I only just now realized that your avatar is a tomato face. So fitting to the thread! 
Before I thought it was some kind of superhero or comic villain I didn’t know about.
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Is it any worse than those British recipes that start with “take a lump of butter the size of a walnut” and end with “cook it until done.”?
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You have just described literally all my attempts to write my own recipes.
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Having to write out recipes so that a random member of a kitchen crew could make them when I was entire pastry department for a restaurant taught me about organizing the thinking process behind the work. Look at a cookbook you like to cook from. Check out how the page is laid out, how the instructions are broken down, all of the details that make it easier to end up with what you want. Then use that as a framework when you write down your own recipes.
So much of getting beyond recipes and knife skills is intellectual labor that the industry ignores. It’s like chefs suddenly appear from the sky, or it’s a metamorphism from line cooks.
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most of my best recipes are narratives. sure, i list ingredients but then i tell a story with the ingredients. it may have digressions as i create possibilities for creating variations, but i always describe the main story most completely.
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Equipment is important as well. Too often I’ll be following a recipe and it calls for a fancy $150 kitchen gadget that I’ll only use once per year at most.
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Wonderful and clear advice. Thank you.
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Bought chicken wings last week at Costco. Yeah, I know!
6 vacuum-packed lumps weighing a total of 7lbs. So I have tried 4 different recipes for gas grill and regular and convection oven.
No frying.
Jerk rub, just salt and pepper, tossed in a tiny bit of baking powder and tossed in just avocado oil.
They all had good flavors and texture.
What is your go-to wing recipe?
( missing one photo from grill )
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Brine and smoke. Finish with a honey-sesame sauce.
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Chinese five-spice, sesame oil, crushed garlic and salt. Grill or stick in the oven and serve with vast quantities of beer.
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Either Chinese five spice with sesame oil, my all purpose blend (kinda like Old Bay) but with more high heat, or this:
3 parts allspice
2 parts thyme
1 part dry mustard
As much Scotch Bonnet as you can take (adjust to taste!)
Dash of cinnamon
1 to 2 parts brown sugar
1 part chives
1 or 2 cloves garlic
Blend or grind all ingredients together to form a paste. Place in bag with wings, the juice of one lime, enough soy sauce / apple cider vinegar mixture (2:1) to cover, and a bay leaf and marinate overnight.
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I like a korean style coating,
1 parts olive oil
1 part sesame (I find that pure sesame oil overpowers flavors)
1 part rice vinegar
1 part honey/brown sugar
2 parts soy sauce
decent chunk of minced ginger
2 cloves minced garlic
2 minced green onions,
chili (optional depending on intended audence), you can use dried, fresh, or gochujang
Mix together, poke holes in your wings, drop in the bag, leave in bag at least overnight, grill.
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That also makes a very nice coating for short ribs, if you’re so inclined
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Damn straight it does. I usually just go for a quick coating at that, and cook with such strong flavors that it isn’t that much of an issue, but it still tends to overpower.
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Yeah, it’s quite amazing, just a couple drops in a stir fry fill the room with sesame smell…
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Mmmm… Beer!
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Nice looking recipe, thank you.
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Braised chicken thighs in reduced cider with onions and celery, added some sautéed apple slices at the end. Served it over spaetzle. A nice autumnal dinner. Mom at least finished hers. Earlier this week I rubbed a pork tenderloin with garlic, fennel seeds and fronds, orange zest and salt, let it sit overnight and baked it wrapped in bacon. I thought it was great but mom was underwhelmed. It did get a bit overcooked because I was that close to the end of my book.
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Mmm spaetzle! I used to make that a lot during my college days but haven’t since then. You’re reminding me that I need to remedy that situation.
I’m living the busy grad-student life in a teensy tiny apartment with a crappy kitchen so my cooking has been pretty limited, but tonight I treated myself and whipped up some gnocchi with tomatoes, chicken sausage, green onions, and kale. Topped with a spicy “cheese” sauce made with nutritional yeast and sriracha.
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