Recipe-Free Cooking: Innovation and Creativity in the Kitchen

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What Is Recipe-Free Cooking?

A good cook can follow a recipe, shop for ingredients, and properly prepare a dish. A great cook doesn't need a recipe 95% of the time, uses whatever is handy in the kitchen, and can whip up a terrific meal every time.

This site is created to turn good cooks into great chefs, to give great cooks new ideas, and to simplify the whole process of meal preparation. Each entry in this blog is a mini-lesson for those who want to free themselves from cooking by rote (using "instructions" each time) and open themselves for successful experimentation in the kitchen.

It's hard to memorize a thousand recipes. It's easier to learn how and why food "works" together to create great meals. If you learn the whys and wherefors of cooking, you'll have a thousand recipes for salad dressings, for appetizers, for main courses, for desserts, and for drinks at your fingertips without ever cracking a book. You can be infinitely imaginative and try more tasty combinations that you ever imagined.

And, no, this isn't a site about the "science" of cooking or baking (though you might find some scientific information). There are good books out there about culinary science. This is about the art of cooking and the process of turning you into a creative genius in the kitchen.

You can find more about Recipe-Free Cooking at Shawn's Blog: http://recipefreecooking.blogspot.com/ 

Take the Recipe Free Quiz! 

Take The Quiz: Find Out How Good A Cook You Are!
Are you comfortable improvising in the kitchen? Do you have an impressive repertory of cooking skills? Find out how "Recipe-Free Cooking"
can help you, and compare your skills with others!

Lensmasters! Join the New Squidoo "Cooking" Group! 

We've started a new group for Lensmasters whose sites are related to food and cooking. Here's where you can share information related to site-building, link exchange, and products. You can also ask questions and get help from your peers. It's an exciting opportunity to expand your horizons here at Squidoo.

Click or visit this URL to join:

http://www.squidoo.com/groups/cooking

Recipe-Free Cooking: Improvisation in the Kitchen 

Shawn Scott's Recipe-Free Blog, Regularly Updated

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Ask Shawn A Question 

Feel free to ask Shawn questions about recipe-free cooking. Ever want to know how to use a certain spice or ingredient? What the difference is between Thai and Malaysian Food? The history of the onion? Ask and be answered....

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Recipe and Cooking Sites 

The best cooking sites on the Internet!

Buy Recipe-Free Gifts!
Visit our CafePress shop and buy Recipe-Free gifts for your favorite cooks. We have apparel, aprons, clocks, coasters, ornaments, tiles, recipe boxes and journals and more!
Legal Seafoods
Legal Sea Foods delivers the highest quality seafood and gourmet gifts available.
Zone Diet
Zone Diet delivers healthy meals to your doorstep!
HomeClick
Premium Kitchen Fixtures and Accessories
Barbecue.com
This is the ultimate website if you want to buy a grill or anything related to barbecue!From a $30 portable to a $10,400 luxury grill -- Barbecues.com has it all.
Instaware
The best place to shop online for restaurant quality goods and supplies.
Adagio Teas
You can find more than just great tea at Adagio. This site carries everything for the tea lover. And you can get a free teapot!
Coffee For Less
Coffee is expensive! Here you can find great coffees (like Godiva and Starbucks) for a discount. There are also great prices on coffee machines.
Water For Less
Most of the water that comes out of faucets tastes terrible and is of questionable quality. Have you had yours tested lately? If you want clean water delivered right to your door, this is a great service. The first month of service is free and get you get three free 5-gallon bottles when you sign up.
Mr. Beer
This classic mini-brewery is the best way to brew small batches of beer. Making your own beer is very exciting, and it tastes good too!
Lathwaites
Lathwaites is a great place to buy fine wines online. Choose from their enormous selection and have your wines delivered right to your door. It sure beats the prices and selections at your local liquor store, especially if you don't live in the big city.
Peapods
If you're like me, you really hate going to the grocery store. The lines get longer and longer and those automated self-checkouts are always breaking down. With Peapods you can avoid all that and have exactly the groceries you want delivered right to your door.
Illy's
When nothing but Italian coffee will do... Illy's coffees are fantastic and you can have them delivered. These aren't the cheapest coffees on the web, but they sure are worth the extra expense. Definitely for the discerning gourmet.
Wine Enthusiast
Everything for the discerning wine drinker, from glasses to decanters to temperature-controlled cellars. This is definitely the place to find a gift for the wine-drinker who has everything. I shop here for gifts for very special occasions.
Cooking.com
These people have everything. No kidding! And there's free shipping on over 1200 items. This is my all-around store. Whenever I want to replace some kitchen item, I do it here -- usually a lot cheaper than I can at my local kitchen store.
Re-Stock It
ReStockIt specializes in restaurant and kitchen supplies. They carry everything from glassware to professional appliances. This is the place to go if you want pro equipment at reasonable prices. And they have an amazing line of cleaning supplies, too.

Men in Aprons: Useful Knowledge for the Kitchen 

This great site is all about learning how to cook. It's unusual because it's meant for both men and women and it covers a wide range of interesting topics.

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Cook Books on Amazon 

The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl

Amazon Price: $13.50 (as of 11/26/2009) Buy Now

The Conscious Cook: Delicious Meatless Recipes That Will Change the Way You Eat

Amazon Price: $18.97 (as of 11/26/2009) Buy Now

Make It Fast, Cook It Slow: The Big Book of Everyday Slow Cooking

Amazon Price: $11.69 (as of 11/26/2009) Buy Now

Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God

Amazon Price: $10.19 (as of 11/26/2009) Buy Now

by shawnscott

In addition to being a scholar, Shawn Scott, Ph.D., is a culinary enthusiast and has worked as a professional caterer and chef. Now retired from teac... (more)

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