Thread: Food memory ability

On 6/25/2010 1:49 PM, Steve Pope wrote:
> Let's say I have cooked twenty batches of chili per year,
> each year for the past thirty years (which is approximately
> accurate).
>
> How many of these is it reasonable to totally have a clear
> memory of -- the exact ingredients, the results? Thinking
> back, there are maybe a couple dozen memorable batches of
> chili that I fondly remember, and with those I could state
> exactly what I did; plus I still have a clear recent
> memory of most of them from the past six months to a year.
>
> The rest just blur into one merged memory of my chili-cooking
> experience. (i.e. When did I stop usually using canned
> serranos? I couldn't tell you within five years.)
>
> Is this reasonable? Is there anybody who remembers everything
> they've ever cooked with more or less complete clarity?
>
> Steve

Nope, and wouldn't want to, cooking is a journey into the unknown.
Particularly when you open the cupboard to look for a specific spice or
herb and you're out of it. That's when cooking becomes experimental.

George Shirley wrote:
> On 6/25/2010 1:49 PM, Steve Pope wrote:

>> Is this reasonable? Is there anybody who remembers everything
>> they've ever cooked with more or less complete clarity?
>>
>> Steve
>
> Nope, and wouldn't want to, cooking is a journey into the unknown.
> Particularly when you open the cupboard to look for a specific spice or
> herb and you're out of it. That's when cooking becomes experimental.



Yes! It doesn't turn out exactly the way it was written/planned, and
sometimes it's even better.

gloria p

gloria.p <[email protected]> wrote:

>George Shirley wrote:

>> On 6/25/2010 1:49 PM, Steve Pope wrote:

>>> Is this reasonable? Is there anybody who remembers everything
>>> they've ever cooked with more or less complete clarity?

>> Nope, and wouldn't want to, cooking is a journey into the unknown.
>> Particularly when you open the cupboard to look for a specific spice or
>> herb and you're out of it. That's when cooking becomes experimental.

>Yes! It doesn't turn out exactly the way it was written/planned, and
>sometimes it's even better.

Sure. I'm not questioning the value of improvising. Just
whether one can reasonably remember it afterwards.

It's frustrating to come up with something that works out
and then not remember how one did it.

One habit I've developed is measuring/weighing things as I cook, even
though I'm not working from a recipe-- just for future reference.

Steve
>gloria p

Steve Pope wrote:
>
> Let's say I have cooked twenty batches of chili per year,
> each year for the past thirty years (which is approximately
> accurate).
>
> How many of these is it reasonable to totally have a clear
> memory of -- the exact ingredients, the results? Thinking
> back, there are maybe a couple dozen memorable batches of
> chili that I fondly remember, and with those I could state
> exactly what I did; plus I still have a clear recent
> memory of most of them from the past six months to a year.
>
> The rest just blur into one merged memory of my chili-cooking
> experience. (i.e. When did I stop usually using canned
> serranos? I couldn't tell you within five years.)
>
> Is this reasonable? Is there anybody who remembers everything
> they've ever cooked with more or less complete clarity?

I remember foods and recipes not duplicated for a very long time.
Duplicated recipes with small variations blur after a few times.

Two batches of home made root beer starting with a literature search for
the recipe, botany section to check for toxicity and so on. I remember
those a couple of decades later. Making variations on beef stroganoff
several times per year. I remember the last several variations. So I
match you on one end of the spectrum.

It gets hard to find a beer that I have not tried ...

On Fri, 25 Jun 2010 18:49:28 +0000 (UTC), Steve Pope wrote:

> Let's say I have cooked twenty batches of chili per year,
> each year for the past thirty years (which is approximately
> accurate).
>
> How many of these is it reasonable to totally have a clear
> memory of -- the exact ingredients, the results?

If you made it and ate it relatively the same way, with the same
people every time, then you probably won't remember much about
individual batch.

But if you mix it up quite a bit and share it with different
people then I, at least, would remember many of them.

Think of it as sex. I can remember many places, people,
positions, and, uh, other features if they are unique. But I've
never followed the same recipe twice. Like food, I just make it
up as I go along. And I remember most meals.

And those who know me here know I don't do "recipes" at all.
I do remember one particular batch of chile I made using goat and
hatch green chiles (there was no sex involved). If I think really
hard I can even tell you the date was... the last week of June
2003. I took a picture of the ingredients but unless somebody has
archives of alt.binaries.food, it is probably lost forever.

