Why do recipe writers lie and lie about how long it takes to caramelize onions?

Re:Why do recipe writers lie and lie about how long it takes... by kqr on Tuesday May 23, 2023 @05:51AM (#36042013)

I'm learning cooking as an adult (if I had to grade myself, I'd say "early-stage apprentice") and it's by far one of the most difficult things I've learned. One of the reasons is this:

> A timer can never replace the knowledge of how something is supposed to look, feel, and smell when it's done or not.

And it's not only that. If you just eat a lot, you'll know what things are supposed to look like when they are done. However, the difficult part is knowing what intermediate stages are supposed to look/smell/feel like! If you get it wrong at T=15 minutes, there might be no way to save the finished product at T=30 minutes, however hard you try.

And that intermediate stage you don't experience just by eating. That takes cooking and understanding.

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Re:Why do recipe writers lie and lie about how long it takes... by bluGill on Tuesday May 23, 2023 @09:02AM (#36043634)

A fun one is salt to taste early on when the dish isn't safe to taste - raw eggs are in the bowl for example. Not to mention the amount of salt to make the batter taste good is not always the same amount you want after baking is done.

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