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Many times, people who aren’t using a recipe have already made that dish by following a similar recipe. Once you’ve made a recipe a handful of times, try to cook it based on memory. By working through memory, you’ll adapt the recipe into your own dish.  If you enjoy a particular ingredient in a dish, like celery for example, then add more chopped celery to the dish. Attempt to create a recipe based off the ingredients you own. Try adapting the recipe without buying extra supplies. It might work, or you could fail, but at least you tried. A well stocked spice rack can enhance impromptu creations. There are dozens of spices and combinations available to you. Use the following information about some classic spices to help you get started:  Basil is a sweet and earthy herb that has many types variants. Basil pairs well with Italian recipes (pasta, red sauce) and also works well in Asian stir fries with peanuts or coconut milk. Curry powder is a variety of different herbs that is great for Indian dishes and varieties. Try curry powder in lentil stew, a breakfast scramble, or in rice/quinoa with cilantro. Cumin is an earthy flavor with a bit of a spice. Cumin is perfect for Mexican dishes like tacos, black bean/refried beans, root vegetables, and on fish (tilapia). Rosemary is sweet and woody. Rosemary goes well with many dishes like meats or potatoes. Rosemary is a good addition to any type of roasting with olive oil. Thyme is an earthy herb. Thyme works well in any bean dish. It pairs well with other spices like bay leaves, lemon zest, and parsley. Take advantage of the residue left in your pan after cooking to create a delicious sauce to accompany your meal. This technique works best after searing meat in a pan. Remove the meat and any excess fat from the pan and turn the heat down to medium. Add some spices and herbs like a chopped shallot, garlic, and yellow mustard seed powder. Cook these down for about five minutes and then add some liquid.  One of the best liquids to absorb the pan’s remnants and create flavor is alcohol. Add about a ¼ cup of red/white wine or beer. Cook the liquid down while stirring with a wooden spoon to blend all the remnants of the pan into the sauce. After 4-5 minutes throw in some lemon zest, thyme, or rosemary to complete a delicious accompaniment to your meal. Sautéing is the process of cooking food quickly at a high temperature in a shallow, wide pan. The key to sauteing is cutting all the ingredients into uniform size so that everything cooks evenly. You can sauté meat, vegetables, and even fruit. Heat the pan to medium-high for about 10 minutes and then add your favorite oil/butter (2 tablespoons).  Add your chopped food into the pan and cook for about ten minutes stirring frequently. Experiment with the order of when you add certain ingredients. Some like to add garlic and onions last and others like to add it to the pan first. If you are sautéing meat, consider sautéing the meat separately to avoid under-cooking the meat. Once you feel comfortable you can sauté everything in the same pan. Caramelizing is a useful technique that can be used to many ingredients. Caramelizing is all about slow cooking in a pan to bring out the natural sweetness out of an ingredient. Take caramelizing onions for example:  Use thick slices to avoid burning the onion and cook with an even ratio of butter and oil. Cover the surface of the pan, but don’t cram too many onions onto the pan. Keep the heat on medium-low throughout the cooking to ensure a successful caramelization without burning anything. This will take close to 45 minutes if done properly. You can do this same technique with a variety of produce like garlic or even broccoli. Sweating your veggies is very similar to sauteing, but the temperature you use to sweat is lower. You want bring out flavors while tenderizing the veggies, instead of browning them. Heat your pan on medium-low heat and wait about 10 minutes for the pan to heat. Add the oil of your choice (2 tbs), distribute the oil in your pan, and then add your chopped veggies.  Throw in a healthy amount of salt and let your veggies sizzle gently, opposed to a loud sizzle. Adjust the temperature if it sounds too loud. Stir the produce frequently to avoid browning. Cook in the pan for about five to ten minutes. You are looking for your produce to soften or become translucent. Another technique for vegetables is blanching. Heat a large cooking pot of water on high heat with a generous amount of salt. Prepare a bowl of ice water and set to the side. Chop your vegetables and once the water is boiling, add them to the pot. Let the veggies cook for 1 ½ to 2 minutes tops. Strain the vegetables in a colander and immediately dump them into the ice bath.  The result is perfectly tender vegetables that can easily be thrown into a dish. If you plan to cook the veggies in a different pot, heat them in boiling water for a minute. After thirty seconds in the ice bath, your vegetables are ready. A vital part of cooking is tasting the flavor as you cook. If the dish tastes bitter or bland, add salt to the dish. Try out a pinch or teaspoon at a time until the flavor improves. If you think the dish still needs more flavor try adding acidity or spice to the dish.  Add spice by using chopped, fresh peppers (jalapeno or habanero), 1 tsp of cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes. Add acidity near the end of cooking by squeezing a fresh lemon over the dish, or by adding 2 tablespoons of vinegar (rice wine, balsamic, or malt). Another way to boost the flavor of a dish is by adding a splash of wine. Let the dish cook for 5 to 10 minutes in order to cook off the alcohol. Experimenting in the kitchen won’t always produce an incredible meal. All cooks who’ve took this leap have failed at some point through experimentation. The point is to attempt to move forward into uncharted cooking territories.
Adapt a recipe. Use spices with intention. Make a pan sauce. Create a sauté. Learn how to caramelize. Sweat your vegetables. Blanch your veggies. Adjust the flavor. Don’t be afraid to experiment.