-sw
-sw

On Fri, 25 Jun 2010 21:30:43 +0000 (UTC), Doug Freyburger wrote:

> It gets hard to find a beer that I have not tried ...

Beer or root beer?

I have a hard time remembering single beers sold in 15.9-24oz
bottles (at $3-$8/each). But if I bought a four or six, then I
have no problem remembering them and how much I paid. Doesn't
make sense, I know.

Hairy Eyeball (10.95/six) and Palo Santo Marron (18.98/four) were
my latest two multipacks. Won't buy either again. I'm more of a
Belgian guy, but I try all the big beers.

-sw

In article <i033ae$d8b$[email protected]>,
"gloria.p" <[email protected]> wrote:

> > On 6/25/2010 1:49 PM, Steve Pope wrote:
>
> >> Is this reasonable? Is there anybody who remembers everything
> >> they've ever cooked with more or less complete clarity?
> >>
> >> Steve

Only if I type it out shortly after I did it... like that Italian
dressing I made last night. ;-d
--
Peace! Om

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>
*Only Irish *coffee provides in a single glass all four *essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar *and fat. --Alex Levine

In article <i0344j$d8m$[email protected]>,
[email protected] (Steve Pope) wrote:

> gloria.p <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >George Shirley wrote:
>
> >> On 6/25/2010 1:49 PM, Steve Pope wrote:
>
> >>> Is this reasonable? Is there anybody who remembers everything
> >>> they've ever cooked with more or less complete clarity?
>
> >> Nope, and wouldn't want to, cooking is a journey into the unknown.
> >> Particularly when you open the cupboard to look for a specific spice or
> >> herb and you're out of it. That's when cooking becomes experimental.
>
> >Yes! It doesn't turn out exactly the way it was written/planned, and
> >sometimes it's even better.
>
> Sure. I'm not questioning the value of improvising. Just
> whether one can reasonably remember it afterwards.

Considering I do this all the time and TRY to remember what I did when
something works really well, all one can do is write it down within 24
hours and guestimate the amounts used. <g>

>
> It's frustrating to come up with something that works out
> and then not remember how one did it.

Don't procrastinate.

>
> One habit I've developed is measuring/weighing things as I cook, even
> though I'm not working from a recipe-- just for future reference.
>
> Steve

Probably not a bad idea... ;-)
--
Peace! Om

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>
*Only Irish *coffee provides in a single glass all four *essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar *and fat. --Alex Levine

In article <[email protected]>,
Sqwertz <[email protected]> wrote:

> Think of it as sex. I can remember many places, people,
> positions, and, uh, other features if they are unique. But I've
> never followed the same recipe twice. Like food, I just make it
> up as I go along. And I remember most meals.

Food as sex is not a new concept... Food porn is mentioned here
frequently. ;-) Sometimes food is as memorable or even better than sex!

But I do totally agree. With the vast majority of my cooking, I make it
up as I go along. Any recipes I post are, at best, guesstimates as I
only post personal (or sometimes altered) recipes.

I am horrible about tweaking recipes!

One does get better guesstimating over time and it works quite well.

Funny enough, my words "guesstimate" and "Guesstimating" actually passed
my spellchecker. <g>
--
Peace! Om

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat. --Alex Levine

On Fri, 25 Jun 2010 18:17:41 -0500, Sqwertz wrote:

>
> And those who know me here know I don't do "recipes" at all.
> I do remember one particular batch of chile I made using goat and
> hatch green chiles (there was no sex involved). If I think really
> hard I can even tell you the date was... the last week of June
> 2003. I took a picture of the ingredients but unless somebody has
> archives of alt.binaries.food, it is probably lost forever.
>
> -sw

so how was the goat chili? i've been toying with the idea for a while, as
the local giant (in md) often has goat shoulder pieces (with some bones,
but mostly meat). hatch chiles would probably be harder to come by.

your pal,
blake

On Sat, 26 Jun 2010 15:15:08 -0400, blake murphy wrote:

> so how was the goat chili? i've been toying with the idea for a while, as
> the local giant (in md) often has goat shoulder pieces (with some bones,
> but mostly meat). hatch chiles would probably be harder to come by.

