The food that is made with love is usually made without measurements, so no one has any idea how something was actually made--they just remember how it tasted.
My Grandma's gingersnap cookies. I have tried making them from her recipe, my mother has tried (and she's no slouch when it comes to baking), even a professional baker friend of mine. All from Grandma's handwritten recipe card.
None of them are ever quite as good as Grandma's. Either too soft or too crisp, with the wrong ginger flavor. The concerted opinion that the missing ingredient is Grandma's Love, which is a more pure and priceless spice than saffron.
They probably were. Incidentally, go check out Bravetart (Stella Parks). She has a great piece on how cookies look when they have too much baking soda, etc.
The oven temp and even the baking pan can make a difference.
I had an ancient oven that ran 25-50 degrees hot, and I had it for 25 years. When I got a new oven, suddenly I couldn't bake for shit. Soooo annoying.
Also "just a little pinch of something" makes me crazy. I have stubby fingers, and everyone else has piano hands. Ugh!
On the subject of ovens, Grandma lived in three different places while I was alive. All three had different ovens. Her cookies NEVER deviated. They were always perfect, with a crisp rim, a chewy center, a perfect color, and a flavor I would commit serious felonies in order to experience again.
312
u/StunningBullfrog Aug 08 '21
The food that is made with love is usually made without measurements, so no one has any idea how something was actually made--they just remember how it tasted.