I’m a firm believer to cook well you must have a combination of skills, tools, talent and luck. Just like good fortune, it comes with hard work, timing and perseverance. The same is true for cooking! Some people make it look so easy. My Mom and Granny come to mind. They were the chefs in the family. They were the best chefs that I’ll never be. Not even close, I might add.
Cooking requires a sense of direction. The capability to follow instructions, including implied ones that are not necessarily included in the fine print. It’s about portion controls, applying mathematics, chemistry, mechanical engineering and physics….all in one. Whipping up a good tasty meal is a science, an art, an orchestra. I’m exhausted just thinking about it!
I once dated a chef. That’s the closest thing to cheffing I’ve ever done and it didn’t help. However, I do consider myself a relatively successful woman. I can bring home the bacon, cook it up in a pan…….and you know dinner is served when the fire alarms go off in the house. Even more amazing that our children ages four and up quickly learned to grab brooms, towels and pillows to fan the smoke detectors.
Cooking at home requires no licenses. No college degrees. No culinary prerequisites are needed either. And, the best part of all…..frozen french fries baked in the overn or opening a package of Ramen Noodles and adding water are considered cooking in this household.
No matter if you’re a newbie starting out and the extent of your cooking experience is opening a can without cutting yourself or the culinary connoisseur who can cook anything with one hand tied behind your back blindfolded. Cooking is in the eyes of the beholder. Ah, and those who have to eat it.
After years of cooking, I’m a jack of many and master of none. With too many to count disastrous dinners where the food was unrecognizable, charred black (my favorite color), pots ruined, vegetables exploded, baked bread that could’ve been used as assault weapons, kitchen fires and untold adventures to come…..my husband finally conceded to a newly remodeled kitchen and stainless steel appliances. Yay!! My time has come.
If you’re one of my close friends or family….and you know who you are….that provided me with recipes that didn’t include ALL of the ingredients…..”yes Irene, Flan does require eggs”….a small omission. Or, you gave me a recipe where I had no hope of EVER getting right….(Kathy the Kat). Payback is coming. There’s a new Chef in town and it’s me….with my new stainless steel appliances. Be afraid! Be verrry afraid! Cause dinner is almost ready. Oh, and don’t forget the beer and wine. We’ll need plenty to get us through it.