[Sca-cooks] redactions

[Olwen the Odd]

>I believe the original topic was being marked down in competition for not 
>including one's own version of a receipt.  My point is that if the original 
>receipt provides an adequate description of the process, it is unnecessary 
>to re-write it.  Yes, one should include quantities of ingredients; yes, if 
>one does something different from the receipt that step should be 
>described.  But, how does writing a redaction ensure the receipt was 
>followed?  If one follows the original process, why must a redaction be 
>done?  Why is documenting the process necessary because different people 
>will interpret the same receipt differently?  That seems irrelevant, since 
>you are judging an entry against the receipt, not against how others might 
>make it.  If a receipt is lacking in instructions, the entrant must include 
>what he has done, but if all the information is there.... Why is it 
>important to know how I reached and why I made the choices I did?  Lastly, 
>how would one apply the above how and why requirements to a performing arts 
>type of entry?  How could one explain the choice of one rhyme over another? 
>  I suspect my problem is that I view cooking as an art, and feel that 
>excessive documentation can make it too much of a science.
>
>Nancy Kiel

Two things popped into my head when I read your missive Nancy.  First was 
how many times I have seen posted to this list a recipe and then either a 
note or redaction that firmly states something like 'you will see that I 
have omitted the pepper, I do not like pepper' or 'someone is allergic' or 
some such.  That is fine, we know there was pepper (or whatever) used in the 
original recipe, but perhaps someone else *liked* the taste of the dish 
without the pepper?  They may then go to seek the recipe and not know what 
differences there was in what they are reading and what they ate.  
Differences in the actual cooking methods are another thing.  Often a recipe 
will say something like boile then place near fire and the cook will simply 
omit the boil stage and toss something into an oven while another may place 
it in a frypan.
I can't tell you how many versions of Savory Toasted Cheese I have either 
read or eaten that almost had not one thing in common with other versions!  
And trust me, some of them have been terrible while others are delightful!
Olwen

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