Many times when I prepare a meal for others, talk usually comes around to general culinary theory. One of the questions I get a lot is “How did you come up with this recipe?”

The answer is simple, I put away my fears of ruining a bit of food, and take a risk by trying to create something different and unique. This doesn’t mean necessarily that I am making something brand new. In fact, many times I am just reworking a recipe that someone else presented (which was probably reworked by them from someone else). Does this mean it always comes out perfect or better than the original? Of course not. After you experiment for a while, the error part of trial and error becomes less because of your experience.

For example, a couple weeks ago, my wife and I were planning a dinner we were having the next night. A friend of ours was coming over so we wanted to make something different. We decided on barbecue ribs since we had some in the fridge anyway.

We started thinking about a marinade and basically all we did was lay the ribs in a large glass baking pan, and started adding ingredients that we could agree might work.  First, we added some Jack Daniels, then some lemon, then balanced with some balsamic vinegar, etc., etc., until after about 10 different things were in there.

The next day, we popped it in our BBQ Pit slow cooker on low and crossed our fingers.  If the marinade was a flop we would have known it quickly enough and could figure out something else.  After a couple hours, the atmosphere in the kitchen started to change.  All of a sudden your tongue felt more damp, and your stomach felt emptier than before.  The aroma from those ribs stole through the house and it was spectacular.

Our guest was amazed at the taste of this ribs and how they came about.  We threw caution to the wind and just did it.  Sure, we could have wasted $20.00 in ribs but c’mon, even a squirrel drops a nut from time to time!

The lesson is, lose your fear of failure.  It is going to happen sometimes even if you follow a recipe to the letter.  Failure is part of the learning process when it comes to cooking, it doesn’t make you a bad cook.  If you rigidly follow recipes, your hobby is destined for the trash heap.  Think about it.  How fun would painting be if the art was already traced for you and all you did was color it in?  You have to apply your creative thought along with your past experiences and more than not, you will find that not only can you cook, you can be a unique cook.

Much of what people enjoy about food is diversity.  Pleasing those you cook for involves breaking the mold and preparing something they never had quite the way you prepared it.  Don’t be afraid, experiment, test, and enjoy the art of cooking!