Make it yours / 2 MIN READ
Make a recipe your own, one change at a time
A practical way to try substitutions without losing track of what works.
Maybe you prefer a different herb, want more vegetables, or need to use what is already in the kitchen. Adapting a recipe is easier when you decide what you want to change and keep the rest familiar.
Name the reason for the change
‘I want it less spicy’ is a useful goal. So is ‘I have parsley instead of basil.’ Changing several ingredients, the pan, and the cooking method at once makes the result harder to understand. Begin with one change you can describe.
Think about the ingredient’s job
Is it there for flavor, texture, moisture, or structure? Swapping a finishing herb in a salad is a different kind of change from replacing eggs in a cake. Similar-looking ingredients do not always behave alike. For baking, look first for a substitution the recipe author has tested.
Try a small amount first
For a finished soup, sauce, or dressing that is ready to eat, put a spoonful in a separate bowl and try your adjustment there. A little lemon or a different herb is easier to judge in a sample than to undo in a whole pot. If you like it, make a modest change to the larger batch.
Treat bigger batches as a new task
Doubling the ingredient amounts does not automatically double the cooking time. A crowded pan, a deeper dish, or a different pan size changes how the food cooks. When you are new to a recipe, making two batches in the original size can be simpler than working out a larger version.
Keep the original and your version
Write down the exact change and how it turned out. ‘Used parsley instead of basil; liked it with extra lemon’ is more helpful next month than ‘changed it a bit.’ You can keep experimenting without losing the version you already enjoy.
One thing to remember
One deliberate change teaches you more than five changes you cannot untangle.