COOKING TIMES MAY VARY
It happens to us all.
We try a new recipe for the first time. We follow instructions to a tee. And the final product does not come out looking like it does in the picture. What do you do?
In the past, I would give up and give the recipe a HUGE thumbs down. Curse the world. Curse the person who provided the recipe. Slam cupboard doors. Slam every pot, pan, bowl, measuring cup and utensil I used to make the darn thing during the clean-up.
If you get discouraged, you could miss out on something truly amazing. I use my first attempt at Skittle Doodle Fudge as my own example.
I found a recipe for Skittles Rainbow Fudge, which I later renamed Skittle Doodle Fudge after a super awesome kid. I was looking for fudge recipes, fudge being one of the things I had not yet made at the time, and Skittle Rainbow (Doodle) Fudge popped up.
The recipe called for only three ingredients and seemed so easy to make, it could be done in your sleep. Unfortunately, the results were less than spectacular.
As you can see, the final product looked like a nightmare. It tasted great, but a key to great food is also in the visual appeal. I still posted the picture on my Instagram and even made the excuse that, “I like the way it looks!” I was lying. I was ticked off. But since it TASTED good, I wanted to get it right.
The problem with my first attempt was that I did not leave the fudge in the freezer long enough to harden. As a result, well, you see the results. The sharpest knife would not have done any better. I left it in the freezer for the amount of time that the instructions called for and in the case of MY freezer, it wasn’t long enough. And when it came time to cutting the brick into squares, it was like trying to cut pudding.
But there is always that disclaimer you see on many recipes that goes something like, “Cooking times may vary.”
I had bought enough ingredients to give it another go the next day. This time, I left the fudge in the freezer until CHEF NAIRBY said it was ready to be cut into squares! As you can see, perseverance pays off.
Cooking times may vary. If it doesn’t come out looking right the first time, try again! If it doesn’t look like it’s done, despite folliwng intructions, give it as long as you think it still needs and go with your senses. Does it look, smell, feel, taste and even sound ready? Go with your senses. Don’t get discouraged. You could be missing out.
