I have issues. Issues with recipes, especially recipes that are printed in a local newspaper or circulated on the Internet. More often than not, they are incorrect, which means the cook must be part sleuth as well as part gourmand. I’m not sure I want to be either.
Case in point: I took an appetizer to last night’s Super Bowl party, one that Earl had found on the Internet. It was billed as a Walking Taco and had the usual ingredients found in various seven-layer taco dips. It wasn’t particularly difficult to make, which gives it points in my book.
At the same time, the list of ingredients was puzzling. Everything was spelled out in terms of size of cans and ounces, with the exception of the refried beans. Now I know refried beans come in at least three different sizes; and I would imagine that this would make a difference in the recipe, which called for two cans of the beans. But there was no mention of what size cans.
I have found this time and again in recipes from the local paper or the Internet I might want to try. The list of ingredients doesn’t mention the cheese, but the instructions for blending or folding or whipping do. I can blend or fold or whip, but I do need to know how much of the ingredient I’m dealing with.
I guess that’s why I like cookbooks. They seem stable, experienced, trustworthy. When it’s a taco dip, there’s room for error; but if I were entertaining heads of state I’d want a more reliable menu.
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