I'm by nature a maximizer, often past the point of analysis paralysis, but my solution to this in the kitchen, to actually put food on the table, is to trust in Cook's Illustrated. I actually do trust that they've gathered all the information, the different recipes, and have figured out what works and what doesn't, and I know this because they write up a summary of the experimentation in the article accompanying the recipe.
But sometimes perhaps being a maximizer can turn one into a satisficier? Some time ago, I wanted to make a Hollandaise, so I looked up a bunch of what should be authoritative recipes, only to find that they're all over the map. How much butter per egg yolk? From 1.3 (Julia Child) to 3.6 (Larousse). How much lemon juice? Jacques Pepin doesn't use any. As many do, he calls for a little cayenne, but Julia Child and Larousse don't. So I have no choice but to just pick something. I'm not in a position to make all of the recipes at once and compare, and I also don't make Hollandaise enough to remember how the last one was and whether I like a different variation better. I think I remember from Harold McGee that there's enough lecithin in one egg yolk to emulsify an enormous amount of butter, so I go with 4oz butter per yolk, but if memory serves me correctly, I think I added too much lemon juice for my taste.
'Logorrheic' Text: Free-thought manuscript of how a frequent reader tends to think. Proximally-edited 'Logorrheic' Text: Highly intuitive/impulsive, complexly mediated instantiation of first text. Addresses multiple audiences. Aspirations to satisfice correlate to increased complications. (I also have time set aside for _Starfield_.)
I'm by nature a maximizer, often past the point of analysis paralysis, but my solution to this in the kitchen, to actually put food on the table, is to trust in Cook's Illustrated. I actually do trust that they've gathered all the information, the different recipes, and have figured out what works and what doesn't, and I know this because they write up a summary of the experimentation in the article accompanying the recipe.
But sometimes perhaps being a maximizer can turn one into a satisficier? Some time ago, I wanted to make a Hollandaise, so I looked up a bunch of what should be authoritative recipes, only to find that they're all over the map. How much butter per egg yolk? From 1.3 (Julia Child) to 3.6 (Larousse). How much lemon juice? Jacques Pepin doesn't use any. As many do, he calls for a little cayenne, but Julia Child and Larousse don't. So I have no choice but to just pick something. I'm not in a position to make all of the recipes at once and compare, and I also don't make Hollandaise enough to remember how the last one was and whether I like a different variation better. I think I remember from Harold McGee that there's enough lecithin in one egg yolk to emulsify an enormous amount of butter, so I go with 4oz butter per yolk, but if memory serves me correctly, I think I added too much lemon juice for my taste.
'Logorrheic' Text: Free-thought manuscript of how a frequent reader tends to think. Proximally-edited 'Logorrheic' Text: Highly intuitive/impulsive, complexly mediated instantiation of first text. Addresses multiple audiences. Aspirations to satisfice correlate to increased complications. (I also have time set aside for _Starfield_.)
This book coming out Tuesday is possibly relevant to the first part of this discussion:
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/670624/optimal-illusions-by-coco-krumme/