Rules of the Recipe
Skilled cooks know there are basic rules you can follow that will help you use recipes—successfully—in your kitchen.
Read Through the Recipe First - By reading the recipe completely through before you start to cook, you will avoid any surprises along the way, including not having that special ingredient, or factoring in hours of chilling before the dish can be served.
Follow Directions, at Least the First Time - Our advice is simple. Make the recipe as instructed the first time. Once you understand the recipe, you can improvise and make it your own the next time you prepare it.
Mise en Place - This is the French term for “everything in its place.” That means you should have all your ingredients prepped and all your equipment at the ready before you begin to cook.
Prepare Ingredients as Instructed - Food that is uniformly and properly cut will not only cook at the same rate but will also be more visually appealing.
Preheat Your Oven and Set Your Racks - Most ovens need at least 15 minutes to preheat fully. Plan accordingly.
Keep Substitutions to a Minimum - Unless you are confident a substitution will not impact the outcome of a recipe, stick to the ingredients listed. This goes for equipment too. Pro-Tip: Using a 9-inch cake plan when a recipe calls for an 8-inch will yield a different cake than you set out to make.
Monitor the Dish as It Cooks - Our recipes are written with timing cues and visual cues. Use the timing cues as a guideline and the visual cues as confirmation that the recipe is going as intended. Pro-Tip: Don’t wait until the prescribed time has elapsed to check for doneness: It is good practice to start checking 5 to 10 minutes before the designated time.
Taste the Dish for Seasoning before Serving - We generally season food lightly throughout the cooking process and then add more salt as needed. Pro-Tip: Have salt and pepper within reach when finishing a dish before it goes to the table.
Learn from Your Mistakes - Even the experienced cooks in our test kitchen often turn out less-than-perfect food. A good cook is able to analyze failure, pinpoint the cause, and then avoid this pitfall the next time. Pro-Tip: Repetition is key to any learning process, so don’t make a different recipe every night of the year. Make a dish at least once or twice a month until you master it.
