Do you taste while you cook?

lpearlmom · Post by **lpearlmom** » Tue Dec 15, 2015 5:24 am

So while I feel like I've been pretty successful with NoS, cooking is the one area that still messes me up. I cook A Lot and often fairly involved recipes. Now I'll tell myself it's okay to taste a little for seasoning but often this will snowball into tasting way more than really necessary, eating as I cut up veggies etc. and I'm just not sure how to handle this.

To not taste at all while I cook goes against everything I was taught (I went to culinary school) but I need to come up with a better plan before this becomes my undoing. So I was wondering what other people do while they cook? Do you have a set of rules or do you just don't taste your food while you cook, end of story?

Sometimes I just think it's my little way of rebelling. To see how much I can get away with. I dunno.

Thanks for any ideas!

Linda

vmsurbat · Post by **vmsurbat** » Tue Dec 15, 2015 7:22 am

I do a lot of cooking, too, so I know what you mean.

I've found it helpful to distinguish in my own mind those little bites and tastes that are necessary vs. those that are taken "just because." In other words, I have to act like a grown-up!

So, if cutting up carrots, I really don't need to try a piece. If cutting up a cucumber, I might try one small slice off the ends if I suspected it might be a bitter one.

As far as tasting something I'm cooking, I use a very small spoon to taste broth/sauces of a dish. I use a fork or knife to check for tenderness.

And if I know that even after tasting I'm *not* going to be adjusting the seasoning anymore, I just don't taste it--I'm fooling myself into over-indulgence with the thought of "I'll just make sure it is good" because I'm going to serve it regardless.

The other area I have to watch myself is in not licking spoons, bowls, pots clean. I hurry to get them into the sink and rinsed so I'm not tempted. Simple stuff like that can end up being an 5 extra pounds in a year's time...

Anyway, to sum up:

1. No snacking while chopping.
2. small utensil for tasting
3. mainly the broth/saucy part
4. Check doneness via fork, knife, temperature probe as appropriate
5. No tasting if I'm not going to be making any further adjustments
6. No licking utensils, bowls, pots clean.

I know what you mean about that little rebellious streak. I remind myself that I like acting like a grown-up (one of my favorite things about NoS is that it gives reasonable boundaries but expects me to figure out how to thrive within them) and that I like being hungry for a meal. Too much tasting while cooking really cuts the edge of my pleasure while actually eating the meal I just cooked.

Hope you find some helpful encouragements in there. And Happy Cooking!

lpearlmom · Post by **lpearlmom** » Wed Dec 16, 2015 6:14 am

Thank you Vicky! Awesome answer. I printed it out & am keeping it as a reminder in my kitchen. I got through lots of cooking today with no problem. I can do this--yay!

vmsurbat · Post by **vmsurbat** » Wed Dec 16, 2015 8:53 am

lpearlmom wrote:Thank you Vicky! Awesome answer. I printed it out & am keeping it as a reminder in my kitchen. I got through lots of cooking today with no problem. I can do this--yay!

I wish we had a "like" button!

noni · Post by **noni** » Wed Dec 16, 2015 1:25 pm

I also try a lot of new recipes. I may taste a couple small spoons, but it's mainly for salt. Sometimes I chop something like a carrot and pop a piece. Not a lot of calories, but a habit I try to avoid, because carrots become scraping out the mac n cheese pot into my mouth that just felt like 1,000 calories.

Quick Bites · Post by **Quick Bites** » Wed Dec 16, 2015 8:49 pm

lpearlmom, very cool to see someone here who has been to culinary school! I work part time as a personal chef and this issue is sometimes a problem for me as well. Although I have not been with no s very long (and recently had a fall of the wagon calorie counting nightmare - see my post from earlier today) I have been only tasting for seasoning, very small amount, usually like a 1/2 teaspoon of food or less and trying to have the mindset that tasting is just that a TASTE and also it is for a client, not myself which plays a big part in over-tasting while "on the job".

Also, I always have a cup of coffee to sip right after to clean my palate, which is a habit that helps the urge to have more.

As far as cooking at home, that is sometimes a bit more challenging, however I have been known to taste a small amount and spit it out in the trash (gross, I know!) especially if it is a favorite food of mine, again followed by a sip of coffee. I try to remember that I don't want to ruin the the meal experience by ruining my appetite. If I am cooking dinner and have a more than just a taste, I will adjust my plate filling accordingly if it does end up being more than a spoonful, or two...leaving some "blank space" on my plate (pardon the Taylor Swift play on words

and sorry if you can't get that song out of your head now!)

Hope that helps!

lpearlmom · Post by **lpearlmom** » Thu Dec 17, 2015 5:37 am

Thanks you guys! Yes this has been a good reality check for me. I think I was telling myself it was just too hard because I cook so much. Just a big ol excuse but seeing other people who also cook a lot handling it with much more grace & maturity made me realize I can do it too. Just a little thougtfulness, common sense and of course self honesty is all that's needed. Time to get real! Today was another success though so I'm feeling good!

Quick bites so cool that you are a personal chef. I haven't done much with my degree but maybe in the future! Oh & I do the spitting thing too sometimes. Only way to break that cycle of automatically shoving stuff in my mouth sometimes!

Linda

Merry · Post by **Merry** » Thu Dec 17, 2015 5:49 am

For me, it depends on what I'm making, but like someone else said, for seasoning a sauce properly it's pretty necessary. I try to remember the goal--to taste, not to snack! Taste is a T, snack is an S!

lpearlmom · Post by **lpearlmom** » Fri Dec 18, 2015 3:51 pm

Thanks Merry! I like that you even give it a separate letter. That helps to keep it separate in my mind.

Also, thanks again Vicki for taking the time for such a detailed response. My weight was down 2 lbs this week despite have a red day on Monday. I haven't had a drop in weight like that for many weeks. Since my food was similar to what I always eat, I'm attributing it to getting my "tasting" under control and I'm very motivated to keep at it.

Yay & thanks again for all the great input!

Linda

vmsurbat · Post by **vmsurbat** » Sat Dec 19, 2015 7:08 am

lpearlmom wrote: I haven't had a drop in weight like that for many weeks. Since my food was similar to what I always eat, I'm attributing it to getting my "tasting" under control and I'm very motivated to keep at it.

A while ago, before I found NoS, I read something that said the average caloric load of a "taste" of food was approx 20-25 calories... That truth was made real when I embraced NoS--I think all my little bits and nibbles pre-NoS, done in conjunction with prepping and putting away meals, added up to (at least!) another meal's worth of food in a day...... With NoS, I suddenly started really enjoying my meals (because I was appropriately hungry) and simultaneously began dropping weight. What a winning combo!

lpearlmom · Post by **lpearlmom** » Sun Dec 20, 2015 12:01 am

Yeah when you put it like that, it's pretty obvious how important it is to get a handle on this. I'm curious to see how my weight will be effected. If nothing else, it'll definitely make maintaining easier. And yes it does make those meals so much more enjoyable. 👍