It was awesome. That's why I remember it. It was actually
hindquarter of kid. I just searched usenet-replayer for the
pictures I took (which showed all the ingredients laid out), but I
don't know how to search back that far.

-sw

On Sat, 26 Jun 2010 21:29:29 -0500, Sqwertz wrote:

> On Sat, 26 Jun 2010 15:15:08 -0400, blake murphy wrote:
>
>> so how was the goat chili? i've been toying with the idea for a while, as
>> the local giant (in md) often has goat shoulder pieces (with some bones,
>> but mostly meat). hatch chiles would probably be harder to come by.
>
> It was awesome. That's why I remember it. It was actually
> hindquarter of kid. I just searched usenet-replayer for the
> pictures I took (which showed all the ingredients laid out), but I
> don't know how to search back that far.
>
> -sw

cool.

i'm going to make some chili today, but i'm using some flank steak from the
freezer. i'm hoping that small cubes in a long simmer will be tender
enough.

your pal,
blake

blake wrote:

> i'm going to make some chili today, but i'm using some flank steak from
> the
> freezer. i'm hoping that small cubes in a long simmer will be tender
> enough.

Ummm.... probably not. Flank steak doesn't have much in the way of collagen,
so it doesn't break down the same way a pork shoulder or brisket would. I
fear you'll end up with tough little cubes of leather. Flank steak is better
when it's cooked rare over high heat, like for fajitas.

Bob

On Sun, 27 Jun 2010 09:49:22 -0700, "Bob Terwilliger"
<virtualgoth@die_spammer.biz> wrote:

>blake wrote:
>
>> i'm going to make some chili today, but i'm using some flank steak from
>> the
>> freezer. i'm hoping that small cubes in a long simmer will be tender
>> enough.
>
>Ummm.... probably not. Flank steak doesn't have much in the way of collagen,
>so it doesn't break down the same way a pork shoulder or brisket would. I
>fear you'll end up with tough little cubes of leather. Flank steak is better
>when it's cooked rare over high heat, like for fajitas.

Ridiculous... flank is about the best cut for braising.... but much
too good a cut to waste for chili.

A classic for flank steak:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/fo...pa-Vieja-11486

Sqwertz <[email protected]> wrote:

>On Fri, 25 Jun 2010 18:49:28 +0000 (UTC), Steve Pope wrote:

>> Let's say I have cooked twenty batches of chili per year,
>> each year for the past thirty years (which is approximately
>> accurate).

>> How many of these is it reasonable to totally have a clear
>> memory of -- the exact ingredients, the results?

>If you made it and ate it relatively the same way, with the same
>people every time, then you probably won't remember much about
>individual batch.

>But if you mix it up quite a bit and share it with different
>people then I, at least, would remember many of them.

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking.

But my memory is fading enough that there is one type of pork chili
I used to make pretty frequently 20 to 25 years ago or so, and
I cannot remember exactly how I did it. I know that I started
out with sauteed boneless pork chunks, bell peppers, onion, and
canned serranos; I know that towards the end of it I would add
some jarred salsa and red vinegar, then serve it over rice; but
I for the life of me cannot remember if I added any other liquid,
such as canned tomato, or stock, or canned tomatillo salsa. Perhaps
I did all of these things on various occasions, but these details
are lost in the passage of time.

I guess if I can't remember it, it can't be important.

Thanks to everyone who responded.

Steve

On 6/27/2010 6:10 PM, Steve Pope wrote:
> Sqwertz<[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> On Fri, 25 Jun 2010 18:49:28 +0000 (UTC), Steve Pope wrote:
>
>>> Let's say I have cooked twenty batches of chili per year,
>>> each year for the past thirty years (which is approximately
>>> accurate).
>
>>> How many of these is it reasonable to totally have a clear
>>> memory of -- the exact ingredients, the results?
>
>> If you made it and ate it relatively the same way, with the same
>> people every time, then you probably won't remember much about
>> individual batch.
>
>> But if you mix it up quite a bit and share it with different
>> people then I, at least, would remember many of them.
>
> Yeah, that's what I'm thinking.
>
> But my memory is fading enough that there is one type of pork chili
> I used to make pretty frequently 20 to 25 years ago or so, and
> I cannot remember exactly how I did it. I know that I started
> out with sauteed boneless pork chunks, bell peppers, onion, and
> canned serranos; I know that towards the end of it I would add
> some jarred salsa and red vinegar, then serve it over rice; but
> I for the life of me cannot remember if I added any other liquid,
> such as canned tomato, or stock, or canned tomatillo salsa. Perhaps
> I did all of these things on various occasions, but these details
> are lost in the passage of time.
>
> I guess if I can't remember it, it can't be important.
>
> Thanks to everyone who responded.
>
> Steve

