"After a little interrogation, I’ll get to the truth: that the reader used ALL applesauce instead of a mix of applesauce and oil or butter or went with sugar substitute in place of sugar." Best practice: Follow the recipe, period. "I'll get calls from readers about cakes turning out too dense or too gummy," says test kitchen director Vanessa Pruett. When it comes to baking, this is as much science as art. At Cooking Light it's our job to substitute lower-fat ingredients to change the cooking chemistry a bit while capturing the soul of a dish. Substitutions are a particular temptation, and challenge, with healthy cooking. Result: You wreck the underlying chemistry of the dish. “Trust me,” says former Cooking Light test kitchen tester Mary Drennen Ankar, “you don’t want to be an hour away from dinner guests arriving when you get to the part of the recipe that says to marinate the brisket overnight or simmer for two hours.”ģ. Follow the pros' habit of gathering your mise en place - that is, having all the ingredients gathered, prepped and ready to go before you turn on the heat. A wise cook approaches each recipe with a critical eye and reads the recipe well before it’s time to cook. Result: Flavors are dull, entire steps or ingredients get left out.Įven the best-written recipes may not include all the headline information at the top. You don’t read the entire recipe before you start cooking. Turns out Tim had coated the fruit in salt, not sugar. Think that experienced cooks don’t forget this most basic rule? “Cooking Light” associate food editor Tim Cebula was sous chef in a notable restaurant when he served up "caramelized" pineapple that somehow refused to brown. Recipes don’t always call for the "right" amount of seasoning, cooking times are estimates, and results vary depending on your ingredients, your stove, altitude … and a million other factors. Result: The flavors or textures of an otherwise excellent dish are out of balance or unappealing.įor most cooks, tasting is automatic, but when it’s not, the price can be high.
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