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Recipes are the double-edged sword of cooking. Yielded one way, they offer a vision of perfection, a glimpse at possible results gained from precise handling of ingredients and procedures.

But cut the other way, and they can remove the beauty of improvisation and the spontaneous personality of a cook revelling in the journey, not just the destination.

In the best cooking, a recipe is just the starting point - a way to communicate the concept of a dish. When they were originally devised, there was an assumption that anyone with an interest in the idea would have the experience and resources to translate a very general outline into practical results.

In North America, recipes were first used to keep track of household expenses. Young cooks learned from older cooks, apprentices gained experience from relentless repetition. Most cooks couldn't read, so following a written recipe was uncommon.

Today when we cook, we are often stressed out from an overwhelming barrage of contradictory information. Many cooks want a gold standard to turn to for guaranteed results.

Enter the recipe as we know it today: It must be simple enough to inspire use while providing insight missing from the average cook's repertoire. This dichotomy places the recipe squarely on an iconic pedestal. Today's cooks often work as if bound with culinary chains, as if positive results in the kitchen are attainable only through rigid precision.

To fully embrace the potential of cooking, try to relax and step away from the cookbook. An addiction to ink on paper is not healthy! Understand that a good recipe's instructions detail the nuances that were once instinctive to a cook. They quantify the best way to coax maximum flavour from an ingredient.

But instead of blindly forging ahead, take a look at the drama in the pan. It's a great way to learn. Improvise, try substituting one flavour for another. When it looks and tastes good to you, it's done.

The biggest mistake an inexperienced cook can make is to be tentative. I come from the "go for it" school of cooking. Most recipes would benefit from more flavour, not less. Add more spice! What's the worst that could happen?

HOUSE DRESSING

A simple sweet-and-sour vinaigrette is the perfect launch for your freestyle flavour mission. You can leave the rigid boundaries of recipes behind with the easily understood basic outline for a vinaigrette. Each ingredient offers infinite improvisational opportunities, so have fun trying different combinations and creating your own signature house dressing.WHAT YOU NEED

¼ cup of the vinegar of your choice: cider, red wine, white wine, rice wine, balsamic, sherry, even lemon juice

¼ cup of something sweet: honey, maple syrup, marmalade, jam, jelly, even caramel, anything but bland white sugar

¼ cup of your best olive oil or any other vegetable oil

Salt and pepper

WHAT YOU DO

Pour everything into a Mason jar, cap it and shake until blended.

If you prefer a smoother dressing, add a teaspoon of mustard and continue shaking. Mustard contains an emulsifying substance that helps water and oil bind together. You can also add your favourite minced fresh herbs to the blend. Experiment!

Some favourite combos: sherry vinegar and maple syrup; red wine vinegar and raspberry jelly; cider vinegar and honey; balsamic vinegar and orange marmalade.

Makes 1 cup.

Michael Smith is the award-winning host of the Food Network's Chef at Home, Chef at Large and The Inn Chef, a cookbook author, restaurant chef and home cook.