When cooking, do you go by feeling?

[koakuma]

Hi.

I always thought of cooking and spicing food as "going by feeling" unless you have a cook book with measurements. But then I really started to think about it.

I thought I went by feeling when cooking and flavouring food, but that's not true. I visually calculate what I usually know taste nice. By the looks of the food and spices, I can pretty much visualise what it will taste like and if I will like it or not.


How do you cook? How do you spice your food? How do you know it will taste nice or not?

Can you relate to your S/N/F/T-combo and how you cook food? I hope the poll makes sense.


Maybe the answer is super-obvious?

[MechanicalSun]

Yes, I just get the ingredients and a rough idea of the preparation, the amounts goes by feeling!
I surprise myself of the outcome every time. Always better than expected :cool: !!

And I cook complicated french style stuff. /spit on fries

[DesertKnight]

Depends largely on what I'm cooking, if it is something that I know well (Thai or Italian) I can eyeball everything and it comes out well. Trying something for the first time though? I usually follow the directions the first time, and then every subsequent time I'll start adding new or different ingredients.

[kari]

i need a recipe with exact measurements that i follow precisely. i even have to triple and quadruple check the recipe per each step. its a mess. the only exception is when i have been using a specific recipe for years and know all the measurements by heart. in which case i still use the precise measurements but i dont have a hard copy of the recipe in my face.

then again i also dont have all that much experience cooking, so perhaps i will grow more comfortable with it over time and be able to come up with stuff on the fly.

[Othesemo]

I follow recipes meticulously when I cook. I don't really have enough experience to feel out what will or won't taste good.

[Distance]

Thinking combined with intuition since intuition conceptualises the end product. I don't measure when cooking.

[Moxiie]

Depends largely on what I'm cooking, if it is something that I know well (Thai or Italian) I can eyeball everything and it comes out well. Trying something for the first time though? I usually follow the directions the first time, and then every subsequent time I'll start adding new or different ingredients.

^^^very much exactly what he said. Also I make up recipes based on my knowledge of food or if I try something in a restaurant, I'll go home and recreate it to my exact specifications.

I voted NF "by thinking" - not sure I wholly understood the question, but I generally I have a storehouse of spices and ingredients of which I am very familiar, and can just think about which flavors go with what and mix and match.

(I think the question is less feeling and thinking as maybe intuitive?)

[DrCiao]

My ENTJ girlfriend loves to cook. I typically stay out of her way in the kitchen unless I'm her sous chef or she asks me to taste something :)

I think she mainly takes a recipe, then improvises to whatever suits her. She's not a big follower on doing exactly as the recipe says but sees it more as a general guideline.

[Reizu]

Maybe if I were more experienced with cooking I'd go by feeling, but I just go by the book and it works out fine for me.

[Canopus]

my kitchen is just a specific kind of chemistry lab - all thinking here. If I like a recipe, then I use it - I sometimes tweak a recipe, but once it works and I'm happy with the results the experiment is over, log the recipe, re-use as needed.

[koakuma]

i need a recipe with exact measurements that i follow precisely. i even have to triple and quadruple check the recipe per each step. its a mess. the only exception is when i have been using a specific recipe for years and know all the measurements by heart. in which case i still use the precise measurements but i dont have a hard copy of the recipe in my face.

then again i also dont have all that much experience cooking, so perhaps i will grow more comfortable with it over time and be able to come up with stuff on the fly.

Your explanation fits soooo well with my ISTJ brother. He likes when recipes explain it like this: 1. put oven at 175 degrees. 2. get a cutting board and a knife 3. cut 1 onion. Etc. I like it too actually, but I don't find it hard to change recipes to my own liking.

(I think the question is less feeling and thinking as maybe intuitive?)

Oh, maybe. I thought of it as a combo of the S/N and T/F. So, an NT would go by their intuition and thinking when cooking, which would roughly mean that they pretty much visualise what they want for dinner and quickly calculate in advance how to get there (??). While an SF person might just go by what feels right in the moment (gut feeling), plus using their sensation (which I'm not totally sure how it works). But then, maybe the NT has developed a Fe Fi and cook by what feels right?

Maybe I have no idea what I'm talking about, which is why I ask. Please correct me if I'm wrong. :D

[Paul Siraisi]

What do you mean by feeling? I'm making subtle choices that would fall into the realm of what is called 'feeling' or 'intuition'. But I'm not sure that relates to the NF's F.

[Feral]

I cook by smell and sight. I usually only taste test things right before I stick them on a plate. I know what my ingredients smell like, and I know what my finished product is supposed to smell like. As long as it looks right, should have the desired texture. The only thing I can't smell out is if I put enough sugar into my spaghetti sauce to properly neutralize the acidity of it without making it sweet. I can't really smell the acid.

Aside from that, once I know the basic recipe for something, I generally don't look at it much after that, and just do whatever sounds/smells good.

[CanrHoldLimes]

I dunno, I just experiment with whatever I have and it usually sucks. If I come up with a passable dish, I recall what I did and cook that often because I know it's guaranteed not to taste like ass.

