Yep. imperfection is a feature not a bug.

Trying to eliminate every variable and be able to follow a precise formula is absurd. And if you manage to do that you are going to make food that is as good as what you can buy in the frozen section of any grocery store. That highly processed stuff is made by eliminating all the variables and following a precise formula.

Just enjoy the variation, taste your ingredients and food at every step you can and adjust until you like it.

Get a safety razor and a variety of blades. You might need to try a bunch of blades to find the ones you prefer but what works best for you will depend on the razor and you. You don’t have to spend tons of money on the razor but you can. I use an old (1950s or something ) Gillette I found on ebay like 15-20 years ago. See nicer new ones but mine works so I just keep using it. Anyway, razor barely matters, blades depend more on you than anything.

Edit: Just looked on ebay. Lol, vintage ones are spendy now - I think I paid a couple bucks for mine. Did see a new stainless steel basic version for under 15 bucks. I’d start with something like that and a variety of blades.