Why You Should Stop Following Recipes Exactly

Recipes are guides. Not laws.

Professional chefs do not use recipes. They use ratios and techniques. Once you understand how cooking works, you do not need to be told how much salt to add. You know by looking.

The best way to learn is to cook the same thing three times in a row. First time, follow the recipe exactly. Second time, change one thing. Third time, change two things. By the end, you understand why each ingredient matters.

Salt is a good place to start. Most recipes underseason. Taste as you go. Add salt until it tastes right. That might be more than the recipe says. That is fine.

Substitutions are fine too. No buttermilk? Add lemon juice to regular milk. No fresh herbs? Use half the amount of dried. No white wine? Use chicken stock with a splash of vinegar.

Recipes are training wheels. The goal is to ride without them.