Last weekend we were visiting family and they were doing a cookbook themed dinner. The books chosen were by a famous t.v. personality, known for well written, easy to follow recipes. The husband was to grill the marinated chickens and he was puzzled as he read the recipe. "It calls for me to cook the half chickens for 15 minutes per side, but there's no way they will finished in that amount of time." I shrugged and told him to cook the chickens until he thought they were done and not worry about it. He nodded at me but his wife had hand-picked the recipe and he wanted to follow it correctly. I could see him mentally debating it as we continued to get stuff ready for dinner and the chickens went on the grill. This is a man who grills often and well. Because he had this recipe in his head, he second guessed the cooking process. He did cook them for longer than the recipe called for, but still pulled them from the grill before he thought they were done. Fast forward to dinner where one of the guests cut into his chicken and pointed out that it was kind of raw in the center. The look of utter frustration on the cook's face spoke volumes. We've all been there at some time. No matter how accomplished we may be, someone else's "expertise" can cause us to stumble. Eventually we learn, and are sometimes reminded, to follow our guts. That way, even when following a recipe, you know that no matter what happens in the kitchen, you own the results.
Years Past
May 12, 2005
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