My grandma's sourdough starter recipe actually works better than the fancy one I bought online.

I was skeptical for years about her vague instructions but after 3 failed attempts with the kit, I tried her method and got a perfect rise on the first try. Has anyone else had a family recipe beat out something you paid money for?

4 comments

4 Comments

karen_sanchez491mo ago

Ngl my grandma's meatloaf recipe is the only meatloaf I've ever made that didn't taste like a salty brick. I spent like 20 bucks on a fancy cookbook with all these chef-approved techniques and my first attempt came out looking like a dried out football. Meanwhile her note is literally just "a little of this, a little of that, don't overmix or your arms will get tired." Honestly she treated cooking like a vague suggestion and it works every time. Tbh I think the secret is she's been doing it so long she knows exactly when to stop, even if she can't tell you why.

the_wendy1mo ago

Oh man @karen_sanchez49 you hit on something real. My mom's chili recipe is the same way. She wrote it down for me once and it says "chili powder until it looks right" and "simmer for a while." Meanwhile I followed some famous chef's chili recipe to the letter and it tasted like sweet cinnamon soup. I finally figured out it's all about feel. You just have to cook the same thing like fifty times until your hands remember what to do. Those old family recipes are more about muscle memory than measurements I swear.

taylor.reese1mo ago

Read something about this in a food science book once.

charlescraig1mo ago

That's the truth @the_wendy. My buddy Dave had the same problem with his abuela's tamale recipe. She wrote it down as "masa until it feels like play dough" and he spent a whole day trying to measure everything out precisely. Total disaster. He called her crying and she just laughed and said "mijo you gotta feel the corn." Now he makes them by touch not by cup and they turn out perfect every single time.