Who loves to cook?

midoswife

I love to cook, ya but this is a big issue
Everytime I m in the kitchen cooking I am eating, trying the new food, spooning form here and there to taste the salt in the food or the spices. How do u track these food??? Or how do I get rid of such a bad habit ? Help please

lovelyrose11

When I know I am cooking something new that I am gonna want to "taste test" I just make sure I leave some extra calories for wiggle room and I only allow myself a few tiny bites...

melsinct

I am an avid home cook and bread baker! I also leave wiggle room in my calories for tasting as I go along. Let's be honest, there isn't any need to "taste" hundreds of calories worth of anything so usually 50 calories is a good buffer.

AirCircleI

personally, I don't track that sort of thing. But then again, I am often about 50-150 cals below my goal, so I think it works out.

dls06

I always find when I'm cooking a big meal or for a party, I never want to eat it. I guess it's all the tasting? :drinker:

Captain_Tightpants

For each of your "usual" dishes you only have to really do it once. Do the taste testing thing but at the same time keep track of exactly how much salt/spices etc. you are adding (add in 1/4 tsps for example). Then just write it down. Next time you cook it, throw in the exact amount you wrote down - no need to taste test unless you changed ingredients or quantities.

sweettthings

I don't think a bite here or there to test doneness or seasoning is going to matter much. I guess if I knew I ate a significant amount of something I'd reduce my portion size of the end dish an equivalent amount, that way the calories would work out.

If I'm chopping vegetables (which seems to happen at every single meal, lol) and I'm totally starving, I'll sometimes fix myself a strip or two of pepper or carrot to eat while I'm cooking. The best approach is to not let yourself get so hungry. Plan a small snack for late afternoon if you need it to get through cooking the evening meal without devouring everything in sight.

rob_v

Its a not a bad habit at all. You have to taste what you cook, how else will know if its good
Honestly, it all about what you are cooking. Especially sauces, a spoon here and there can add up to some calories pretty quickly.

So just plan your workout accordingly. Throw an extra 20 mins in there to give you that 150 calorie buffer you need and don't worry about it.

stuffinmuffin

Its a not a bad habit at all. You have to taste what you cook, how else will know if its good
Honestly, it all about what you are cooking. Especially sauces, a spoon here and there can add up to some calories pretty quickly.

So just plan your workout accordingly. Throw an extra 20 mins in there to give you that 150 calorie buffer you need and don't worry about it.

^^^^^

This. OR don't snack on things if it's not tasting to check it's okay. For those tasters you could add them into your cals for the meal. If you love cooking then why not experiment with making low cal versions of your favourites? That's how I managed to keep up my love of being in the kitchen without falling off the wagon all the time! x

carboloader

This may be a bit odd, but somone suggested to me the other day that I just taste the food I'm cooking and spit it out (like wine tasting). I've been sick and not cooking, but I plan to try this method to avoid all those extra kcals.

jocelynna

I LOVE to cook, but am I the only one that doesn't taste food as I am making it?

If I am trying something new, I just wait until it's plated up and then I taste it. If I am disappointed, I try something different the next time. Maybe it's because I generally go off of recipes, so I just assume that it will taste fine the way that it's layed out.

ZugTheMegasaurus

If you have to taste it, just serve yourself that much less when you're done so that it totals only one serving.

Also, once you make a recipe you like, you shouldn't have to taste it every single time. Remember what you put in it and just do it the same each time. It does take practice though; I worked in kitchens all during college and got really good at creating the exact same thing over and over. Aim for consistency and after a couple tries you won't have to keep tasting.

tessa022707

I cook for a living so I must taste everything. I always try to eat under my calories to account for the tasting...and my tastes are just that....less than a teaspoon. I also love to cook but use hubby as the official household taster!

momof2winsplus

You don't need to eat an entire spoonful every time, either. 1/8 to 1/4 tsp is usually enough to tell if your spices are correct, etc. I am always under by a bit to cover these things, so I don't track under 10 cal things.