I occasionally do something that is one of the top five no-no's in home cooking: I use a brand-new-to-me recipe when cooking for company. Shocking, isn't it? Especially because I totally agree with the reasoning behind why one should never use a new recipe. But first, let's check in. Is this something you do?
We've all heard and perhaps even practice the home cooking rule to never use an unfamiliar recipe when entertaining. The reason is obvious and simple: not all recipes are perfect and you cannot reliably know that until you've tried it at least once, if not a couple of times. And even if the recipe is good, you still have to adjust for the variables of your specific kitchen, such as oven temperatures, the kind of salt that you use, etc.
Raw ingredients are also inconsistent. Some tomatoes are juicier or sweeter than others, for example, and knowing how to work with those inconsistencies in the recipe can make or break the end results. And why put yourself through the extra anxiety of an unknown recipe when having company over is already stressful enough?
Still, I find myself doing this with a fair amount of consistity. In order to spring a new recipe on my guests, though, four things have to be in place.
• The guests must be friends, people with whom I can fail and not feel awful.
• There must be other, reliable recipes as a part of the over-all menu, so that people will not starve if the failure is truly spectacular.
• The source of the recipe should be generally reliable. Example: I have never had a recipe from The Greens Cookbook fail. Ever. So I'd be more inclined to use something untested from that source over a random internet site.
• The recipe 'reads' well. An experienced cook can usually figure out if a recipe is has any major flaws with a quick read-through. I once stumbled on a recipe that called for two tablespoons of cinnamon for a cake that required 2 cups of flour and that raised a red flag for me. If even one thing is off, I will probably not use that recipe on company first time around.
But why use a new recipe on company in the first place? Why not just go with the tried-and-true? Because it's fun! I enjoy discovering something new with my friends, many of whom are adventuresome eaters just like me. I can get bored serving the same thing over and over again and this is how I like to shake it up. Also, sometimes a favorite ingredient has just reached its peak and I cannot resist throwing it onto the menu at the last minute, and this can require a fair amount of improv.
How adventuresome are you with new recipes and company?
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I always promise myself to cook only reliable recipes, but always end up using my guests as guinea pigs. They never complained, so I keep doing it. ;)
No, I learned my lesson the hard way. I was bringing biscuits to a brunch and decided to use an Alton Brown recipe from one of his cookbooks. He's pretty trustworthy, right, especially when it comes to biscuits as a southern boy? The recipe was a complete disaster, it was more like flour/butter/milk batter rather than dough, but people were still gracious enough to eat them (good butter and honey helped).
That lesson is also why I did a test run of these baked eggs on Saturday this weekend before making a dozen for guests on Sunday. A good thing too, since the recipe (from Bon Appetit, usually reliable) said to cook them for twice as long as they actually needed.
I almost never make the same thing twice, whether I'm cooking for company, family, or just myself. I don't think of it as being daring-- there's just so many exciting things out there to make! I agree that an experienced cook can adjust the recipe as s/he goes, and be able to identify a dud. I've had aesthetic aspects fail, but that just means it makes it to the table in another format, and nobody knows the difference.
I know one is not supposed to do this, but I always try to make new and interesting things for my guests that they haven't had before. I find that recipes are rarely disasterous and, as long as it's not baking, you can usually fix things that are not great as you go along. Incidentally, this is precisely the reason that I never bake.
I used to do this all of the time when I was younger and our "dinner parties" usually involved so much wine and beer that noone really cared if the meal didn't turn out as it originally intended. Nowadays, this is a rare event and am likely to test it out on the family before offering it up to others.
I recently took this to a whole new level by trying out new recipes at a baby shower I was hosting. Everything turned out great (save the one quiche I dropped in the oven), but I will say it may have led to a bit of an elevated anxiety level!
I always do this and my friends expect it. In fact, I issue invitations as a catalyst to find new recipes to try.
Yes - but only if the recipe has gotten lots of positive reviews from other people!
I often ask people to help me decide which version of a recipe is best. Most recently I did low fat chocolate gelato... but then again who wouldn't like to be a guinea pig for that!
I often ask people to help me decide which version of a recipe is best. Most recently I did low fat chocolate gelato... but then again who wouldn't like to be a guinea pig for that!
I try new flavor combinations out on guests but not new recipes. I want to know that my biscuits, gelato, pie, whatever I make, is going to turn out so I stick with a classic recipe for the proportions and prep but then modify the flavors to suit the moment. It's surprising what you can do by substituting (for plain-flavored or adding): flavored sugar, flavored salt, herbs, spices, bitters, citrus, cheese.
All the time.. In fact, having friends over is usually the excuse I need to try out something new or "go big." In my opinion, cooking for 6-8 is so different than cooking for two anyway, that anything will be new, simply because it would be bigger!
It usually depends on the guest. I'll make something new if a family member or close friend is coming over (like last night I made up a BBQ chicken pizza recipe and made a Martha Stewart corn-pesto pizza for the first time - both were SO good). I wouldn't do it for a party or less close friends, though. Close friends will be understanding if it's awful and we need to just order out :)
I'm comfortable making new recipes for company, but I choose carefully. If I'm already familiar with the flavours, ingredients, or techniques, then trying a new recipe doesn't seem particularly risky.
I have sometimes done with Cook's Illustrated recipes because they're so reliable, but I probably wouldn't do it with recipes from another source. Too stressful for me, and I always get anxious when I cook for other people anyway. And I would really hate for somebody I care for to eat it to be polite, then complain about what I cooked to their partner on the drive home.
