It’s All in The Approach

I’m curious as to how you approach cooking.  For me, it’s all about the process.  If you saw the movie Julie & Julia, with Julia Child walking around the market stalls in France, delighting in all the different textures and fragrances, well, that’s me.  Except for the clothing.  I dress WAY better.

I’m short too.  I’m also getting distracted.  The point here is that I truly enjoy everything about cooking.  Figuring out the recipe, either by selecting one or making one up.  Shopping for fresh ingredients.  The prep work all the way to the finished product.

But I wasn’t always so in love with cooking.  In fact, ten years ago I wasn’t in love with cooking at all.  I was a decent cook,  barely feeding my family marginally healthy food and just figured cooking wasn’t my thing.  My mom, love her dearly, wasn’t a great cook and I grew up eating bland, overcooked food.  To her credit, my mother raised 11, no- that’s not a typo, that is eleven, as in one short of a dozen, children.  Can you imagine the logistics of planning dinner for such a swarm of children?  To accommodate all the picky palates, she had to appeal to the lowest common denominator, and so it was.

I got warm fuzzies listening to friends who shared stories about their favorite meals, that their moms would make for them on special occasions.   I wanted to give that gift to my daughter.   But that wasn’t in me, or so I thought.    I cooked at that point to provide- because it was cheaper than eating out, I knew it was healthier, as well as the “right thing to do”.  Deep down, though I wished it were different, I hated it.

I BURNT a hard boiled egg, how’s that?  Pretty bad (though funny) if you ask me.  Hard rice, undercooked pork, bland veggies… wow , was I a mess.  I hated having company over and would rush to order takeout if unexpected company showed up.

Now, I don’t know how it happened, it’s not like Hestia, the Greek goddess of hearth and home, struck me with a lightning bolt.  I didn’t fall asleep one night after reading Like Water For Chocolate and woke up with a passion for cooking.  It happened slowly, and when it dawned on me that I was starting to enjoy cooking, I started to incorporate a few things that accelerated the process into a full fledged love affair with the kitchen.  I can now proudly say I have a culinary legacy for my daughter.   There really is nothing sweeter than hearing her ask for a favorite meal.

So what did I do, and what can you do to either change your attitude if it isn’t so positive, or to enhance it and make it even better if you already like cooking?

• First set your attitude.  You can’t have bad attitude and create a masterpiece.  You don’t have to be Mother Theresa about it, but doom and gloom don’t work.

• Then set your atmosphere.  Um, is your kitchen a mess?  Ack!  Well, tidy up a bit here and there as you have little chunks of time, or if you aren’t pressed for time, clean before you cook.  Don’t go overboard, just give the floor a quick sweep with the broom, clear and wipe down the counters, and PUT STUFF AWAY.  Feels better already, right?

• Next, get your apron, or tuck a clean dish towel into a belt loop, or wrap it around your waist.  Think like a pro.  Watch any cooking show.  They have GEAR.  Put on some music, doesn’t matter what kind.  I set my ipod to shuffle, or listen to WQXR or WRXP.

• Supplies are next.  Colander, cutting boards, knives and sharpeners, spices, cookware- these are your tools.  Pull out what you will need.  Think like a surgeon, line up your instruments down on the counter.  Do the same thing with your ingredients.  Take them all out and make sure you have everything.  Nothing like having freezing cold hands with bits of greasy meatloaf on them and you realize you forgot to add the shredded coconut!

• Clean up as you go.  When something needs to simmer or bake, set the timer and resist the urge to collapse.  Spend a few moments clearing away dishes to the sink, let bowls and utensils soak.   If you have the energy,  do them and wipe the counters down again.  Not too bad, right?

I mentioned in an earlier post about forgetting perfection when it comes to cooking.  Relax, and enjoy the process.  Enjoy the chopping, measuring.  Get lost in the sounds and smells.  Cookie reminds me often that our journey is one of progress, not perfection.    I know, there are days when the old baking soda volcano experiment is being constructed on the kitchen table, and the Boy Scout Pine Wood Derby is tomorrow and the kitchen is now a woodshop.  Yes, these things happen.    You are exhausted from a long day at work.  Your feet hurt.  The toddler cracked a dozen eggs on the dog’s head while you ran downstairs to change the laundry over.  (Boy, do I wish I had a picture of that now.  I wasn’t thinking of running to get the camera, I’ll tell you that.)  It doesn’t always have to be perfect.  In fact, it can’t be.  So on one of those days, make the best of it, and make do.

When you are feeling up to it, give this approach a whirl.  Tell me, how do you approach cooking?  With enthusiam?  Disdain?  Dread?  Boredom?  Do you feel daunted?  Overwhelmed?  I am running out of adjectives.  Please post to comments!

XOXOXO

Aileen

REPOST FROM MARCH 4, 2010

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