Don't Be Afraid To Experiment!

Happy day before Mother's Day everybody!

Today I wanted to talk for a minute about experimenting in the kitchen. I used to be terrified of the idea of wasting food by having an experiment turn out to be an awful failure. For years I almost never experimented by making up my own spice rub or trying to modify a recipe to suit my tastes. As the years went by though and I read and learned more and more about the art and science that is cooking I became slowly braver.

First I started by modifying recipes that I thought were good but could be better. The first recipe I made any real changes to is called "French Canadian Meat Pie" (I love meat pies!) It was published in a Taste of Home Cookbook that I'm not sure I even have anymore. I wrote the recipe down though so I still have that. Anyway, the original version of the recipe was pretty bland as far as my husband and I were concerned so we switched it up by changing out a big portion of the plain ground beef with sweet Italian sausage. The results were, well, YUM! YUM! YUMMY! Now the new version of this meat pie is one of our favorite meals. Plus the recipe makes enough meat pie filling for two nine inch, deep dish pies. I should probably write it up and post it on the Dining Dilettante Squidoo page later so you all can try our version.

After that success I became more open to the idea of modifying and improvising with recipes. As I read more cookbooks, listened to more radio shows like The Splendid Table and watched more cooking competitions like Chopped I began to learn what flavors go together and which ones don't. I experimented more and more. Each experiment became more and more successful in terms of flavor and complexity.

This weekend, for example, I created a spice rub for a nice hunk of beef roast my husband brought home for me to grill. (I love to grill, though I admit, I still have a lot to learn when it comes to controlling the fire and heat and coals, etc. Haven't poisoned anyone yet though and all the meals turn out edible, so win!) Of course, I didn't bother with measurements. Spice rubs can be measured and should be if you want to create consistent results but since this was my first try with this combination I just focused on the spices. Next time I'll start measuring and eventually I'll have a true recipe to share.

Anyway, the spices I used were:

• Salt
• Fresh Ground Pepper
• A shake or two of crushed red pepper
• Onion powder
• Light Brown sugar
• Sage
• A generous amount of Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (Hershey's brand, for the curious)

I can say with certainty that the Cocoa Powder and Light Brown Sugar comprised the majority of the spice rub with salt and pepper second in line. As a grill rub this off the cuff mix was delicious! The brown sugar melted and caramelized with the other spices while the cocoa powder added a depth of flavor than can only be described as Umami. About the only thing I did wrong was fail to set a timer and almost burned the bottom of the roast!

So I urge you to experiment in the kitchen. If you are struggling with food availability and don't want to risk ruining the meal then take some time to learn more about mixing flavors and the cooking basics. When you read a cookbook, don't just read the recipes, look for the chapters that explain the kitchen basics. Watch cooking shows on the TV and the internet. Talk to friends and family you consider to be good cooks and get their advice. Then take it slow, one step at a time, until you've gained confidence in your ability to improvise.

If you experiment in the kitchen already, or want to talk about learning how to improvise and modify recipes then let's talk! Ask questions in the comments or tell us about your favorite experiments (or funniest failures).