I recently hosted a potluck between a couple of friends and neighbors and was pleasantly surprised by the level of culinary expertise exhibited. I'm impressed by anyone who can do more than stir-fry and knows the difference between rosemary and thyme. But it also got me thinking. My friends have to be the exception, not the rule. Twentysomethings don't generally know how to cook. We break a sweat trying to figure out whether we should microwave hot pockets for 2 or 3 min. (There's actually a yahoo answer on it and it ranges from 1:30 to 4 min.) Though in my case, necessity and an overbearing mom has taught me how to stir-fry, bake, and follow most recipes provided that they have lots of pictures and detailed instructions. It's when the instructions are vague that I have trouble. What the hell do they mean when they say season to taste? I'm an engineer. I need exact measured quantities. Teaspoon? Tablespoon? Got one of each. Quart, pint, cup? Check, check, and check. But dash? Sprinkle? Pinch? Let's get real here. Those sound more like Santa's reindeers than how much pepper I should be putting in. And dollop? Really? Come on... Whenever I see those words I just grab whatever it is I'm suppose to be adding and just close my eyes and 'shake it like a polaroid picture'. Hopefully the 'splash' of salt that I threw in is less than the tidal wave that I just spilled all over my counter. Any more than that and I'll be leaving this world by way of high blood pressure.
Cooking at home is supposed to be healthier than eating out. Possibly. But at my house, cooking may be hazardous to your health. Burns, cuts, scrapes.. hot liquids splattering. And that's all from me trying to heat up a can of Campbell's soup! But all jokes aside, I do feel that I've moved up on the culinary step ladder. Gone are the days where I survived off of ramen and lean cuisine. I've since retired my George Foreman grill and moved on to my propane BBQ grill on the balcony. Goodbye hamburgers, hello T-bone steaks. Prego is gone, replaced by my new love. Everyone, I'd like you to meet... Lee Kum Kee.
Herb rack? Don't have one. Spices? Don't even know what they are. (The extent of my using herbs and spices is putting oregano in my grilled cheese sandwich. It's heavenly. Makes you say.. 'Orega-what? Orega-YEAH!!') But I do own Lee Kum Kee's entire line of marinades and sauces. Garlic black bean, satay, coconut flavored curry, chicken marinade, teriyaki, and just to show I'm not a complete fob... I have Lawry's seasoned salt for grilling meats and poultry. But when it comes to Chinese food, these sauces are amazing! They're like Asian ketchup. Good with everything. Chop up some veggies, throw in a lil meat, and let Lee Kum Kee's expertise take care of the rest. Garlic Black Bean... you reign supreme!
#47 The Ninety-Nine Percenter Pipedream
14 years ago
the pinch, dollop, "season to taste", etc. are the beauty of cooking. it's that makes cooking a lot more personal than baking because the end results are catered to your taste. i guess a lot of it has to come with trial and error so that after a few dishes, you get a sense of how you want you dishes to taste and be creative with the seasoning.
ReplyDeletegood luck with cooking!
the only thing I can 'cook' is a pb & j sandwich
ReplyDeleteYou might want to check out Cooking for Engineers
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cookingforengineers.com/
you and I need to combine forces in the kitchen. because if you are shaking it like a Polaroid picture, and I cook while dancing to hip hop in very little clothing and always with a glass of wine in hand .. well, darling, we could make one hell of an A-team in the kitchen.
ReplyDeleteI've never made a hot pocket before... you'll have to show me the magic touch in microwave cooking times. unfortately my cooking
expertise is limited to rolling sushi, reduction sauces, poaching in broth, grilling on cedar planks, braising with a le crueset, slow cooking for at least 8 hours, brining overnight, searing on a cast iron skillet... and I do make a killer pb&j.
.. anyway.. do they have these "hot pockets" you speak of at dean and deluca? I love that grocery store.
now that i think about it, I do recall one of your best lines to me of all time involving sashimi... ha! i heart you. you eat with your eyes, I think I've gotten good with presentation and I'd love to plate that
meal for you any day.