To be irritated by how pernikity recipes are?

[Gone2far]

I'm just doing a recipe which asks for rapeseed oil and black mustard seeds. As I haven't got either, I've substituted sunflower oil and brown mustard seeds. So far, so exciting, but what I'd be interested to know is if posters could tell the difference. I enjoy trying new recipes, but if I followed them to the letter, I'd have loads of different oils. As it is, I just have olive and some form of vegetable oil.
Can you tell the difference between different vegetable oils?

Moraxella yes! Nowadays you can't find a recipe on-line without a full essay on how they first discovered this recipe from their great great grandmother's first cousin, and it reminds them of rainy days and games of monopoly.... I just want the fecking ingredients and method!

My bete noir is curry leaves. In so many new recipes but I can't taste the contribution they make and they're a bugger to get hold of.

Oh, I always leave curry leaves out because I hate the smell of them.

Same Gone2far

I agree ClashCity
I don't want an essay, just a list of ingredients and the method. One reason why I avoid food blogs. Just cut out the waffle and get straight to the point.

@Gone2far The original recipe I had was a very very old one from his earliest days on TV. I know there is now a newer, different version but have never tried it as I like this one so much.

With oils there are a few things that are important. Heat is one. Some have a low smoke point and some high. Some are cold pressed and therefore more expensive, why bother when you are heating it? And some taste VERY different. Olive oil is much fruitier and richer than sunflower.

I was aghast with Tom Kerridge's recipe for shepherd's pie that had star anise as one of the ingredients. I mean there is really no need.

I don't mind. It's a suggestion not a three line whip.

It irritates me no end when people give a recipe a one star review and upon reading it turns out they substituted every ingredient and changed most of the method though.

Worse with Kerridge is he washes mince! Heston B was the first Tv chef to add star anise to bolognaise ragu and it does add a flavour which is interesting but it wouldn't appear in a standard Italian family ragu.

Recipes are a guide, but there's no point in using them if you're going to get annoyed if they call for something you have not got.

Tarka dal is a method not a type of lentil so I'm not sure what you used in place of chickpeas op, but if you liked the product then it doesn't matter- however what you've cooked is not the original dish described in the recipe.

I generally use recipes as a rough guide. I swap loads of stuff about, chuck extra stuff in and never measure anything unless its something like a cake or bread where you really need to. I love cooking, but I am on a limited budget and can't afford to have unlimited variations of things, unfortunately!

My mistake. It was toor daal, a yellow split pea.

My heart sinks when I get to the bit that says "toasted sesame oil".

@cantfindname Thank you, I've screen shotted and will give it a go!

@Myimaginarycathasfleas Oh yes, me too. I took against it when pregnant with DD1 (now almost 9) and have never been able to cope with it since!

I think cooking is an art and can take tweaks and additions eye. Baking though is science and cannot be messed with.

This is what my husband says, he’s a chef.

Recipes to me are more of an inspiration/guidelines as opposed to step by step instructions. Except for ratios in baking. I’m an instinctive cook and can wing it with most types of cooking. But I’m petrified by plants/gardening so can relate to anyone terrified by a complicated recipe. I’m irrationally scared by doing anything plant-related. I just kill em all. Bit like other folks with Yorkshire puds.

Rapeseed oil is just Vegetable Oil. All 'Vegetable oil' in supermarkets is likely to be rapeseed oil in the bottle. It is not a special oil. It is the most common.

I don't mind the specificness, as that's how you make that specific version of the dish. In fact it can be a bit annoying when you can see they've added something in the garnish / serving suggestion that isn't in the recipe. But none of that doesn't mean you should substitute. I often look at a recipe, decide what job an ingredient is doing and then substitute.