every follow a recipe, unless I am making something I haven't made before.
Then the first couples times making it, I will change some of the ingrediants to make
it the way I like it. After that I will make it with the substitutes, if it is good
that way.
Alrighty then, talk to you later my friend.
Your friend, Chris 
@dragon54u (31636)
• United States
8 Nov 08
I do the same thing! I'll also add raisins to a sauce for chicken or put some Dijon mustard in a beef gravy, things like that. Just to make it different, healthier or lower calorie and fat.
1 person likes this
@bombshell (11256)
• Germany
10 Nov 08
sometimes i follow the recipes but most of the time i just change it.
@shine55555 (213)
• China
9 Nov 08
I do change things like you. You know sometimes something on the recipe we do not have it on hand, or sometimes we just do not like the things on the recipe, so we change it. That's OK. I think we just learn the process to cook, it is not necessary to follow it totally.
Just do it your way.
1 person likes this
@minnie_98214 (10557)
• United States
9 Nov 08
Im awful at following recipes. I tend to substitute things as well as not measuring things. I use the guessing technique. Why dirty more dishes when you can eyeball one cup lol. I have had some things not turn out right due to this yet i still do it hehehe.
@terri0824 (4991)
• United States
10 Nov 08
I usually don't follow the recipe exactly, especially if I don't have the ingredients on hand that it calls for. I will substitute it for something that I do have. I don't mind experimenting to try different ingredients than the recipe calls for.