I usually follow your rules...enough tried and tested recipes so that a fail won't leave me in a panic, or my guests hungry! With just us empty nesters, I don't make dessert as a rule, so when I entertain, I make two...one oldand one new! And a new side never hurts. For some reason, I am not so brave with the meat or main dish and like to go with tried anf true there.
For me Recipes are really guideposts anyway... Sooo yeah, I will try new things out. Even in my "tried and true" recipes I will often make interesting (or sometimes disastrous) alterations... Like you Dana there is something really exciting about it. . especially when it works..
Pretty much every time! I think with experience you can figure out if it's going to taste good. Having said that, I may think twice if the new recipe also requires a new technique of which I am unfamiliar. I did prepare a meal for guests in a tagine once, used too hot of heat and it cracked. It was the first time I had ever tried cooking in one.
We have friends over often, as an excuse to try new recipes. From the beginning, our mantra has been, "if all else fails, there's Mac and cheese.".
Having guests (or going to a potluck sort of deal) is one of the main reasons I ever try a new recipe! Though I usually stick to a reliable, 'tried and true' entree and don't go too out there for guests. And I only make one part of the meal a new recipe, making sure that the rest is something I know I can make.
All the time. I'll save the really experimental stuff (i.e., if I have to buy special, complicated equipment, or the recipe isn't entirely in a language I speak, or the source is unlikely) for when it's just me & the hubby, or maybe for a few close friends. But usually I make so much food that if one of the dishes turns out to be a failure, there's still loads to eat!
I made the mistake of preparing braised short ribs for eight people, for the first time. It was my parents anniversary, and I wanted to present our guests with something impressive. I slaved in the kitchen for hours, preparing roasted beet salad (my parents favorite), risotto (which didn't work out, so I made mashed baby red potatoes), and a poached pears. The short ribs to an extra hour to cook, obviously i was very worried. Luckily, the short ribs came out perfectly, falling of the bone delicious. Yep, that is most likely the last time I try a new recipe with guests coming over!
If you read enough similar versions of a recipe you can usually tell if something about the proportions or cooking times is going to be way off. I cook more lavishly for guests (more meat and other expensive ingredients and more dishes total) than I do normally so I don't usually test beforehand.
I always make new things for guests. I guess I don't worry they'll think any less of me if something isn't ideal, but I do usually preface it with, "This is the first time I've used this recipe, so we'll see... "
Maybe because of the way I was raised, I didn't realize you were supposed to "practice" your fancy dishes before guests came over. I want to have guests in my house all the time, at least once a week, so that seems like a lot of fuss and a hindrance to entertaining.
I will take new recipes to a carry-in at church or family reunions. Most times, my dishes are empty when time to leave! Sometimes their empty before I even get to them in the buffet line!
Since there are only my boyfriend and I in the house, it's hard for me to try new recipes that yield more than 4 servings. I don't want to end up eating leftover for the rest of the week.
Because of that, I find myself making brand new recipes more often when we have guest over than is advised. If I don't have guests over, I just can't justify spending the time and money making something that only 2 people can enjoy, and eventually get tire of as the week goes on.
Like other posters said, generally non-baking recipes are forgiving. An experienced cook can usually make adjustments when things don't turn out right. Baking is harder, so I don't try new baking recipes when I have guest over.
I forgot to add: finding a reliable source is important. I will not serve something to my guests that I'm making for the first time if it were from a recipe that I googled randomly. Epicurious, Bon Appetit and Food Network are usually reliable because there are user reviews.
I rarely make the same recipe twice in general, whether or not I have guests. Those 'repeat' recipes are typically for comfort foods that I wouldn't make for guests anyway since they're not very fancy. There are some exceptions, but typically I always try new things - there's just so many great recipes out there! Also, I've found just because I've made something before doesn't mean it will turn out exactly the same way every time anyway.
I like to trying out new recipes, and having people over gives me the perfect excuse. As a guest, I also like it if the host is cooking something new to them. If it's not perfect, we can just laugh about it.
i used to try new recipes on family. Too many failures to suit me has me not experimenting. If someone is here during an experimental meal, they know it's experimental for a larger gathering. Testing a recipe for a reunion paid off on prep time recently.
Sources don't matter, some recipes just fail.
IF I do, it will not be French Fried Cucumbers!
They may be great, hey I would try them, but not something to try out on a strange crowd.
I second @catherinejop almost word for word. I'm a pretty good recipe "reader," and when I have guests, I stick to new recipes that I'm certain or near-certain will turn out (as opposed to those I'm not sure about), but that's my only limitation.
I'll try something new if it "reads well" as the OP said, and it doesn't have any ingredients or techniques that are new to me. I also weigh the risk in terms of what could go wrong. A new bread recipe? Could be disastrous and inedible. A different kind of stir fry? Probably can't do too much harm.
I always try out new recipes for people. It is a great excuse to make interesting and complicated things. The only exception would be my boyfriend's parents. Even after all these years, still want them to think I am flawless in the kitchen. Or as close as I can be with well practiced recipes.
Definitely to this, but I try to restrict it to dishes that can be prepped in advance (like soup) do that any disasters can be scrapped & replanned early
Oh, all the time! I'm pretty good at evaluating a dish's potential from the recipe, and I really get bored easily. I never have strangers over, anyway. :)
I usually try to balance, so I might make ONE new thing for company but pair it with old familiar recipes/dishes I'm secure with. That way only a third or fourth of the meal is risky!
I usually try new things on guests and it usually works great...or well enough. Only a couple times have I called guests while they were on their way over and asked what type of pizza I should order. :)