Cook Without a Recipe

As information becomes easier and easier to access, so do recipes. However, cooking with feeling instead of recipes will get the best of your cooking ability (and is much more fun/pleasant!). Furthermore, it's much more convenient to cook from what you have, rather than get what you need to cook, and even ecological; learn to cook according to the seasons; there is no point in using fruits and vegetables raised in greenhouses sometimes on the other side on the world, when you'll have them fresh from local producers in a few months. Plus they will be tastier, and your cooking will be more diverse.In home setting, cooking without a recipe gives you a chance to experiment with new spices, flavors, aromas, and lets you really make your meal unique and original.

Steps

 * 1)  Practice, practice, practice. Start cooking from recipes, eventually you develop your own tastes for what you think would go together well.Check your time available, good cooking takes time.
 * 2)  [[Image:Flickr Rick 349850413   9688.jpg|thumb|Add your own flavours.]]Start with cooking with recipes. Also, sit down and read some good cookbooks. Some of the best are the Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook, the Pillsbury's Best is great, the New York Times Cookbook by Craig Claiborne. Another old standard is "The Joy of Cooking" and the food network chefs have all published cookbooks, too. You'd be surprised how much of a feel for cooking you can get just reading (and trying out) different recipes. Watch the Food Network on TV and watch their videos on their website (www.foodnetwork.com.) After a while, you know what you like and can experiment, and get a "feel" for what goes well together. But first you need cooking and baking basics.
 * 3)  Put complimentary ingredients into something it has to taste good. Do a little experimenting and season to taste. Don't be afraid to try. Some of the best dishes are made by accident.
 * 4)  Watch your mom, your grandmother or people who expert in cooking and start by adding a little flavor at a time .You can always add more.
 * 5) [[Image:Wok cooking woman at food festival 4403.jpg|thumb|Experiment yourself.]]Try different things, learn from your mistakes (and successes!), and make sure you know the basics of cooking. For example if you know the science behind making a basic sauce, you can do all sorts of things to vary it. Recipes limit people, chances are if you think something will taste good, it will, or if you think it tastes good, then other people will too!
 * 6)  Think of a casserole, it's fun to taste the outcome of an experiment. Breakfast casseroles are always a hit. Try new herbs -n-veggies vs. salts -n-such.Start small and before you know it different ingredients will just fit.
 * 7)  Think of foods & flavors you like together & create a combo of those. Or take a standard recipe & add to it.You will never make something same twice.Probably it gets close, but never the same.
 * 8)  Learn to estimate amounts with your eyeball, go with what looks good. It'll take practice. Hopefully your critics will be gracious when you mess up, because you will probably mess up a couple of times.
 * 9)  Use your imagination. Some great combos are, sweet sauce/spicy seasoning, olive oil seared garlic with lemon zest, and BBQ sauce with brown sugar. Cooking is so much fun when you can be the creator.
 * 10)  Cook often enough, you will become really familiar with your ingredients, what compliments, what brings out the flavour and what is good to use to counteract some taste or smell. You have to love food! If you love food, you will be the sort who will seek out places to try new tastes and smells, and from there you will learn too.
 * 1)  Cook often enough, you will become really familiar with your ingredients, what compliments, what brings out the flavour and what is good to use to counteract some taste or smell. You have to love food! If you love food, you will be the sort who will seek out places to try new tastes and smells, and from there you will learn too.

Tips

 * You might also want to look into taking a brief cooking class in your local community college or some High Schools have night courses.Once you start cooking a lot and especially reading and watching other people cook, you can start experimenting.
 * Checking some recipes on books or internet never hurts, however don't stick to it!
 * Best is to start from a well know dish, and then add your personal touch.
 * Learn first the basics of cooking (how to make a pie or pizza doug, creams, sauces, bake meat, fish, vegetables, etc.)
 * Taste every part of it frequently ! This way you'll know exactly what to add (be careful not to eat too much though !)
 * Have good quality and fresh ingredients (organic/homegrown is best)
 * Have basics cooking tools (knives, whisk, pan, burners, oven,etc.)
 * Plan well in advance: many things can or require to be done days or hours in advance, and you can buy, even book, that specific ingredient you'll need.
 * Be Positive and happy: it will show in your cooking !
 * Sometimes it's good to cook your favorites dishes, but it's also good to try new things to improve your cooking weak spot (whether be it cakes, meat, etc.)

Warnings

 * Don't try this if you don't have some previous cooking experience
 * Make sure you have the required equipment (a microwave won't stand for a oven, neither will an induction plate for a burner)
 * Don't stick to precise time, weight or quantity, just taste it !
 * If this is your first try, don't invite friends as this is likely to mess at some point. Don't panic, take note of what is wrong, and adjust it for next time.
 * Don't try to bake or make candy without recipes, these usually require very specific chemical balances, and only change things if you know what you're doing

Things You'll Need

 * Practice, practice, practice (best is to know different recipes for the dish you want to make)
 * A good intuition (you need to "feel" it)
 * A good cooking budget
 * Friends to share the great dishes you're going to make

Related Tips and Steps

 * How to Learn Cooking Basics
 * How to Know if Food is Undercooked
 * How to Understand and Use Basic Cooking Terms and Skills
 * How to Write a Recipe