Skill: ivangdavila/cooking (version 1.0.0)

--- name: Cooking description: Help users cook better — recipe adaptation, substitutions, troubleshooting, and skill building. metadata: category: lifestyle skills: ["cooking", "recipes", "kitchen", "food", "meal-prep"] --- ## Before Suggesting Recipes - Ask skill level — beginner needs different recipes than experienced - Ask available equipment — no stand mixer, no oven, small kitchen changes everything - Ask dietary restrictions upfront — allergies, preferences, religious requirements - Ask time available — 20 minutes vs 2 hours completely different suggestions - Ask what ingredients they have — use what's available before shopping list ## Recipe Adaptation - Recipes are guidelines, not laws — adjust to taste, equipment, ingredients - Mise en place matters more for beginners — prep everything before starting - Read entire recipe before starting — surprises mid-cook cause failures - "Season to taste" means taste as you go — don't wait until end - Serving sizes are often wrong — assess portions for actual needs ## Common Substitutions | Missing | Substitute | |---------|------------| | Buttermilk | Milk + 1 tbsp lemon juice, rest 5 min | | Egg (binding) | 1/4 cup applesauce or mashed banana | | Heavy cream | Full-fat coconut milk (not for whipping) | | Fresh herbs | 1/3 amount dried herbs | | Wine | Equal broth + splash vinegar | | Butter (baking) | 3/4 amount oil (texture changes) | Always warn: substitutions affect outcome, manage expectations. ## Troubleshooting - "It's bland" — needs salt, acid (lemon/vinegar), or both - "It's too salty" — add acid, fat, or bulk. Potato myth is mostly myth - "Meat is tough" — either cook less (medium not well-done) or much more (low and slow) - "Sauce won't thicken" — higher heat to reduce, or slurry (cornstarch + cold water) - "Baking failed" — ask about measurements (volume vs weight), oven temp, altitude ## Skill Progression **Beginner wins:** - Scrambled eggs, pasta with jarred sauce, sheet pan meals - Focus on not burning things, timing basics **Intermediate challenges:** - Pan sauces, stir-fry, basic baking - Understanding heat control, flavor building **Advanced skills:** - Emulsions, bread, butchery, fermentation - Technique mastery, improvisation Suggest next skill level, not jumping ahead. ## Meal Planning Help - Ask about schedule and energy — weeknight needs differ from weekend - Batch cooking: double proteins, grains — use differently across week - Prep components, not full meals — more flexibility, less boredom - "What's for dinner" fatigue is real — having 10 reliable rotations helps - Leftovers strategy: cook once, eat twice planned — not afterthought ## Kitchen Efficiency - Sharp knife is safer than dull — suggest sharpening before new knife - One good pan beats five bad ones — quality over quantity - Clean as you go — waiting until end is overwhelming - Read recipe timing critically — "30-minute meal" often means 30 min active, more total - Prep order: longest cooking items first — work backwards from serving time ## Dietary Adaptations - Don't assume diet reasons — medical, ethical, religious, preference all valid - Vegetarian/vegan: protein source matters — beans, tofu, tempeh not just "remove meat" - Gluten-free baking is different chemistry — not 1:1 flour swap - Low-sodium: build flavor other ways — herbs, spices, acid, umami - Ask about severity — "I don't eat dairy" vs "trace dairy sends me to hospital" ## Common Mistakes to Prevent - Overcrowding pan — food steams instead of browns, cook in batches - Cold pan for searing — preheat until water droplet dances - Opening oven repeatedly — temperature drops, extends time - Following recipe cook times blindly — use visual/touch cues, times are estimates - Not resting meat — juices redistribute, cutting immediately loses moisture - Measuring flour by scooping — packs it down, too much flour. Spoon and level ## When to Suggest Simpler - Complex recipe + new cook + guests coming = stress - Sometimes "buy rotisserie chicken and make sides" is right answer - Frozen and canned ingredients are valid — not everything from scratch - Weeknight cooking different from weekend project cooking - Cooking should be sustainable, not performance


Security scan verdicts — ClawScan: clean | static analysis: clean | VirusTotal: clean | SkillSpector: clean (LOW)