And did the old time cowboys who made this pork chili do this whilst
driving the pigs to market in Topeka, Kansas? (Just joshing of course,
as a Native Texan I just cannot imagine chili with pork or any other
meat than beef in it.) My lovely daughter made some sort of thing she
called chili with ground turkey in it, even her kids wouldn't eat it and
when they were teenagers they would eat the table if they were hungry
enough.

On Sun, 27 Jun 2010 09:49:22 -0700, Bob Terwilliger wrote:

> blake wrote:
>
>> i'm going to make some chili today, but i'm using some flank steak from
>> the
>> freezer. i'm hoping that small cubes in a long simmer will be tender
>> enough.
>
> Ummm.... probably not. Flank steak doesn't have much in the way of collagen,
> so it doesn't break down the same way a pork shoulder or brisket would. I
> fear you'll end up with tough little cubes of leather. Flank steak is better
> when it's cooked rare over high heat, like for fajitas.
>
> Bob

it turned out pretty well, actually. it's not what i would normally do
with it, but it had been in freezer for about two years (well-wrapped, but
still), so i was a little worried about it. it looked fine, though. i
marinated the cubes with a little tequila, lime juice adobo seasoning and
olive oil for about two hours beforehand.

your pal,
blake

"blake murphy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:6znzs8t67whs$.1pkkfh5vgodnt$.[email protected]. .
> On Sun, 27 Jun 2010 09:49:22 -0700, Bob Terwilliger wrote:
>
>> blake wrote:
>>
>>> i'm going to make some chili today, but i'm using some flank steak from
>>> the
>>> freezer. i'm hoping that small cubes in a long simmer will be tender
>>> enough.
>>
>> Ummm.... probably not. Flank steak doesn't have much in the way of
>> collagen,
>> so it doesn't break down the same way a pork shoulder or brisket would. I
>> fear you'll end up with tough little cubes of leather. Flank steak is
>> better
>> when it's cooked rare over high heat, like for fajitas.
>>
>> Bob
>
> it turned out pretty well, actually. it's not what i would normally do
> with it, but it had been in freezer for about two years (well-wrapped, but
> still), so i was a little worried about it. it looked fine, though. i
> marinated the cubes with a little tequila, lime juice adobo seasoning and
> olive oil for about two hours beforehand.
>
> your pal,
> blake

No wonder it turned out pretty well. Jeez, if you marinated me in tequila
for two hours I wouldn't put up much of a fight, either.

Felice

On 6/28/2010 4:19 PM, Felice wrote:
> "blake murphy"<[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:6znzs8t67whs$.1pkkfh5vgodnt$.[email protected]. .
>> On Sun, 27 Jun 2010 09:49:22 -0700, Bob Terwilliger wrote:
>>
>>> blake wrote:
>>>
>>>> i'm going to make some chili today, but i'm using some flank steak from
>>>> the
>>>> freezer. i'm hoping that small cubes in a long simmer will be tender
>>>> enough.
>>>
>>> Ummm.... probably not. Flank steak doesn't have much in the way of
>>> collagen,
>>> so it doesn't break down the same way a pork shoulder or brisket would. I
>>> fear you'll end up with tough little cubes of leather. Flank steak is
>>> better
>>> when it's cooked rare over high heat, like for fajitas.
>>>
>>> Bob
>>
>> it turned out pretty well, actually. it's not what i would normally do
>> with it, but it had been in freezer for about two years (well-wrapped, but
>> still), so i was a little worried about it. it looked fine, though. i
>> marinated the cubes with a little tequila, lime juice adobo seasoning and
>> olive oil for about two hours beforehand.
>>
>> your pal,
>> blake
>
> No wonder it turned out pretty well. Jeez, if you marinated me in tequila
> for two hours I wouldn't put up much of a fight, either.
>
> Felice
>
>
Damn! Just the vision of that thought made me spew Diet Dr. Pepper all
over the monitor. Thanks a lot.