Help me settle a debate! If you cook, do you follow a recipe precisely? A. Of course, this is the only way B. Only the first time, then I tweak C. Never! I always tweak at least one thing D. I don’t cook but I’m still curious about the results
16% A. Of course…
52% B. Only the first time…
27% C. Never!…
5% D. I don’t cook…
879 votes • Final results
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B, with the caveat that doubling (or more) the requested garlic doesn't count as a change... plus things like not following a recipe's precise directions for rice or something bc i know how to cook rice properly on my stove
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Haha it totally counts and this is why I’m also a C. Except I quadruple it, for most American recipes even doubling it is tame. “1 clove of garlic” is a joke. That’s undetectable!
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Replying to @LeaVerou @tabatkins
I use a recipe (I think for Pesto, from a @bittman cookbook) that says half a clove of garlic, and I change it to half a head. I do some of A, B, and C. Though often modifications the first time are because I don't have the requested ingredients. (I said B.)

Apr 30, 2022 · 12:16 AM UTC

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Replying to @davidbaron @LeaVerou @tabatkins @bittman
Also, I definitely modify recipes for baking, too. But I either (a) use a calculator (e.g., for substitutions) or (b) adjust by small increments each iteration (e.g., changing hydration of a bread by 1.5% or 2%). Increments may be large when changing amount of sugar in a cake.
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