Do you diary technique and results?

mikeinccfl · August 2016

Do you record successful and failed cooks? I've only had an egg for a few weeks and I can see that I won't remember all the factors (temps, time, wood, etc.) that worked / didn't work for me. So I want to keep a log but it has to be easy to maintain and search. Curious if you diary and what technology (inc. paper) works best for you.

YukonRon · August 2016

I use my hand held and notes. Photo and record. A little messy at times, but I have a waterproof cover, cleans up nice.

Eggscuses · August 2016

No but I should.

tarheelmatt · August 2016

No, not my style.

Sea2Ski · August 2016

My wife made a 3 ring binder for me and it has 10 sections. Beef, pork, bacon, lamb...etc.

I document the weight, cost, temp, seasonings, wood (type and quantity) used, along with start and end times and temperatures to calculate cook duration. I only track larger roasts. Nothing like pizza, burgers or steaks. No quick cooks. This allows me to time my "larger and longer cooks" more accurately.

The only exception is sausages and bacon. I measure and document every gram of spice, ml of liquid, and action I use in those preparations so I can reproduce them the best I can at a later date. These are the most valuable to me.

lousubcap · August 2016

I have taken a few notes over the years-write on a cookbook page of the main protein. As long as I can identify the protein, I can find some notes if so inclined-which I generally am not.

MeTed · August 2016

I kept track of the number of cooks but did not document any other info, although I wishI would have.

Jeremiah · August 2016

Does Instagram count?

Wardster · August 2016

If I like a recipe, I'll save it. I always follow a recipe, the first time I cook it, exactly as it's written. That way, if I don't like it, I know it wasn't my fault. If I decide to make any changes, I'll add that to the saved file. If I don't like it, I delete it.

DoubleEgger · August 2016

No way. Sounds like it would suck the fun out of egging.

theyolksonyou · August 2016

I'm entirely too lazy for that

blind99 · August 2016

I take notes for brisket and bacon. And try to write down favorite recipes.

bgebrent · August 2016

No.

northGAcock · August 2016

Heck no.

JethroVA · August 2016

yes, i periodically take use my notes function in iPhone for longer cooks. I like to log weight, temp and time. Helps me time the cooks better.

Hans61 · August 2016

I don't but my memory is pretty sharp.

SoCalWJS · August 2016

I record all of my Prime Ribs cooks. It's the one I care about the most ($$$$). On the other hand, I have it down pretty well using several different techniques or even a combination of them all (reverse sear, Sous vide, and Rotisserie). Primarily as a guide as to how much time to allow for different sizes using the different methods.

Theophan · August 2016

For several years I did keep a log of all of my cooks, and found it VERY helpful! I wrote down what I did, what was good, what wasn't, what I planned to try next time, etc., and then the next time I tried that, I did the same. It was super helpful as I was sorting out the best way to cook on the BGE.

I've been using an app on my computer, phone, & tablet called Paprika to keep all of my recipes in for several years, now, and love it, and without really having thought about it and made a decision to switch, I just wound up switching to just writing comments in each recipe I cook for how well I liked it, any specific notes on how I cooked it, what to try next time, etc..

tarheelmatt · August 2016

bgebrent said:

No.

I didn't even know you cooked. So, maybe your wife you answer this, not you.

tarheelmatt · August 2016

theyolksonyou said:

I'm entirely too lazy for that

Okay, so my style has another name apparently.

blasting · August 2016

Nope. Bbq is about instinct for me.

bgebrent · August 2016

tarheelmatt said:

bgebrent said:

No.

I didn't even know you cooked. So, maybe your wife you answer this, not you.

I asked her what to say and should've put No in quotes.

tarheelmatt · August 2016

bgebrent said:

tarheelmatt said:

bgebrent said:

No.

I didn't even know you cooked. So, maybe your wife you answer this, not you.

I asked her what to say and should've put No in quotes.

I knew it. She needs a login now. Maybe her handle could be B-Rents_wife_that_cooks or I<3UNC.

westernbbq · August 2016

Every time i make something that turns out awesome i write a few notes down about what i did. When results are less than stellar i also write down what i did and compare with the near perfect results' notes. I started this with pizza dough and brisket as i wanted replicatable results and consistency. Taking a few notes and putting them in my recipe file has been extremely useful

NorthPilot06 · August 2016

Too much work. And my ability to follow my notes goes down as I continue to consume beverages anyway.

TN_Sister_State · August 2016

I only record the things that were awesome and just use google docs on my phone.

blind99 · August 2016

Matt has revealed the secret... Here's how I see this actually working. @theyolksonyou has an idea for a cook. @bgebrent 's wife cooks it. @tarheelmatt takes a nice picture.

Legume · August 2016

blind99 said:

Matt has revealed the secret... Here's how I see this actually working. @theyolksonyou has an idea for a cook. @bgebrent 's wife cooks it. @tarheelmatt takes a nice picture.

I think it's yolk's son that has all of the ideas.

bgebrent · August 2016

Legume said:

blind99 said:

Matt has revealed the secret... Here's how I see this actually working. @theyolksonyou has an idea for a cook. @bgebrent 's wife cooks it. @tarheelmatt takes a nice picture.

I think it's yolk's son that has all of the ideas.

It is his son for sure.

@blind99, you may be onto something here

Eggaroo · August 2016

I keep telling myself I need to do this but never get around to it. I think I documented the first 2 or 3 cooks when I first got my egg but none since. When I use a recipe from a website I usually print it out (I know… old school). So after the cook I will sometimes write notes on the recipe as to whether it was good or not.

mikeinccfl · August 2016

Thanks for everyone's thoughts. Good points that cooking shouldn't be a chore and logging makes it feel that way. Details about slow cooks / expensive cuts feels right for what I need. I have to learn low n' slow and I'm lucky if I can remember what I had for breakfast these days. I'll use Google Keep since it's usually just a pocket away and I can include an image for posterity (or my posterior depending on where the calories land.)

Do you diary technique and results?

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