Column by Leanne Ely
Do you know “someone” who is deathly afraid of the kitchen because of the C-Word? Yes I’m talking about Cooking, capital C! You can easily identify these folks; they’re the ones with an aversion to . Sometimes they’ll abruptly change the subject and talk about photography or bird watching when the subject of feeding your family is brought up.
And then there are those who have a vague notion of what cooking may or may not be. Those folks are a little more obscure and hard to nail down. In the spirit of David Letterman’s Top Ten List, I’ve made my own:
The Top Ten Reasons Why You’re Confused About Cooking:
1. You think you know how to cook because you know the difference between the microwave and DVD player.
2. You think a wok is something you take your dog on.
3. You think folding egg whites has something to do with laundry.
4. The words, “Just add water” makes you nervous that the “recipe” will be too hard.
5. You have two definitions for a happy meal; one involves the drive thru, the other is when your mom does the cooking.
6. Your reservations about cooking translate to reservations made at restaurants.
7. The contents of your refrigerator’s crisper became Junior’s science fair project.
8. When your smoke alarm goes off, the kids ask, “What’s for dinner?”
9. The local drive-thru sends you a Christmas card every year.
10. The neighbors are beginning to think you have a “thing” for the pizza guy!
The C-word, Cooking, is very definitely a life skill that everyone needs to learn, like it or not. And my job is to help you to the place of liking it. It really is fun and satisfying to see ingredients magically transformed into something edible that the whole family praises you for! And the best part? It’s really not that hard. Seriously.
Cooking is applying heat to raw ingredients and getting in its place a darn good meal that any cook would be happy to claim as his or her own. Cooking is what happens when just a little chopping, a little boiling, simmering or sautéing take place. If you can operate a stovetop and safely wield a knife you can make cooking happen yourself.
A couple of things to help you get there: 1) assemble your mis en place (in French this means literally “putting in place”. In the kitchen it means getting everything out that you’ll need—all ingredients and equipment to make what you’re cooking happen) 2) clean up as you go (make a sink full of hot soapy water to dump everything except knives during prep time). 3) read and reread your recipe so you know what you’re doing ahead of time; no surprises.
Cooking is simple. The only requirements to getting started are the ones I just gave you. And not to be repetitive, but it must be said again, if you read the directions and follow them, you’re just about guaranteed a foolproof meal.
Remember, cooking isn’t brain surgery and not even as complicated as removing a tricky splinter. Try your hand on a few easy recipes and watch how the craft of cooking will liberate your family finances and help everyone eat a whole lot healthier. To your health!
For more help putting dinner on your table, check out Leanne’s website, www.SavingDinner.com, or her Saving Dinner book series (Ballantine) and her New York Times bestselling book Body Clutter (Fireside). Copyright 2009 Leanne Ely. Used by permission in this publication.
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