PREVIOUS ARTICLE
Bon appétit! By the lovely Grace Farris.
P.S. Freezer contents, ranked and cookbooks I need.
33 COMMENTS
Subscribe
29 Comments
The spectator. Definitely the appreciative spectator.
I’m a swapper-outer. Hmmm… This recipe looks good but I’ll swap this for that and cut that as I don’t like that type of flavor but I’ll add in this and more of that. So when I share a recipe I’ve served for others it has about 6-8 modifications noted. And I hate it when I forget to make notes of what I did that worked/didn’t work.
I’ve modified the New York Times recipe for caramelized cabbage, pasta and anchovies so much it’s basically a different recipe but a family favorite! I’ve learned to read some comments bc at times the cooking time can be wildly off – as in this recipe which said to caramelize the cabbage in the time it takes the pasta to cook. Not a chance. Needed more like 45+ mins not 8.
Spectator! Or the missing “Prep Cook/Dishwasher.” I had the good fortune of marrying a man who loves to cook and is brilliant at it. Whew!
However, it did stunt my cooking development. When I do need to cook, I’m definitely a Beginner. If he’s gone, the kids know it will probably be scrambled eggs for dinner, lol.
Peach, I could have written this same comment!
I love the “simple” in quotation marks. I have that book and it’s STILL ottolenghi aka not my version of simple lol
My aim is to cook dinner once a month (I work and commute more than my husband). However this year hasn’t gone well. I don’t officially, according to my records need to cook again until 2030!
Oh, let’s make cookies! Yay!
Have a nice weekend, Grace
Chaotic-beginner! It takes me twice the time to make something than the recipe suggests and I’m often struggling to keep up. If anyone has tips on getting organized/grounded as a chef I’ll take ’em!
Mise-en-place! Prep all your ingredients first, before you start cooking! Disclaimer that I pretty much never do this haha, but when I do it goes much faster.
Keep practicing and don’t get discouraged. Cooking gets easier with repetition. Also, figure out a few things you like that you can make without recipes. (Don’t get me wrong; recipes are great. But being able to make some of your favorites without constantly having to check back with a recipe can help you get the feel for a state of “flow” in the kitchen, with less of that “chaos, it’s getting away from me!” feeling.)
This tip from my husband made the difference for me. (And I regret it when I think I can get away without doing it… which is fairly often.)
Prep everything before starting the cooking steps. The ingredients should be measured/chopped/etc before starting to cook ANY of them. The ingredients added in the same step can share a bowl, but otherwise try to get it looking like a cooking show. You can put water on to boil, put pan on *low* heat, and pre-heat the oven while you prep.
Not only does it mean you’re cooking everything the right amount of time and actually measuring correctly, but it also lets you clean up the prep mess before making the cooking mess, which your future self will appreciate after the meal.
Seconding, Erin! Don’t feel like you need to be able to make anything and everything. Master a few solid dishes and recipes and cook them often and well. Get used to how long it takes to prep and cook each part and you’ll start to feel more organised and in control. Then, if you want to branch out, try a few new things using the skills you have already mastered.
This morning my best friend was telling me how she’s rediscovered accessories now that it’s spring and as she was describing how spring made her feel, I told her she was a walking Friday Morning Cup of Jo comic.
I had always considered myself a good baker and a mediocre cook. As I got older I lost the patience required to measure. Now – it’s flipped. I’m a good cook…and rarely bake. Dumping ingredients together and tasting as I go is wayyyyy more fun than measuring stuff.
I love baked goods. I always wanted to bake more but no gumption to do it. I make Toll House cookies every year which are delicious. Carrot cake for my daughter’s birthday every year. Also delicious. Beyond those 2 things it’s just dreamin’.
I am the spectator most of the time, but I can make 3 o 4 things… lucky my man loves to feed us…
Oh, I feel like I could write a whole novel about the evolution of my role as chef/primary feeder of my family. I’ll just give you a few of the happiest bits:
– my entire relationship with cooking changed when I decided to deliberately slow down. Prior to this, I was constantly feeling the pressure to get food on the table asap. When I decided to slow down, I started to enjoy the process more.
– related to that, I decided to prioritize methods that I enjoy. For example: there’s a lot of ways to prep garlic, but there’s one way that a) I enjoy, and b) creates less cleanup (thin thin slices with a very sharp knife). So, that’s what I do. Prior to that, I spent a lot of time worrying about the “right” or “best” way to do a thing.
-lastly, I decided to mentally insert the word “heaping” into every spice measurement – so a tsp of cumin became a heaping tsp of cumin. Yum!!
I hate prepping garlic! So I decided to be nice to myself and I use those frozen garlic cubes 99% of the time. Since I do most of the cooking I make it as easy on myself as possible.
I am most definitely the spectator (and the taster!)
Where’s the chef with takeout menu in hand? Hahahah
I would add “the scientist” – I have a hard time not measuring perfectly or straying from recipes. I think of organic chemistry titrations every time I add an ingredient and scrape it perfectly out of the bowl. Haha I get way too stressed.
I feel like preciseness makes the BEST baked goods so I bet your baking is delicious!!
My husband is an organic chemist, and he is the BEST baker!
The Natural! Churning out food my teens won’t eat since 2007 lol!
Haha, yes! Lotsa spelt and carob and kale and nooch!
HAHA! This is me, too!
Me, three!
ha! my son always makes fun of me for being an ingredients household. he came back from college (at which point i pretty much stopped cooking) and said “i’m fine with us being a from scratch family. but where’s the scratch?! you don’t even have carob in the cupboard!” related, yesterday he sent me a picture with a great looking veggie bowl and said he thought of me every time he ate something healthy!
Will they ever start eating it?! I’m such a good cook and my family does not care!
More to Love
11 links, including a sexy scent and a new way to get bangs.
133 COMMENTS
Wait, should we ALL be camping people?
200 COMMENTS
