Thanks for the response, Bob. I can see when tairos would be helpful: I think of my nonchalance as a teenager while making Julia’s recipes from “The Art of French Cooking” with the inevitable, resultant failure, and, today, I often refer to tairos when making “European” pastries. Unfortunately, today, I think that many people think they can cook but they make mistakes, usually because they fail to think of tairos. But when tairos become taken-for-granted knowledge, as in the case with the Greek grandma next door, then tairos seem to become secondary, or even non-existent, because texture, taste, feel, aroma, etc. all become the more immediate and important aspects of the final dish.I think a lot about these aspects of food and cooking because I’m not a trained professional chef, but I work as one (in addition to the anthropology), and I love to cook at home. I think I do well, like many other “self”-trained cooks. And that idea of “well” or confidence in myself, is often reinforced when my husband and I eat at high end restaurants, with the frequent result of not being impressed. Sometimes the food is pretty, but tasteless. Sometimes the taste is good, but not exceptional. And sometimes, it’s just not acceptable, given the price. And I think that in the end, it is often the result of one of two factors: the tairos were off, or the chef never tasted the food.I do think you’re right about using mass as a criteria, especially when I consider bread-making and the freshness of flour, the humidity, etc.And, I expect I’ll buy Ruhlman’s book because I like his voice.BTW, I’m waiting for your book on charcuterie….