A recipe may remain unchanged, yet the dish on the plate can shift dramatically between restaurants, shaped by the trifecta of technique, judgement and the cook’s intuition

A diner ordering butter chicken, dal, ramen or a birria taco might reasonably expect familiarity: the same ingredients, the same established method, perhaps even the same name. Yet taste a version at another restaurant and the difference can be striking. The reason is simple, chefs say: recipes are frameworks, not mathematical equations. That difference is not necessarily inconsistency; it can be the clearest expression of a chef’s understanding of the dish for diners.

Chef Vishal Chandnani, culinary director, The Orchid Hotel Mumbai, describes a recipe as “essentially a framework”, with the final result depending on execution. “Ingredient quality, freshness, proportions, temperature, cooking time, seasoning and technique all matter,” he says. Even small changes in salt, oil, spices or acidity can alter the balance, while heat control can transform flavour and texture.

That makes a recipe less like a rigid set of instructions and more like a map. The destination may be recognisable, but the route can vary.

The chef’s hand