When you cook and can’t figure out why a recipe turned out bad, here’s how you can use feedback: It’s frustrating, right? I often see this in cookbooks when something goes awry. You follow the instructions to the letter, but the end result is just disappointing. You might notice something is wrong, but have absolutely no idea what it is. For me, learning how to use feedback to fix it was key. If you know what it’s not, you have a clearer chance of getting to the “it is.” I’ll use one example here so you can see how this works. A dish isn’t good or bad. It is just bad in a certain way, or good, or okay. Let’s use a roast chicken and see how you’d use feedback if it turned out disappointing.
Maybe you know that one part was cooked well while another was a failure, but it’s unclear where you messed up. Here’s where you would stop yourself from saying “It was bad” or something similar, but rather narrow down the feedback as much as you can: was the flavor good or bad? Was the texture? Did the seasoning come out right? Maybe the chicken was overcooked and dry? Or did the seasoning seem too weak or overpowering? In this case you can’t say anything without knowing where the issue lies. It just means that you have some room for guessing. So, let’s take a look at this dish in more detail to give us some feedback: A simple way to practice feedback is to cook one small, familiar dish twice in the same week. Make a pot of lentils, sauté mushrooms, or roast a tray of carrots.
During the first round, pause at three moments and pay attention to what the food is telling you. Notice the smell when onions first soften, the sound of the pan when moisture starts to evaporate, or the texture of a carrot when it is nearly done but not fully tender. Feedback from another palate can help too, but only if the question is specific. Asking “Did you like it?” usually leads nowhere. Asking “Did the sauce taste too sharp?” or “Did the potatoes feel underseasoned in the middle?” gives you something concrete to work with. When frustration builds, shrink the field of attention. Do not try to evaluate the entire meal. Focus on one sense at a time. Watch how butter foams and then settles. Listen for the difference between a quiet steam and an active sizzle. Press a grain of rice between your fingers to check whether it is chalky or tender. Smell the point where garlic turns fragrant but not dark.
These are all forms of feedback, and they often appear before the final bite. If you wait until serving to notice everything, the chance to adjust has already passed. Cooking gets easier when you learn to catch the clues earlier. Now that I’ve identified that my chicken was overcooked, it becomes possible to try it again and fix the problem. You can cook the chicken again, following all other instructions exactly, but this time cook for a shorter time. You will have to cook the dish again. It takes a few tries to perfect a recipe. You will get closer to a perfect dish with each try, and the next time you make the dish you will know that you have to be more careful because I made a mistake the first time and overcooked the dish.
Now that you know why you overcooked the chicken, you can try to make the dish exactly the same way the first time again, just make sure not to overcook the chicken and to check it carefully. This time, you won’t be able to make the chicken too dry. If you want to make the recipe, you can try it on your own and then come back and check if you have gotten it right. I hope this has taught you a bit about how feedback can work for you in the kitchen!