Home cooking has never taken on greater importance as we struggle financially with strangling economic conditions and culturally with poor eating habits. Our wallets and our health are under seige, and one thing everybody can do about it is learn how to cook.
There's an old Chinese proverb, "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." I've developed a few skills in the kitchen. I know the difference between a colander and a sieve. I know that parchment paper isn't something you write on. I don't cook for a living, but I've had my fair share of people ask me why I don't. After 25+ years of carefully maintaining my amateur status relative to all things culinary, I believe I can safely say that when it comes to feeding oneself or one's family, you don't have to be Bobby Flay to be fly (I know, I'm too old -- and not nearly hip enough -- to use the term "fly" but it works with Flay! OK?). It's better to learn to fish than to be given the fish. I hope this series of articles will inspire you to learn how to cook. If you do, you'll be fed for the rest of your life.
The First Step: Developing the "Want To"
I'm too busy. I get home from work too late. I can't even boil water. I wouldn't know parsley from parsnips or tarragon from thyme! Blah, blah, blah. I've heard them all. You don't have to be inclined to cook, you simply have to accept that there's a better way than alternating days between Hamburger Helper, Papa Johns and Chef Boyardee! People, life is too short to eat bad food, and food that's bad for you will shorten your life! Equally important: food made by other people generally costs more and you have little or no control over what goes into that food. Bottom line: home cooking makes good economic sense and can be healthier. It really isn't that hard. It's all about wanting to.
The first time (not necessarily the first time you try) you succeed at serving a meal you made almost entirely from scratch -- one from which the aroma alone tells you and whomever is about to share it with you that you're about to partake in something special -- there will be no turning back. Aside from the fact that preparing a meal from scratch using fresh ingredients is healthier, it also brings into play things like love, compassion, sharing, and bonding. There's also a feeling of self-accomplishment and there's no better way to connect with family and friends than sitting down together over a table-full of delicious home-cooked food.
Read and Ye Shall Succeed. Surf For Your Surf-N-Turf.
Do you know what a recipe is? Can you follow directions? Can you ride a bicycle? Did you fall over the first time you got on a bike that didn't have training wheels? Then you can cook. To a certain extent, it's about overcoming fear, you know. We fear that with which we are not familiar -- that box grater; that slotted spoon; that double-boiler! When we're young, curiosity often helps us overcome fear, but as we age, curiosity often succumbs to rationalization (see, "I'm too busy. I get home too late," etc., etc.). Cookbooks can be intimidating. Just looking at them and their often-400+ pages alone makes you want to forget it and just call Domino's. So, don't use a cookbook. Go online. There are plenty of cooking websites from which you can download recipes -- one at a time. You can search by key word, so, for example, if you're from Michigan and you're dying for a batch of good ol' beer-battered, deep-fried smelts, just enter the word "smelts." Then, depending on the size of the website's database, be prepared to scroll through several dozen recipes for smelts. Ain't Googling grand!
So, I Can Read. What Else Do I Need?
You might think you lack the proper equipment to cook for yourself on a regular basis, or you don't know enough about herbs and spices or how to properly store different foods. Those are excuses, not reasons. Ask 10 cooks for a short list of "gotta haves" and you'll likely get 10 different answers, but there will be some commonality. Here's my Top-20 list of equipment a beginner needs to arm himself/herself adequately:
- 10" to 12" non-stick, heavy, oven-safe saute/frying pan (preferably with at least 1 1/2" sides)
- Medium 3- to 4-quart non-stick heavy sauce pan with lid
- Small 1- to 2-quart sauce pan with lid
- 6- to 8-quart, non-stick, oven-safe stock pot/Dutch oven w/ lid
- 8" to 9" Slicing Knife (best quality you can afford)
- 4- or 5-piece set of mixing bowls
- 4- or 5-piece set of measuring spoons
- 4- or 5-piece set of measuring cups
- Wooden spoon with long handle
- Medium-size silicone spatula
- Nylon or stainless steel flexible spatula, slotted
- Cutting board (preferably antibacterial) at least 12"x14" slotted on one side (to catch juices)
- Vegetable peeler
- Stainless steel balloon whisk
- Tongs
- Colander/strainer
- Rimmed, non-stick baking sheet
- 9"x12" baking dish/pan/casserole
- Box grater
- Several different-size plastic storage containers.
This is far from an all-inclusive list. We could easily add 20-to-30 more items, like aluminum foil, but the point is, armed with this list of basic tools, A-N-Y-O-N-E can prepare multi-course meals seven days a week, or simply whip up some scrambled eggs. Buy the quality you can afford, but like most things in life, the better the quality, the better the results. Catch my next article for a list of ingredients every kitchen should have in the pantry or refrigerator. In the words of the immortal culinary DIYer, Julia Child, Bon Appetit!
Thomas Stauffer is an Ohio native and 1981 graduate of The Ohio State University, where he earned a B.A. in Journalism, then went on to build a successful 30-year career in sales and marketing. He is the owner of a boutique marketing services company, A & T Resources, Inc., located in Oldsmar, FL, which specializes in helping organizations build brand awareness and develop successful marketing strategies. The company is also a full-service promotional products distributor and supplier of corporate apparel and uniforms.
They can be found on the web at http://www.marketbrandgrow.com Mr. Stauffer also publishes a general interest blog that can be found at http://wishyouwerefishing.blogspot.com in which he shares his perspective on a wide range of topics pulled from every-day life. He is an avid sports fan and wine enthusiast with a passion for cooking, writing and the Fourth Estate.
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