Sep 11, 2014 3 min read

“Why aren’t you precise on your measurements?

“It’s always ‘about this much’ or ‘do it to taste.’ Recipes are supposed to be precise instructions,” the email read.

It’s not the first time someone’s asked me why I tend to offer approximations instead of hard-and-fast measurements.

The answer? I’m not a chef; I’m just someone who loves to cook. I like the idea of whipping something up with what’s on hand, tossing the precision of measuring out the window. When I chop vegetables for soup, they’re in what television chefs would refer to as a “rustic cut.”

I linger in the kitchen with a glass of wine, and listen to show tunes while I craft a meal, and while I scour the Internet for ideas, they’re usually just a jumping off point.

Frankly, I cook because the idea of baking – an art at which my mother is divine – stresses me out. Things have to be measured, weighed and carefully whipped or beaten.

If it’s a cake, then it needs cooled, iced and decorated. That’s hardly my idea of a good time, which is why my cakes come from the bakery, and brownies come from a box.

Which brings me back to my email …

I offered the gentleman my reasons for being imprecise. He replied, very kindly, and told me that my imprecision just wouldn’t cut it for him.

“If I read a recipe, I want to be able to walk through it like instructions to build something,” he wrote.

Baking, I suggested, may be his forte. But as I cooked on Saturday, I thought about him, and I tried to be diligent in my measurements. It was a more difficult challenge than I anticipated.

I cook by taste, smell and sight. Though it was a nice exercise in patience, figuring out how much of anything I used took a great deal of fun out of the process.

The resulting pork sliders and slaw, however, were just as yummy as they would have been if I didn’t. The offering below is my mostly measured pork sliders.

Jennifer Harr is the Herald-Standard’s news editor. Contact her at jharr@heraldstandard.com or follow her on Twitter @HSJenHarr.

Pork sliders

Burgers

1.5# ground pork

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 c parsley, finely chopped

7 fresh mint leaves, finely chopped

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon 5 spice

Pepper

Salt

Slaw

2 medium carrots, peeled and finely chopped

2 cherry peppers, seeded and finely chopped

Handful of chopped dark greens (I used six big beet green leaves)

2-3 tablespoons of rice wine vinegar (sweet and tart variety)

8 small buns

Combine the burger ingredients and divide into eight patties. Grill or sauté until cooked through. Over medium heat, sauté the carrots, greens and peppers in oil for about 3 minutes. Pour the vinegar in, and stir to combine. Remove from heat. The slaw should have a crunch.

Put the slaw on the bottom of the bun, and top with the burger. Enjoy!