October 23, 2006
Going Twice Around the Pot
Cooking is one of those things I want to be good at. Just like I'd like to be a great singer, make people laugh hysterically (intentionally, not the accidental way I often do) and be able to fix things around the house, being a great cook would rock. To that end, I spend an inordinate amount of time watching cooking shows, reading recipes on the internet and staring at cooking utensils in stores. Of course, I'm never going to get good at this cooking thing until I start doing more of it. What I've been doing is the equivalent of wanting to be a fabulous sky diver, all the while getting into planes, looking out the window and saying, "Oh man, I don't know if I can do this."
So, I've decided to get started and to start slowly, or at least realistically. I have no designs on becoming Emeril tomorrow (several things about that transformation would be tricky, not the least of which is food related). I've set my sights on Rachael Ray.
I picked her for a few reasons: (1) She makes food I'd actually want to eat; (2) She makes food I think I could actually make (though it'll probably take me a lot longer than 30 minutes) and (3) She's the type of cook I'd like to be -- not too fussy and with an eye for what will work.
At this point in my cooking life, I can follow a recipe. As long as I can get organized enough to plan what I want to make, get all of the ingredients at the store and give myself enough time to prepare it, I'm in fairly good shape (this is true for simple to intermediate dishes. Don't be fooled -- I'm not spending hours in my kitchen trying to make baklava or anything). The leap I've never made is getting the "feel" of cooking. I know you know what I'm talking about. There are some people (Rachael is among them, I'm sure) who can walk into their kitchen and discover that all they have ingredients-wise is a jar of grape jam, some beef jerky and a pork chop and they can make a feast out of it. That's not me. I'm not to the point where I can eyeball things, or improvise and feel fairly sure about which foods will taste good when combined. I think that sort of skill takes a lot of practice and a willingness to fail, which is what slows me down. I'm always worried that I'm going to royally screw up a recipe and then we won't have anything to eat for dinner. This really shouldn't worry me so much because, after 32 years on planet Earth, I can honestly say I haven't missed many meals. But it does.
So tonight, we begin! This morning the baby and I went grocery shopping and picked up the ingredients for some Santa Fe Tortilla Soup. And if that doesn't work? I'm ordering a pizza.
UPDATE: Success! It worked! You should've seen me -- I was chopping those onions, garlic, cucumbers and chipotle peppers like a pro! I could've even expertly narrated what I was doing just like the cooking show hosts do if I wasn't afraid that all of that talking would distract me and cause me to lob off one of my fingers. Wow, that was fun. I've gotta do that again some time soon.
Posted by Kitty at October 23, 2006 02:49 PM
Comments
Cooking is a learned skill. What little skill I have at it has been enhanced by having to eat most of my mistakes. In retrospect, I should have just ordered pizza. I call in a mean pizza.
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Good luck. I've started watching Take Home Chef in the hope something about cooking would just sink in. Hope all goes well.
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