Am I a genius for not using recipes when cooking?

I realized that I almost never use recipes. I just cook. Is it true that some people can't do this? I think I might be a genius.Am I a genius for not using recipes when cooking?
Some people can, some can't. It's not really a mark of genius, it's just a knack, like an ear for music.Am I a genius for not using recipes when cooking?
LOL Just because you don't use recipes doesn't make you a genius! ; )





I do the same. My friends are always amazed that I just get in there and whip things together. I have a friend who uses recipes and still gets it terribly wrong. Some people can just COOK while others struggle to boil water.





OMG-- Let me share this one with you. We were over at my friend's house and he made fancy mashed potatoes. They were very salty. I mean it was like ';WOW'; salty. His girlfriend asked if they were supposed to taste like that because it was a new recipe he had found and wanted to try it. His response was ';Yes, sweetie! It's French!'; LOL Now everytime something goes wrong, we ask if it is French.





P.S. I know French cooking can be rich, but this guy is out of his mind... lol
i don't think anyone does that anymore.. reading cook books recipe's. we use are imagination
No. My father in law doesn't use a recipe when he cooks...and we end up with 'cookie pie' complete with coconut, choc chips, oatmeal, maybe nuts...and its like a pound per small piece (its so dense). It may turn out in the end, but its not amazing.





You aren't a genius unless your food is awesome.
So am I!!!! Or maybe we are just confident and competent cooks.
I can do it and I'M definitely not a genius. As a matter of fact, I'm borderline retarded. I've been tested.
No, you are not a genius, and yes, some people can't do this. Some follow recipes very closely, some refer to them but improvise around them, while others don't use recipes at all.





I always thought recipes were a good starting point to give me ideas, then I just go wherever I go with whatever I have on hand, and with whatever technique I want to use. Occasionally the result just doesn't work, but that is a rather rare occurrence. Can't be afraid to fail or will never discover something good.
No you are one of many ;)))). Yes there are some who don't know to do this. Now if you can bake without a recipe you are a genius. Other than pizza off course.
Not so much a genius, just a natural.


I've found that like my mother I just come up with recipes and people ask me for the recipe and I can't give it to them because I don't measure anything.


I have friends that can't make something without a recipe.


It's just something that you're born with.


It just takes imagination and whatever sounds good to you.
I don't know about all that genius stuff......some people have natural talent that are gifted. Cooking without a recipe...doesn't take alot of ';skill'; per say if you will....just plain common sense.


I'm a pretty good cook myself.....It's easy for me..However...when it comes to anything tech...I had to learn first from a recipe...For baking and other things..... I'm a natural at cooking.....';Genius'; -No..
Maybe not on the same plane as an Einstein or von Braun. It does take some talent to throw stuffs together and come out with a palatable dish that teases the senses and makes for a happy tummy. I dunno, but think that your experience in the past helps, and your knowlege of basic principles of cooking and food science. When I cook, I rarely use a recipe but when I bake that is a science and usually require a recipe if it is not something that is made often enough to remember.





Yeah, my neighbor cooks, but uses recipes and has no talent for throwing things together WITH a recipe or without!
I don't know about that. I don't use recipes, but I am not a genius. I won't get into the semantics of it all, but this question might prove you're not.
Not really, I never see my mom use a recipe since she's been cooking, but she doesn't consider herself genius, it's just a natural thing
Congrats! You are a natural born chef....that is, if your food is delicious :)
I do that all of the time, so no two meals are exactly the same. I will start with something basic and then grab what ever is at hand, making it up as I go.





I have some chipolatas in the fridge defrosting and I am thinking of them in a curry for dinner.


Dinner is in 10 1/5 hours, so there is plenty of time for me to change my mind.
It all depends on how the food tastes! If it's disgusting then no, your not a genius, just a bad chef in denial!





If it's really good then maybe you are!
Sorry you are not a genius, I don't use recipes.. other than a guide. *I* an sure I am not a genius.





All good chefs cook by taste. Add something take away something.





Besides recipes are not scientific formulas. If you use a dry herb there are many different tastes. A little dried tarragon can go a long ways but some you can harder taste at all.
I also don't use recipes, it's fun that way!