The One That Got Away...

[drholly]

Have you ever made that meal, dish, soup, stew, whatever that was just the very best thing ever you or anyone else created and forgot how to do it?

There may have been a recipe, but it was misplaced. There may have been an idea, but the origin was forgotten. It might just have been a "perfect storm" of ideas, but the waves have subsided... In any event, it was that one fabulous dish or meal, that you have been chasing for years.

Maybe this never happened to you because you were careful to write things down, document results, and make sure you could replicate your masterpiece at a moment's notice... NOT ME!

Many, many years ago (over 30, ok even more...  ) I made a version of Beef Bourguignon. I was living in a doublewide trailer and just learning to cook. Found an old old book in a used book store (long since lost) and tried it. Made it one day (and it took most of the day) let it rest for 2 or 3 days before re-heating. It was simply the very best thing I have ever made or tasted in my life!

Like the goof that I am and was, I assumed I would always remember how to make it. (Insert Dee reminding us to write things down...) Of course I did not remember... So, for years I have chased this and am still no closer...

Am I the only doofus, or have any of you done this as well?

[Pam Gould]

If you can't remember or find what your looking for..try Julia Child's recipe, it is to die for and better the next day..just sayin. Easy to find online or in her book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking.   .☆´¯`•.¸¸. ི♥ྀ.

[ACW3]

Doc,
You are not alone.  I used to "just wing it" when I was new to the cooking game.  Each time I made certain dishes I would get close, but it always seemed to be missing something.  Then I started writing down recipes I liked, or copied them from magazines.  I ended up with a nightmare of paper.  My attempts to organize the collection of recipes led to notebook after notebook of semi-organized recipes.  One day the family CEO said, "This is not working!  The collection gets bigger, and you only cook a couple of the recipes."  I admitted I had a "recipe addiction".  I bought a computer program to help me unclutter the mess.  I ended up shredding a lot of paper.  Actually, my wife shredded a lot of paper.  She likes doing this.  Kind of a cathartic for her, I guess.  At any rate, the piles of file folders and stacks of notebooks gradually got smaller.  These were the recipes I would like to cook,  Then I changed computers and the old recipe software was not available for my new one, a MAC.  Since the stacks of folders and notebooks was much smaller, and re-organized into topical areas, I found a new software that made it easier for me to make a "new and improved recipe book".  I still have way too many recipe books, but, with my wife's help, we pared down the actual books as well.  Almost everyone I added to the pile were "gifts" to us from friends over the years.  Church collections, mostly.  Since I never actually cooked from them, getting rid of them and creating space on the shelves was easy.

Well, today I still have a stack of folders to work on.  The notebooks have been reduced to folders.  My biggest folder include a lot of charcuterie related recipes.  I have been adding some really good looking recipes from FB.  In the computer they don't clutter up my office space.  Having the internet makes it easy to find recipes and look them over before cooking.  I will print and try one before adding it to my new collection.  If I like the results, I keep it.  Otherwise, my wife gets to shred it.

I am hoping that my organized recipe collection will allow me to not let any good recipes get away.

Art

[Pam Gould]

I have a folder just for recipes, but my best tried and true recipe goes into 1 file. I do a ctrl + f to find any recipe that I want or browse thru for the one I forgot, but they are my best recipes only. I also have almost 300 books that I just can't get rid of yet.  .☆´¯`•.¸¸. ི♥ྀ.

[Pappymn]

I use the Evernote app to keep all my notes and favorite recipes. I used to have a many folders of paper. But I was able to digitize them all. What I really like it's that if I have my phone with me, I always have my recipes. Very helpful for spur of the moment shopping

[LostArrow]

I never use recipies except as a starting point & every dish is a new adventure
It's part of the fun to me.
Most times it's good , occasionally wonderful & sometimes forgetable
My line I tell my guests is this.
I'm not planning on this being my last meal & hopefully the next will be better!

[smokeasaurus]

I have done this many a time...however when the rare opportunity happened where I could replicate that long lost effort, I have found that the memory of the flavor was merely heightened through the years.

In other words: "It didn't taste nearly as good as remembered" 

[Hub]

Except for competition, where I follow checklists meticulously, I almost never use a recipe.  And, when I do, I almost never follow it exactly because I can always think of several ways to "improve" it.  Thus, I almost never fix anything the same way twice.  Most of the time this results in groceries that are "okay" but could have been better.  Also, it totally infuriates my wife who doesn't like to see anything changed in the least.  So, when I hit that golden home run that leaves my family and guests screaming for more and making effusive compliments about my prowess in things culinary, I just have to let them know that they better enjoy it because they'll never see the same thing again 

Hub

[Smokin Don]

I have done that David. I am always wanting to try new things; if I fix something we like and write it down right away I get it saved as a recipe. I usually get all my ingredients ready and take a pic of it to post and to remember what I put in the dish. I have a folder (My Recipes) in my PC and subfolders for diff. catagories. Whatever I post I can come back here and search it.

I also have my blog that is searchable. That was the main reason I started it. Don

[drholly]

I have done that David. I am always wanting to try new things; if I fix something we like and write it down right away I get it saved as a recipe. I usually get all my ingredients ready and take a pic of it to post and to remember what I put in the dish. I have a folder (My Recipes) in my PC and subfolders for diff. catagories. Whatever I post I can come back here and search it.

I also have my blog that is searchable. That was the main reason I started it. Don

I understand and agree, Don. However, this was in 1978 - before instant (except Polaroid) pictures, blogs, or online interest in food. I just cooked and either wrote it down or didn't...  This time I didn't. It is amazing how far we have come, just wish I could find the "old" stuff...