Humble Luxury in the Kitchen
Ratios vs. Recipes:
Rather than using the common style of recipe sharing, I much prefer to use ratios. To me, this feels more traditional—like something our grandmothers did. They used about this much of one thing and about that much of another.
They cooked with their senses.
They smelled, tasted, measured in their palms, picked things up to feel weight, and listened to their ingredients.
This is how I like to cook and my ratio based recipes are intended to be the foundation that allows you to do the same. This will give you more freedom to explore what you have on hand in your kitchen so you can use what you’ve got, instead of buying new ingredients.
What this looks like:
Rather than saying you need 4lbs of bones and 6 quarts of water for bone broth, I share my ratio of bone broth which is roughly 1 : 1.5 (read as ‘1 to 1.5’). That means for every 1 lb of bones used, you’ll use about 1.5 quarts of water.
If you have 3 lbs of bones, you’ll need 4.5 quarts of water. I say roughly because with bone broth, it’s very flexible. If you only have 1 lb of bones on hand but you need more than 1.5 qts of bone broth (and if you’re using a stovetop or crock pot method, note some of that water will cook off) then add more. You can always add more flavor with onions, garlic, vegetables, and herbs.
The ratio is a guideline. It’s a starting point to inspire your relationship to your kitchen, build trust in your sense, and create something unique to your desires.
When I don’t use ratios:
If a recipe calls for an exact amount of something (often in baked goods with leavening ingredients like baking soda) I’ll note it specifically. If something can be loose, I’ll let you know. If it needs to be exact, that will be clear.
Essentials and Add Ins:
You’ll also notice the ingredients lists for my recipes & ratios are different than most. The absolute essential ingredients for a recipe are separated from optional additions.
I do this so that the recipe are accessible financially to many different households. You can scale the recipes up and down based on your budget, family size, and desires.
Example:
Continuing with the bone broth ratio, you’ll see the recipe listed like this:
The Essentials:
1 lb chicken bones
1.5 quarts water
Optional Add Ins:
1/2 TBSP apple cider vinegar
1/2 white or yellow onion
1/4 cup dried or fresh nettle leaf
etc.
See the full recipe for Humble Luxury Bone Broth here.