That Thai curry looks really good! I have it saved to my inbox so I will have to try it at some point.
1 Like
I measure when baking and making jelly, by weight if itās given. I might use a bit more of my own judgement on jams and preserves.
I usually measure when making a new recipe, and roll my eyes when browsing recipe reviews by people who donāt. .
3 Likes
Mix of techniques. The first time making a recipe I try to follow measurements closely, except for salt in maindishes & sauces. Since weāre a lower-sodium household salt gets cut in half or less. Itās easier to add salt at table, if needed, but impossible to reduce it. When repeating, I most often eyeball measures for mains/sides/sauces. For baking, especially, I do measure by volume, translating recipe weight measures (by using a scale) to my volume measure for faster repeatable results.
For me, important measurement tools are my 3 timers & instant read thermometers. I tend to get distracted so each item gets itās own timer set to make sure I stir, remove from heat or take out of the oven as needed. We reheat leftovers for many meals and those get measured for āsafeā 165 F. temperature.
2 Likes
By weight for baking, and for pasta portions (1.5 ounces is enough for me). I wing it for nearly everything else, but I will be measuring by volume for the bechamel in the pastitsio thatās currently in progress.
1 Like
Iāll have the same answer as I do when kids ask me if I wear whitey tighties or boxers: ādepends!ā
Baking, canning, even drinks I measure accurately. Straight up cooking something Iāve made before, no way. Ne recipes, though, I try to hit the right measurements.
5 Likes
I measure precisely when baking or making a recipe for the first time. Once I get the āfeelā of a recipe, I just wing it.
We are cocktail āeyeballersā in our house, but my SO has a much heavier hand than I do 
2 Likes
Thanks. Yes, the Hill Country is a very sad place right now. It appears to have stopped raining finally. Here in Austin it has returned to hot and bright. The blue sky and the green on the ground are quite the sight. I ache for all the loss of family and friends. It is a sad truth that flooding is usually what it takes to refill the lakes we rely on for water. Travis is up nearly 24ā.
I never āgotā Aperol spritzers. I do like Aperol and soda, better still Campari and soda, but the very low level of alcohol in Aperol and soda seems to be negated by adding Prosecco, not to mention the added flavor. A tidbit, usually you pour in the liquor and add the soda. Campari sinks. Pour it in last, and you can watch it mix itself. Then plunk in an orange wheel, guzzle it, and do it again!
4 Likes
Yes, mom and dad were meticulous. However, they carefully tinkered with their recipes. There are loads of mark-outs and pencilled in notes, adjusting proportions and changing ingredients to suit the familyās taste. If the recipe says long green peppers, cross it out and write serranos!
5 Likes
Looking up ālong green pepperā!
ETA; I guess that says something about how I read recipes!
1 Like
A lot of older cookbooks used this and similarly useless descriptions. This one, to make matters worse, came from a recipe for chili sauce. It was a relish of tomatoes, peppers, and onions with vinegar, brown sugar, and a mixture of spices. It would never occur to me to call it chili sauce, but it is amazing on burgers. I think they may originally have used poblanos or Anaheims. We liked the zip of jalapeƱos or serranos.
4 Likes
Aperol frightens me. I knocked over a cousinās spritzer and got a big orange splat on her pristine beige linen dirndl. Thank God she let me pay for cleaning it, but I donāt even go near Aperol, even if I liked it- which I donāt.
3 Likes
I rarely bake, but if I do I measure carefully. If Iām following someoneās recipe I use my measuring cups and spoons, but not carefully. Iām usually making the recipe for one so a lot of the measurements are guesstimates. For drinks I use a jigger, except for my username. Keeps me sober.
1 Like
I have seen that type of chili sauce in Joy of Cooking from the 70s. I always figured the peppers were supposed to be something like Italian frying peppers.
Makes a good base, with horseradish, for cocktail sauce.
2 Likes
Iād get mixed up with which timer is for which step!
LOL - timers are magnetic-backed with little prop stands, too, so can (theoretically) be positioned near the pan/oven thatās being tracked. I have, however, been known to check all pans when any timer goes off.
Measuring is overrated.
4 Likes
Depends on which garment is cleanā¦
2 Likes
I donāt bake much, but baking falls into the measure it (wight or volume) category. Most cocktails, I measure. Until Iāve done one a zillion times (but I donāt do many āseriousā cocktails). Stuff Iāve made a zillion times, I eyeball. Stuff thatās predictable, I eyeball. Stuff I taste as I go I eyeball. Stuff I entirely make up out of my head, I gleefully just toss things in.
3 Likes
And Im the other way. One day you may read of a Florida woman kidnapped because of a white van emblazoned with a handlettered sign reading āfree Aperol spritzā
4 Likes
I use the alarms on my phone, which can be labeled.
3 Likes
