All of us who like to cook tend to pattern our cooking styles after other good cooks. A mom, a grandpa, an aunt, or even a famous Food Network personality can all prove to be very influential in one’s general attitude towards food and cooking. Some people grow up to be utilitarian cooks, just putting together meals because food is a necessary part of life. But many of us genuinely enjoy the preparation and thought that goes into a satisfying and tasty meal. That love of cooking is usually instilled in us as youngsters by someone we feel close to in the kitchen.
One commonality among most young adults who are proficient in cooking (and enjoy it to boot) is that they come from a family where at least one of their parents or caretakers was a good cook. Through discussing the topic of cooking with my friends and family, I have come to the conclusion that there are two main types of home cooks: Recipe Followers and Improvisers. (I do not take into consideration baking because nearly everyone follows recipes when dealing with the finicky ingredients like baking powder and flour.) Funny enough, almost every couple I know, including myself and my husband, has one Recipe Follower and one Improviser. Guess which one is which in my relationship! Greg used to go absolutely batty when I omit ingredients from recipes or just guesstimate on measurements. He didn’t understand how food could still be edible if measuring spoons aren’t involved! Thankfully, I have earned his trust in the kitchen and he no longer cringes when I dump spices directly from the bottle into the food.
Good improvisation in cooking requires a great deal of food intuition. This is just a sense of what will work and what will not. For instance, when putting together my curry last night, the coconut milk and corn starch were new ingredients for me. However, I knew that they would serve the same purpose as using dairy (like half-and-half) and flour, yet add a different and interesting flavor and texture. Not that all my improvisations turn out well. I made the mistake of substituting sour cream for plain yogurt in Indian cooking. Not good, not good at all. But now I know!
I can attribute about 95% of my food intuition to learning from and helping my mom in the kitchen for years. She is a wonderful cook and an even better baker. She makes the best pies in the world, a skill I have yet to hone. I really just need to go to some sort of pie boot-camp at my mom’s house. It would be the tastiest boot-camp ever, of course I’d need a real boot-camp afterward to work off the extra 10 lbs I’d gain. But I digress. My mom made conscious and unconscious efforts to teach me to cook. She is carrying on this tradition with her grandsons and it warms my heart to hear about my nephews cooking in the kitchen with her!
The remaining 5% of my foodie skills comes from hours and hours of watching Food Network. I lived by myself during grad school for 5 years, and I would often leave it on the TV just for the company. Seriously, I know you’re judging me but I don’t care. Although not many of my “recipes” come directly from TV shows, I have picked up a lot of techniques and general knowledge over the years.
Last but not least, when you are an Improviser, you can’t be afraid of failure. Catostrophic we-have-to-get-Chipotle-because-this-meal-is-going-straight-down-the-garbage-disposal kind of failure. How else will you stumble upon a masterpiece unless you are willing to combine uncommon and unlikely ingredients? Be daring, be bold, there’s always eggs and toast if it doesn’t turn out!
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