How to free yourself from recipes and begin improvising in the kitchen

Question: I'm from a Korean-American family and wasn't encouraged to cook at all, although good food was a big part of our family life. I'm entirely self-taught and "chained" to recipes. When I deviate from them, I often create disasters. Having to dump a couple hours work into the garbage is discouraging. How do I get to the next level? Is there something I can read on cooking theory?

First of all, one of the ways to free yourself from recipes and begin improvising is to take a recipe you're comfortable with and change the main ingredient. For instance, you can saute a chicken breast, add some white wine, simmer it down until it's syrupy and you'll have a sauce for the chicken. Try using the same technique with a piece of salmon. Then try varying the seasoning.

Check out a good basic cookbook, like Joy of Cooking, that has a wide range of ethnic recipes to help you become familiar with different flavor combinations. A classic example from Asian cuisine is fresh ginger and garlic -- you can't go wrong with this combination. Lemon and tarragon is another good bet.

Another trick is to take a combination of things and taste them together first before adding them to your main ingredient. Try a bit of fresh or dry basil and lemon juice, for instance, to see if you like that combination, then keep tasting as you go.

Sally Schneider has tips for improvising with everything from soup and rhubarb syrup to chocolates and chocolate cake.

-Lynne