[frontaLobotomy]

Unless It's baking, sure. Most recipes can be tweaked when involving flavour and such.

[Feral]

Unless It's baking, sure. Most recipes can be tweaked when involving flavour and such.

Ah yes, baking requires much thinking for me. I go with the recipe, or at least very close. When I want to substitute something, I have to think of all of the properties of the things I'm substituting in and out. If I add something that gives it more rise, should I reduce one of the other things? If I put in more chocolate, I should put in less oil. Lots of calculations going into that. I think peanut butter cookies are probably the only thing I bake without looking at directions.

[Xanthippe]

I don't know what kind of feeling vs. thinking you're talking about, quite. I certainly use intuition, and I think my synaesthesia helps me guess which flavours will go well together. Thinking certainly comes into guessing the right proportions/timings (still a struggle for me) - I taught myself to cook, and the only time I use a recipe is when baking. But the rest of it is more artistic, so maybe feeling?

[JadeScholar]

I don't often follow the directions exactly, unless it is for baking as a previous poster commented. Usually I look up recipes on my computer, which is in my living room. Since I get annoyed with running back and forth from my computer to the kitchen, I tend to just get a general idea of ingrediants and proportions, then just go off of that. And I tend to make meals for just one, which means adjusting the recipe anyway. And I like to look up several different recipe versions, then take the best out of each and combine them.
I started cooking when I was ten years old, and my sister and I would often experiment with ingrediants when mom was out. Made some really interesting creations back then...

[INTJlove]

I simply don't cook, so those problems don't bother me.

[John01]

I'm not much of a cook. I go by what I've seen and eaten before (no creativity). I just grab stuff, throw it in a skillet and add cayenne pepper, jalapenos, habaneros or some other endorphin stimulating food.

[plotthickens]

I used to use recipes, and then I learned the basics and started intuiting my way through them. Now I look to find TECHNIQUES, and those are essential, right up there with following your appetite. Please see the first few chapters of The Outlaw Cook (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.)for an excellent view on this.

[Nostalgia]

I am still tentatively learning and appreciating the science of those chemical reactions occurring among the particular ingredients and food products. I think once I have derived enough confidence from mastering this initial systemic process, I will gradually move onto cultivating a more of personal process. I love cooking, I think it is one of the disciplines that greatly compliments the unification of art and science, creating an endless potentials for wonderment.

[envirodude]

Yes.

[Zodd]

I use magic.

[Cozzine]

To be honest, when I cook I either go verbatim to the recipe that I usually find online (if it is good, I add to my personal collection) if I have all the tools, or I just toss random amounts in and hope it goes well. For example, if I don't have a measuring cup, and the recipe calls for 1.5 cup of XYZ, then I will grab a glass, estimate what is 1.5 cups, and toss it in.
I am not good at the feeling of it. If I taste it, and it doesn't taste right, I absolutely have no clue as to what I should add. I am clueless beyond the limits of the recipe.

[melodynelson]

For the most part, I look at a recipe and get the general idea, adding and subtracting where I see fit. If I don't trust the source, I'll go with methods that I know will have a good outcome. Sometimes I'm wrong, but rarely is it disastrous.

Unless it's baking, which I do by weight whenever possible.

[blatimir]

I can see some validity in the argument that some people would make that cooking is chemistry therefore giving the notion of precise measurements/weighing more strength.

However, despite this, to me real cooking is not about following a recipe and specific quantities. To be a true chef you need to know as well as understand all of the ingredients you are cooking with as well as their flavors, smells, textures independently and along with other ingredients to comprehend their contribution to the final result.

Is this not the true spirit of the INTJ? Once you understand how it works then you can apply that framework to create a huge diversity of interesting & flavorful dishes.

I use recipes for inspiration not for a cookie cutter approach. I do have a significant bias though as I as a chef a restaurant for a few years and have been refining my cooking ever since.

That said, you have to start somewhere and learning is a progression so using & following resources is a tremendous resource.

[Tequila]

I did not vote because I am unsure which I should choose.

I try to learn new techniques so that I can use it in future.
For new dishes, I generally require a basic recipe as a guide line. I am not good at replicating dishes exactly the same but most of the time improvised according to my own preference.
I am able to create simple recipes with ingredients at hand.
Some of my relatives have great 'food sense'. They are able to create their own amazing recipies. For me, unless I have a personal preference to a particular ingredient, I tend to me more creative.

[Forte]

I am an INTJ, but I cook by feeling because I don't exactly know how to cook... therefore, I can't think about what to do. It turns out ok.

[spect]

O NT - can't cook

[sunitaishot]

In honesty, I think very few people use cookbooks. they only for those who either are cooking unfamiliar dishes, or who have seldom ever cooked in their lives.

Does an Indian person need a cookbook to make naan bread? An English person for roast beef and Yorkshire pudding? A Philadelphian for cheese steak? Not really. If a person has a long association with a dish, it comes rote to cook it. And after experience is gained, one can experiment. It's like scrambled eggs. Some put meat in it, onions, etc. to suit their own tastes.

