Saturday, April 26, 2008

"You don't have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces- just good food from fresh ingredients." ~ Julia Child

After my last post, something occurred to me regarding the idea of making cooking easier. It was my Dad who pointed out that all of these cooking shows we see these days could be traced back to Julia Child’s The French Chef as a model. It was Julia Child who, besides being perhaps the first television chef and a famously effectual one at that, wanted to make the art of French cooking master-able; to make cooking fine meals, decent meals, meals enough to sustain you through the day accessible to any person.



So now we have endless hours of cooking shows, cooking TV, cook books, books about cooking, celebrity chefs that spread throughout mass media and culture. The plethora of food in the public eye serves to demonstrate the artistry of cooking; to impress with complexity on occasion and entertain with competition (think Iron Chef and Top Chef); to sell a product (see Martha Stewart as a prime and icky example, but any celebrity chef with their own line products and cookbooks will do); to inspire; and most often, to make cooking great food accessible to anyone.

Why is the last service so prevalent? What is its significance?

I think, maybe, prior to this culinary outbreak, cooking had obtained a stigma of complexity. Even I, who love cooking and eating, and would now gladly attempt baking a soufflé instead of going to a boring lecture about the fall of the Roman Empire, thought that much cooking, especially anything that required a recipe was bound to have a certain level of difficulty. Seriously though, step-by-step instructions usually suggest an uncomfortable amount of intensity and complexity. The idea of following all of these steps just so I could have some breakfast seemed a little absurd. Until I actually started cooking on at least a semi-regular basis. The more I cook, the easier it becomes.

Cooking shows and books work in much the same way. They show you that you need not fear making these dishes. They are not as hard as they look. And if you put yourself out there, you could end up learning how to make a fantastic dinner for you and your friends and loved ones. Just look at Julie Powell from the “Julie/Julia Project”. Sure, she had previous cooking experience. But with the help of Julia Child, and the courage to waste a few eggs and sticks of butter before figuring out the perfect way to cook veal or crepes, she seemed to have become a pretty good cook, and one who had certainly gained confidence in herself and her abilities.

So here’s the lesson. The more you cook, the easier it becomes. Watch a few cooking shows. Even after watching just one you might realize that the stove or the oven is not that scary. I encourage you to try it. Try cooking. I know how good a microwaved chicken potpie can taste on a cold and busy winter night. Instead, try to make one on your own. Or if that seems too daunting, just try sautĂ©ing some chicken on the stovetop with some garlic and instant mashed potatoes if you are pressed for time. Pretty easy to make, and equally satisfying and comforting when you need it.

I dare you to bypass the frozen foods aisle in the grocery store, unless of course you are buying ice cream, or if you are very daring, phyllo dough. Make your foods from scratch. You will be pleased, proud, and will have also skipped out on all of the processed badness of pre-packaged food. Sounds good to me!

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