What Works Best For You?

Happy New Year everyone! Hope everybody had a safe holiday season!

I often find myself just stopping to watch other people in the industry working and this can occur anywhere.... The restaurant I work in, the grocery store, farmer's markets, if there are people cooking or baking, you can pretty much find me watching. : ) By watching these people in their element and doing what is natural to them intrigues me....
Often times it launches me into the whole thought process over the fact that there are so many different techniques out there for what we do. That further complicates things when you are trying to train someone because what works for you does not necessarily translate well to the next person.
Take that a step further. I usually end up reading cookbooks like I am sure other people would read a novel. I don't simply flip through to the recipe that sounds the best, I read it front to cover. And over the course of time, you can see what is essentially the same item duplicated so many times over and always with one minor alteration or substitution to make it easier for the baker that wrote it. Bakers tend to be masters of tweaking the recipe to suit our needs. We are taught this from day one. Only have a certain amount of an ingredient? Rewrite the recipe to work with what you have.

So, I guess what I can only stress to everyone when I get asked "What technique do I use?" or, "what's the easiest way to do this?" Find your comfort zone. Become acquainted with the recipes you are working with. Know them inside and out and over time, you will figure out what is comfortable for you. What works best for you will not necessarily what works for the next person down the road, but if it gets you stellar product, then go for it!!