Is the amount of spices in a recipe something you should really follow blindly? In many recipes it is often advised to taste with salt and pepper. Why don’t the recipes state the amount?
The amount of these spices is so individual for each individual. Some like a little saltier food, while others like when there are some extra spices with the pepper mill. You’ve probably noticed that salt and pepper can often be seen at the restaurant tables?
But when it comes to other spices, it can be good with a benchmark for how much to dose of, for example, chili. Is it stated in the recipe that you should have a spoon, but if you think it lacks heat, do you add some extra or do you satisfy with just one spoon?
What about the spice in classic dishes?
After all, there are lots of named dishes with a given list of ingredients. A classic pasta carbonara contains in its original recipe pasta, eggs, pork, parmesan cheese, garlic, salt, and black pepper. How much of the ingredients you use are up to you and your taste buds. There are people who add cream, mushrooms, leeks, and other ingredients and who still call it a pasta carbonara. As long as you think it is good, it is perfectly ok to go away from a basic recipe and add your own touch and twist to it. It may no longer be appropriate to call it a classic pasta carbonara in these cases. What do you think of calling it fake carbonara?
How much spices to add is something you only get to decide. The more you cook your favorite dishes, the better you will know how much spice to add according to your own taste and preference. How much salt and pepper should you have on your piece of meat? Yes, only you can decide. The best thing is to try it out. Exercise provides skills every day of the week! Maybe it wasn’t perfect with the seasoning the first time you cooked a dish? When it comes to spices, the more you cook a dish, the better it gets each time. So it will be for you and your dishes as well.
When cooking a dish, whether it is following a recipe or running a freestyle, be sure to taste it continuously. However much you follow a recipe, you will make one or more detours. But if you are unsure, follow the recipe closely the first time. A recipe should be seen as an inspirational benchmark, but never be a 100% fact, and the spices are an important aspect of this.