Ten Tidbits of Cooking Wisdom

I think these guidelines speak for themselves, no preface necessary.

1) DON'T PANIC
I know, my friends always give me a little bit a grief when I say, "Cooking is fun! It's so relaxing." For most, it's not. It's stressful. It's a necessity to survive. It's bearable at times. But FUN? Well, to me it is. It's a mixture of a science experiment and an art project, it's a test in patience and speedy aptitude, a trial of your triage techniques and of your ability to multi-task. If nothing else, it's hands-on and carnal, and who never liked perfecting that a little bit?

2) Better too little than too much

You can always add more salt, cook something a little longer, or give it a few more shakes of Tabasco. Once the deed is done though, it's much harder to take it back (nothing can make you as depressed as gnawing on a grey steak that had the potential to be tender and delicious). Err on the side of too little, then check, re-evaluate, and add more of whatever is necessary at that point!


3) Don't try any brand-new complicated recipes when you're having guests over

Mistakes. Burnt food. Rushing to have things ready/hot in time. Lack of socialization with the people whom you invited over. Embarrassment. Enough said. Cook using tried-and-true recipes, or at least undergo a test-run before the actual day.

4) A touch of acid and a sprinkling of herbs makes everything a smidgen better
No, not acid the drug (although some people might think that makes everything a smidgen better!). I'm talking about the addition of something acidic (lemon, lime, balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, cider, wine, etc). Add it to things, let it cook down/cook off, and you'll see an explosive improvement in the flavour of your food. Herbs taste great on everything - garnishes on meat dishes, stirred into pasta, chopped and sprinkled in salads - they're underrated and so easy to add.


5a) Don't underestimate the power of presentation...

Eating doesn't only involve taste - one of the reasons why it's so sexy and enjoyable is because it activates many of your senses. So you're attracted to things that look good. You're already going into the act of eating with a positive mindset, so in short, pretty things taste better (sometimes). Adding herbs, a dollop of sour cream, a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, a little flower, whatever, makes it more appealing.

Don't you wanna try it 'cause it looks pretty?

5b) ...BUT never let presentation trump comfort or flavour

That said, a dish may be artfully arranged on a plate, but if it doesn't taste good, then it's worth nothing! If your food will get cold/mushy/tasteless/gummy as you're building your architectural masterpiece, forget about it! I love family style even though by the end of the meal the remains are always a butchered mess on the serving plate.

6) Don't expect to make miracles out of shitty ingredients
You can make good food taste bad, but you can rarely make bad food taste good. What do I mean by that? You can mess up cooking a good quality steak, but if you start with bad quality meat or produce, it won't taste good! Now, don't confuse bad quality with inexpensive - there are plenty of cheap things that are awesomely tasty additions to dishes (canned beans, sweet potatoes, spinach, grapes, apples, etc), but start off with a mushy apple, a rotten sweet potato, or a gristle-y piece of meat and you're screwed from the beginning.


7) Think logically about what to cut down
Yes, sometimes recipes have too much salt, or butter, or oil, and especially if you're cooking just an everyday meal, you can often cut down on a tablespoon or two, but you what to think about where. For example, baked goods? Unless you really understand your dough/batter, don't just cut out half the butter - you'll end up with dry or gummy or rock-hard baked goods. In baking, you often have to replace any fats omitted with something else moisture-giving (plain yogurt, applesauce, pureed pumpkin, etc.). In mealtime cooking? Think about how dry something is getting - an extra tablespoon of oil here or there won't kill you, and in my opinion it's worth it if it's between caramelized onions versus burnt and crumbly flecks of carbon.

8) Listen to good music
Think about your mood and pair appropriate tunes! Singing in the kitchen is second only to to singing in the shower. Some of my favourites? Good jazz for classy cooking (John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Ella, and Louis), Dave Matthews and Jack Johnson for brunch cooking (they annoy me day-to-day, but for some reason it's the perfect Sunday morning tunes), pump-up jams for power-cooking (think: cooking all day for a big party, need to belt it...David Guetta, remixes of pop songs), and baking goes with 80's classics (obviously).

9) Cook with a friend...but not with 5

Lulu likes cookie batter :)

You can learn a lot from a friend - maybe you have different techniques and different strengths! But as they say, "Too many cooks spoil the soup," - with five people around it can be hard to concentrate, hard to agree, and hard to monitor what has been done and what needs to be done. Better to force some wine upon the non-gung-ho crowd and take control yourself.

My cooking partner and friend

10) Do I dare say it...? HAVE FUN.
Cheesy, I know, but make cooking fun for you, whatever that may be. If the extent of your cooking is making guac, start there! If you're more comfortable following recipes to a T, do that! If recipes scare the S#*! out of you, then start with ingredients you like and work from there. But think about what you find intimidating about cooking, and start by eliminating that element as much as possible...eventually you'll face it, but don't scare yourself away before you even start.

Home-made bagels, pastries, kugle and quiche for brunch in Zambia. The best part? Making it with friends (yup, I went to that extent of cheesiness).