do u doubt your dishes?

[tk59]

...you are witnessing the #1 cause of death in America.

Correct me if I'm wrong. Are you saying it's okay to wipe these people out because they are killing themselves anyway?

 

[WildBoar]

Correct me if I'm wrong. Are you saying it's okay to wipe these people out because they are killing themselves anyway?

???? That seems like quite a bit of a reach.

 

[JohnnyChance]

Haha, I do not think that is what John was saying. He was saying that the average american diet has programmed these people to eat their food that way and that same diet also has lead to our high rate of heart disease and other ailments.


But when I am working and handed a business card from a waitress that one of her patrons gave her that outlines their myriad of preferences and allergies, I do take a little joy in knowing that even just 100 or so years ago when there was still a survival of the fittest aspect to human life in america, people allergic to apparently half the items under the sun wouldn't have lasted that long.

 

[mano]

Home cook here and I doubt what I make for several reasons.

In no particular order:

I love the process of planning, preparing and serving food people really enjoy and there's always room for improvement.

Being exposed to excellent chefs in person or on-line reminds me how much I don't know.

I suck at plating

About 8 years ago I had surgery which impaired my ability to taste so I'm always asking other people, including a few "super-tasters" to check my food as I cook.

Occasionally I make up dishes that have the potential to be home-runs or strike-outs. A member of my wine and dinner group called me "The bravest home cook I know." Sometimes I get carried away and have to remember that "less is more" is usually true for home cooks. Or at least it's true for me.

Sometimes I drink wine while cooking.

 

[MadMel]

Less is more kinda applies everywhere. I've seen guys who just keep adding additional ingredients to their dishes. It is important not to over-complicate your dishes. Drinking slightly is ok but smoking is not as I feel that it kinda affects your sense of taste.

 

[WildBoar]

My wife likes to try new recipes for parties, etc., and I'm more of a 'let's make it for ourselves first, a week earlier and see how it is" kinda guy. Guess which one of us usually wins that discussion :scratchhead:

Thankfully she has a great intuition for how flavors will combine, and we have yet to get into trouble trying new recipes without testing them first. Oh, and we do taste a lot as we're working through the dishes; we often find amount of seasoning, herbs, etc. are off the mark, so we have a chance to fix things before the dishes are completed.

We are pretty critical of what we make, and we'll spend time dissecting it after the guests have left. But most of our friends are grateful to be eating something besides take-out or microwaved food, so we rarely get much in the way of useful critiques from them

 

[MadMel]

Lol.. I find that the most demanding critic is often yourself, unless you can't be bothered. But you won't be cooking if you can't be bothered so...

 

[stopbarking]

Home cook here and I doubt what I make for several reasons.

In no particular order:

I love the process of planning, preparing and serving food people really enjoy and there's always room for improvement.

Being exposed to excellent chefs in person or on-line reminds me how much I don't know.

I suck at plating

About 8 years ago I had surgery which impaired my ability to taste so I'm always asking other people, including a few "super-tasters" to check my food as I cook.

Occasionally I make up dishes that have the potential to be home-runs or strike-outs. A member of my wine and dinner group called me "The bravest home cook I know." Sometimes I get carried away and have to remember that "less is more" is usually true for home cooks. Or at least it's true for me.

Sometimes I drink wine while cooking.

I do this professionally and have the same issues you do. Those professional chefs of us who are lucky enough to have some creative license struggle with the same issues.

I'd love to be your next door neighbor. Keep at it!

 

[SpikeC]

Jackes Pepin says that you should drink wine while you cook!

 

[Eamon Burke]

I'm not just saying this, I really do cook better when I drink spirits that make their way into the food while I am cooking.

 

[mateo]

Home cook here... but to answer the basic question, yes I do doubt my dishes. What I find myself doing is comparing my dish to something you would eat in a restaurant -- if it doesn't taste like it would/could be served in a nice (not 3 Star Michelin) restaurant I'm generally not happy with it. Then again, as I've gotten to be a better and better cook, I certainly tend to enjoy restaurant food less and less.

Although I do have a question for those Chefs working -- do you feel as if when you're cooking something you've become almost... desensitized to it's aromas and flavors and simply will NOT taste as good if you didn't make it? I kinda feel this way as a home cook -- especially if I'm braising or stewing, because I'm smelling it for hours.

 

[Eamon Burke]

Sometimes it can be like that. You have to either back off the concept of the dish and just make it with care and occasional tasting, or completely immerse yourself in the concept of making the dish. This is especially true with soups. There are so many moving parts, and making a great soup requires so much tasting and standing in the aromatic steam, that by the time you are done, you are sick of it!

As for restaurant food, the way I see it, food on a 1-10 is like this:
1-5 - can/should get it at home(why pay for lackadaisical preparation?)
5-9 - should get it at a restaurant(why work that hard for dinner?)
10 - can only be gotten at home. Restaurant food, by nature, has to please a lot of different people and tastes. A lot of the best food I've ever eaten was home-cooked--best brisket, best burger, best whole turkey, best apple pie, best cup of coffee, the list goes on.

 

[MadMel]

Sometimes it can be like that. You have to either back off the concept of the dish and just make it with care and occasional tasting, or completely immerse yourself in the concept of making the dish. This is especially true with soups. There are so many moving parts, and making a great soup requires so much tasting and standing in the aromatic steam, that by the time you are done, you are sick of it!

As for restaurant food, the way I see it, food on a 1-10 is like this:
1-5 - can/should get it at home(why pay for lackadaisical preparation?)
5-9 - should get it at a restaurant(why work that hard for dinner?)
10 - can only be gotten at home. Restaurant food, by nature, has to please a lot of different people and tastes. A lot of the best food I've ever eaten was home-cooked--best brisket, best burger, best whole turkey, best apple pie, best cup of coffee, the list goes on.

I believe that becoming desensitized to the flavour and aroma is probably due to palate fatigue. It happens all the time cause you are constantly tasting, probing, smelling so your taste buds get tired in a sense.
I really agree with the rating you have there except maybe I'll go 7-9 for getting it at a restaurant. It's gotta be above average for me to go there. And yeah the best Risotto I've had was made at home. Same with fish and seafood.

 

[Crothcipt]

I love this thread. I have learned how to cook to the cooks around me to their ability. So I know I am not cooking the best dish that I can. I may seem like I am sounding cocky but I have had many customers ask "who made this?". To later ask for me to prepare it when I am not at that station. Have had people walk out when I was off work for the day. Many cooks out there don't put their heart into a dish, but cut corners to just get "the slop" out there. I don't like this but it is true, and not just in a kitchen either.

I agree with Chef Niloc that when in a position of leadership you have to be 100% sure of the dish. If you are 99.9% sure the waitstaff and other cooks will pick up on that.

When I am coming up with something new I doubt all the time. When asking if something is good I usually ask if does this need something else to round out the flavor? You will get a better response.