The Intuitive Cook

Do you think you cook like Rachel Ray? Or would you describe yourself more like Paula Deen? An Ina Garten? Or an Alton Brown? There are some cooks who can throw ingredients together in a contained chaos of taste, texture and sound. They intuitively know what flavors will work together, how to substitute ingredients and how much to add. Then there are cooks who measure out every ingredient and don't like to operate without a specific recipe. Every cook has their own style but it can be very liberating to learn how to experiment and develop your own recipes.

I like to think of cookbooks and recipes as guidelines that I can change according to my own tastes or what is available in the fridge, freezer and/or pantry. There are times when I have a yearning for a certain taste but I don't want to run out to the store just to satisfy my craving. For example, if I'm craving lasagna but don't have the right pasta I'll make an Italian casserole with whatever pasta I have on hand.

Some cooks enjoy cooking directly from recipes, but for those of you who would like to loosen the apron strings a little bit the following techniques will help you. It just takes a little patience and practice to feel more creative, and you just might come up with some new recipes that you love!

Visualize and Organize