To kick off my Kitchen Feats category, I think I’ll start with an overview of my approach to cooking.

In most cases in the past, I’d mess up some detail about the recipe. That was my most common mistake, and sometimes still is. For example, there was the time I tried to make an enchilada casserole and forgot to grease the baking pan. The only thing that saved me that time was having switched from corn to flour tortillas. Thankfully, flour tortillas are less clingy when it comes to metal. Or the time I read “1 canned chipotle pepper” as “1 CAN chipotle peppers” and made the hottest posole known to man.

Along the way, I’ve learned a few important tips about cooking. Read the recipe. Prep the food before you turn on a single burner. Read the recipe again. Learn the basics of cooked food appearance so you’re not such a slave to the cooking times. Don’t just watch the cooking shows for the recipes; look at how they set up their kitchen and pay attention to the little utensils.

Because sometimes you won’t have everything the recipe calls for and sometimes you’ll want to use a different ingredient. Once you understand some of the basics, breaking free from the confines of the recipe can be very liberating… and successful. More on that later. Enjoy!