So how is a recipe like the Pirate's Code?

Part three of this quote is the answer.

Captain Barbossa to Elizabeth Swann in Pirates of the Caribbean:
"first, your return to shore was not part of our negotiations nor our agreement, so I must do nothing, and secondly you must be a pirate for the Pirate's Code to apply and you're not, and thirdly the code is more of what you call guidelines than actual rules"

So a recipe is "more of what you call guidelines than actual rules".

I consider it play time. Time to experiment. I love Cooks Illustrated recipes. I always learn something. I love Alton Browns stuff. Again I'm learning.

So relax and enjoy your cooking... they're just guidelines REALLY.