The Uses and Limitations of Formulas and Recipes

In spite of their importance, written formulas and recipes have many limitations. No matter how detailed a formula is, it assumes you already have certain knowledge—that you understand the terminology it uses, for example, and that you know how to measure ingredients.

Before talking specifically about baking formulas, let’s briefly consider recipes in general. Many people believe that learning how to cook means simply learning recipes. A professional cook, on the other hand, learns to work by mastering a set of basic procedures. A recipe is a way of applying basic techniques to specific ingredients.