Thanks so much for all the questions you send my way via comments, emails and social media! I love connecting with readers and fellow foodie people (← the best kinds of people). One of my favourite things about blogging, actually. But, y'all got some questions you need answers to. Here's the Q & A of some of the most common ones.
Where do you get your recipes and inspiration from?
Great question and one of my faves.
- Restaurants I've worked in.
- Flavour combos that sound interesting... like this miso sweet potato soup.
- Friends
- Family requests
- magazines, TV, social media and other cookbooks
- Restaurant menus
And how I create a recipe goes a little something like this:
- Write the recipe
- Cook the recipe once according to what I've written or how I feel that day
- Get feedback from family and friends
- Cook the recipe again with some tweaks to spices, flavours and seasoning.
- Photograph
How would you recommend a new cook or blogger start to experiment with creating their own recipes (without spending a fortune on cooking school) ?
This is such a great question. Being able to create your own recipes and feel confident in your techniques and flavour paring is so exciting and empowering. I would highly recommend picking up the The Flavor Thesaurus. The Flavor Bible is also a really great kitchen reference.
If you'd like to start a blog or write cookbooks and share your recipes with the wider world, then I can't recommend highly enough that you get a copy of The Recipe Writers Handbook. Writing a recipe is like composing a symphony and it's imperative that everything goes together harmoniously. There are certain etiquette involved in writing recipes that are meant to be made by more than you and your family. The tips in this book will get you past making "home cook" mistakes and get you into the level of pro. * Please note, I'm only recommending this book for anyone who wants to go on to write recipes in a professional or food blog capacity. If you are just looking to make your own recipes for yourself and loved ones, then you probably don't need this book.
Can I use your post and/or recipe on my website or blog?
Thanks for asking.
- Recipes: No. Not at this time. Right now, I don't allow republication of my posts or recipe text without prior consent. If people copy and paste my recipes and posts onto their sites, it changes the way Google displays Salted Mint in search results. And there's some copyright issues there, too.
- Photos without recipes: Yeah! Thanks for sharing. That would be awesome! You can share a photo with two link backs. One to the recipe and one to the SaltedMint.com
What is your background in food?
I'm a Cordon Bleu trained chef with 10 years experience in professional kitchens. In those 10 years I've learned a lot, achieved a lot and got a lot of scars to show for it. In an effort to make Salted Mint recipes even better, I just recently took a nutrition class too. It was basic, but I've got a better understanding about how to build even better recipes.
Do you follow a particular diet or food philosophy?
Yes and no. We're not vegetarian or vegan, and we don't really have any food allergies or intolerances. However, Mr. T has an extreme dislike of cheese and a sensitivity to store bought bread. So, we go easy on the cheese and make bread from scratch... everyday. That being said, I think that we all have an ethical responsibility to live and tread as lightly on the land as possible. So, we eat whole foods. Seasonal, local and fresh. I don't buy processed food and we only buy free range meat, dairy and eggs. We eat plant based more often than not and love simple healthy recipes.
Why didn't your recipe work for me?
I'm not sure, but decoding recipes is a favourite past time of mine. If you leave a comment below the recipe, or shoot me an email, I'd love to help figure it out. Posting in the comments is a great way to join the conversation and to help other readers who may also have some questions. Sometimes, recipes have typos, or some of the steps need some clarification. If you let me know, I can fix that ASAP.
How many times do you make a recipe?
I feel a big responsibility to make sure that my recipes are super high quality for my readers. So, I usually make a recipe at least twice. Because of my cooking experience, I can usually look at a recipe that I write and know if it's going to work or not. For baking recipes, I almost always make them twice. Just to make sure.
Do you work with brands for sponsored posts and campaigns?
Yep. I am happy to promote brands that I love, over here on Salted Mint. If you are a brand looking for partnership, I'd love to hear from you.
Can I email you?
Sure. My emails is debs (at) saltedmint (dot) com