Fannie Farmer revolutionized cooking when her book, the “Boston Cooking-School Cook Book” was released in 1896. It was the first time a cookbook contained precise measurements for recipes.

When Ms. Farmer devised and shared those accurate measurements, she turned cooking into a science.

Modern-day cultural historian, food writer and cookbook author Jean Johnson wishes Ms. Farmer wouldn’t have done that.

“On a daily basis, when all we want is dinner, few of us are up to doing the equivalent of small chemistry experiments,” she says.

In her new cookbook, “Cooking Beyond Measure: How to Eat Well Without Formal Recipes,” Ms. Johnson urges cooks to “throw away your measuring cups and take back your kitchens.” It’s not as hard as you might think, she says.

The author, a Portland, Ore., resident, recently talked with the News-Press. Some of her other thoughts on cooking without measuring follow.

What motivated her to write the cookbook?

Ms. Johnson says that she remembers the day in grad school when the professor pointed out that we never measured 100 years ago. She says she was stunned by that statement. The professor went on to explain that measuring tools didn’t emerge until the 1900s to 1910s, during the Domestic Science era. Fannie Farmer, Ms. Johnson says, is credited with being the “Mother of Precise Measurement,” the woman who created a blueprint for cooking. Cooking tools began appearing soon after the release of her cookbook in 1896.

Ms. Johnson says that she feels that scientific approach to cooking, while great for elegant dinner parties, robs cooks of the opportunity to be creative in the kitchen. With her cookbook, she wanted to show cooks that they could create tasty meals without measuring.

Can anybody do this?

Yes, she says, noting that many ethnic groups create delicious meals by using ingredients that they have on hand. One example she gives is the spice cilantro salad with white chocolate, pineapple and cashews. She made it with fresh cilantro, minced jalapeno, chilled brown and white rice, tofu, fresh pineapple, olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper (there’s no quantity listed in the cookbook). She garnished it with cashews, but felt the salad needed something else. She had white chocolate chips on hand, and added those. The chocolate, she says, makes the salad.

Why should people try the no-measure method of cooking?

By not measuring and using fresh ingredients and items that you have on hand, Ms. Johnson thinks that people will be less inclined to eat refined foods, or she duds it, “the land of crinkly packages.” She adds that since people are so rushed in their lives, she feels that when they become so concerned about getting the measurements correct in a recipe, they lose interest in cooking.

What would she say to people who are unsure of trying the measure-free method of cooking?

Ms. Johnson says to try just one thing and when you feel comfortable with that, move on to another dish. Don’t be afraid to fail, she says, adding that she also has thrown away a few efforts, as well. Remember, she says, that Julia Child never fretted if a souffle didn’t turn out. If it failed, the renowned cook just made it into soup.

Harvest frittata

Whisk some eggs with a spoonful of milk or water, cottage cheese, salt and pepper. Add a chop of roasted sweet peppers and summer squash. Pour into a heavily oiled skillet and cook on medium without stirring. Once the eggs are mostly set, grate some Asiago cheese over the top with pinches of paprika and nutmeg. Run under the broiler to finish the eggs and melt the cheese.

Details: It’s easy to figure out how many eggs to use by how many people you’re feeding. Use enough oil to film the surface of the skillet. Let the pan come up to temperature before pouring in the eggs and cook them until they are mostly set — sometimes a lid helps if you have an extra-thick frittata. Most any vegetables work in frittatas.

Cottage cream

In the blender, add enough milk or water to a carton of cottage cheese to get things whirling. That’s it except for flavorings, if you want. Vanilla, lemon juice, almond extract — most anything, even plain, is nice.

Try it

Jean Johnson, author of “Cooking Beyond Measure: How to Eat Well Without Formal Recipes” offers the following tips for those interested in trying measure-free cooking:

1. Bake or grill enough squash for leftovers.

2. Find the bulk bins at your grocer.

3. Put a pot of pinto beans on the stove Sunday afternoon.

4. Get a the largest cutting board you can find and a chef’s knife.

5. Dedicate a countertop to slicing and dicing.

6. Steam up a pot of quinoa, millet or other whole grain.

7. Look for young, tender fresh vegetables.

8. Buy a block of interesting, affordable deli cheese.

9. Keep fresh fruit on hand.

10. Know you don’t have to be gourmet to eat well.

To purchase a copy of “Cooking Beyond Measure: How to Eat Well Without Formal Recipes,” $16.95, log on to http://measure freerecipes.com/ and amazon.com.

Lifestyles reporter Cathy Woolridge can be reached cathyw@npgco.com