---------- Post added 05-22-2012 at 07:28 PM ----------

Hi.

I always thought of cooking and spicing food as "going by feeling" unless you have a cook book with measurements. But then I really started to think about it.

I thought I went by feeling when cooking and flavouring food, but that's not true. I visually calculate what I usually know taste nice. By the looks of the food and spices, I can pretty much visualise what it will taste like and if I will like it or not.


How do you cook? How do you spice your food? How do you know it will taste nice or not?

Can you relate to your S/N/F/T-combo and how you cook food? I hope the poll makes sense.


Maybe the answer is super-obvious?

From experience, trial and error, and judgment of flavours.

I know too much black pepper won't taste good.

[Crazyblue]

I absolutely detest measuring, pretty much the only time that I do it is when I'm baking.

[FruitLoop]

If I dont watch what I'm doing I end up with a mess. Trying to tip ingredients in without measuring usually ends up with some random result that isn't really any better - kinda lik trying to assemble a swiss watch by throwing all the parts in a cardboard box and shaking it..

I spent months trying to get scratch-baked bread just perfect. There is no way in hell I could get perfect bread unless I have everything weighed to the gram, and times accurate to the minute, and then I get this;
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[Samoan Corleone]

I start with measurements when I'm new to a recipe, but then I start adding little adjustments here and there, which gradually turns into cooking by feel.

[BlackMita]

I'll google a new recipe, read it, note the proportions, and try not to forget about ingredients/steps that make or break the desired result. So my preference is to go by memory and chemistry-related common sense.

[Typhon]

I'll use a recipe but only follow it roughly. I tend to eyeball the measurements and spice usage. Mostly go by trial and error. Here is what I often eat:


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[Booko]

(I think the question is less feeling and thinking as maybe intuitive?)

Exactly what I was thinking, Moxiie.

Intuition!

When I first started cooking it was all thinking, but the more I get used to it and the more technique ends up being second nature and the broader my experience, the more it's just intuition.

I don't normally follow a recipe a written the first time. It's more like I'll look up six variants of a recipe that look interesting and shift things, especially seasonings, to come up with what strikes me as better yet.

It's hell on wheels because then I have to take notes and test it out and make sure I've codified it properly before I can post it to the blog. But if I don't do that my kids will never have an idea how I make anything.

When I'm baking, especially with yeast-raised breads, I'll follow the recipe as written except sometimes I cut back on the sugar and add a little more flour to try to keep the wet/dry ingredient ratio where it should be.

On a related note, at this point I do garden designs largely intuitively.

[hamlet9]

Well, I'm not much of a cook, but when I do cook I never follow recipies. I think I go more by intuition than by either thinking or feeling (that's why I didn't vote).

[Nightmare]

When it comes to something delicate like cakes, one must use a recipe. But when cooking casually; i.e. making a dinner for myself, I often just throw things together I think would blend perfectly. 9/10 times it works well.... The 1/10 time of everything not coming together usually happens when I use up old stuff left in the fridge.

[plotthickens]

I think this poll would be more informative if the population was more cuilnary minded.

[InfiniteLoop]

It depends. Following a recipe, I go by exact measurements or close to exact, but then if I feel something needs tweaking I go by feel and taste. If the taste is right, then I'm happy. If not, I keep tweaking it. So I guess I ultimately go by feeling and evidence of if it tastes good or not.

[darniem]

Every time someone says they don't know how to cook, I ask "Well, do you know how to eat?"

That's how I cook. I know what I like. I know what tastes good. I put that together and make great food. I don't attempt cooking anything that I have doubts about my abilities to make it taste amazing. What I do cook...well, my friends beg me for recipes. I can't give it to them because I don't use them.

Recipes are just basic outlines to me, and I add and subtract as needed...so yeah, I guess there is definitely a lot of intuition involved.

Also I'm from the American South. If 'Southerner" were a race in an RPG, "Immaculate Food Sense" would be a trait common to that race. We know what to do in a kitchen ;)

[ButterflyPsyche]

I think I read somewhere that cooking by feeling is a very Se thing to do.

Note - I couldn't tell you where I read that. This is one of those rare times where when I say "I think I read" and there's a chance that I may have pulled the data out of my ass. All I know is that when I went through my obsessive cook-by-feeling phase I scored pretty high (for me) on Se but now that I'm in a calmer phase in life, I score low Se.

[thehammer]

I go by the techniques I was taught and recipes until I've done them enough that I've memorized them.

[Carinthian]

Since I don't know how to cook, I let intuition guide me.

[24601]

I measure the big stuff like flour or baking soda, the "fundamentals," but the other stuff, like spices and flavorings and sometimes even the oils I rely more on sense of touch and taste. I love cooking, and especially enjoy baking. I've made very few flops, except one batch of overcooked caramel. It ended up being a sugary mixture with the texture of razors and glass.