Cooking: When you follow a recipe correctly, and the food tastes 'blah', what is a good remedy?

Nope. There are waaaaaaaaayyyy too many recipes and different kinds of cooking to have a one fits all magic bullet.

I once had a ...rather thick... book called “Let’s Cook It Right” that talked about what to be particularly careful of with various recipes and then also how to “fix” particular types of fails with that type of recipe ... but I only ever read through it, never actually used it and eventually gave it away.

Your best way to make sure that recipes you follow come out as tasty as you expect is to use recipes from known sources that have been tested. Some chefs whose recipes will ALWAYS work right are Julia Childs, Ina Garten, Caprial Pence (ok, her black and white chocolate chip cookie recipe has something wrong with it - but it’s probably a typo). James Peterson. There are lots more but those are MY go tos.

I also find a wealth of recipes on the internet. When I am pulling recipes off the internet I look at the comments and the stars. If a bunch of people have tried it and report good results, then it’s been tested enough for me.

Some recipes are not tested. I won’t just try any old recipe, it’s a waste of time and ingredients and my energy. Sometimes if I want to make something specific, like say a Chili Colorado, I may look at a bunch of different recipes then cobble together my own. When I do this I always write down everything I do, make notes later on the results and in my notes suggestions on how to make it better. Then the next time I make that dish I follow my original notes plus the suggestions. Then that sheet get stapled over the last one...so I literally have a stack of stapled papers that detail the history of the development of a recipe and how I tested it. That’s how I developed my own recipes for both red and green enchilada sauces, beef stew with cinnamon and parsnips, my super secret cookie recipe...many more.

That being said, I’m a good, experienced cook and for many things don’t use a recipe at all because I have enough cooking savy and experience to “wing it”.

In baking tho, ALWAYS follow the recipe EXACTLY if you want the results the recipe promises. I will always try a baking recipe once before making any modifications so I can be sure I know the base I am riffing on.

Learn a basic recipe, get it down, then make it your own. For example, I make the same basic chicken noodle soup as most do with one change. After 20 years, I have gotten no complaints about using rosemary instead of parsley.

Chuck it away!

Salt and MSG...my favorite spice.

I have two professional chef family members, and I discovered John's Seasoning from a restaurant in Idaho. It comes in regular, (green top) and hot (red top). The green top stuff makes my food taste like I really know what I'm doing, whether it's meatballs, soup, roasted vegetables, whatever.

Probably garlic or garlic powder. NOT garlic salt.

Could be a couple of things. Could just be seasoning, or it could be that the recipe is just Wrong. Many published recipes are missing ingredients, one line of directions, etc. That is why it is necessary to read a recipe several times before starting to make it.

If the made dish is just 'blah' try adding some salt and pepper. If that doesn't work, try some other dried spice, like oregano, thyme or some such.

Salt.

I think She loves da blues is right. The most probable cause of a so called bland dish is insufficient salt. It's really amazing how salt improves the flavor. Lemon juice is also suggested. James Beard, a famous American chef, because he had hypertension, started using lemon juice instead of salt in his recipes. Of course, it didn't always work, but it does help remove the blandness of foods cooked without enough salt.

Read the recipe first. If there is an ingredient you dislike replace it with another if possible. (after you have made it the way it is written first time) Or look for a similar recipe without the ingredient you dislike.

If you think the recipe needs more.."something".. add it. If a recipe calls for 1/2 of an onion and you like onion and it will not matter a lot, other than flavor, add the whole onion. If a recipe calls for 1/2 cup chopped green pepper.., I don't know about you but I find it silly to use only 1/2 of a pepper, an onion, rib of celery etc, so I add a whole onion, celery rib, green pepper....

Traditional recipes aside I feel that a recipe is a guide and once made the way it is written feel free to make it your own. Sure your Chicken Picatta might not be like everyone else's, your Beef Strogonoff might not be "authentic" but if you like it, your family likes it that is all that matters.

If after making a recipe the first time and you taste it and it seems "blah" often the "cure" is a bit of acid. Add a splash of lemon juice, a bit of vinegar or some other acidic component to boost the flavor.