How to fall in love with cooking again
Food Writer Michael Pollan has just written 10 things that he thinks we help people fall in love with cooking all over again. I've listed my 3 favourite things from the article below.
Embrace stories
"If you understand a little bit of the science of cooking, if you understand the tradition behind a dish, if you understand the story of an ingredient, all these things it makes it a much more interesting experience.
"I find the more people know about the provenance of ingredients the more interested they are in cooking. You gain a power by cooking that you don't have when using say, ready meals.
"The cook knows that that tilapia (a type of fish) say comes from China, and can decide 'Am I comfortable buying Chinese food given all the problems with the Chinese food economy?'"
Slow Down
"We are all cooking too fast, and I know we are rushed, but amazing things happen when you slow down, amazing things happen when you give the onions 45 minutes to sweat instead of 10 minutes.
"It takes a lot of time but as a baker said to me, 'it's not your time, you can do other things while this is all unfolding, if you need to'.
"Grilling for me was taking a fillet, which is usually an expensive piece of meat, cooking it very quickly, searing it, and that was it, 20 minutes.
"I have slowed down on my grilling, I will cook very low and slow (barbecuing), and get really good results that way."
Feel Good
"I don't think people should feel guilty about not cooking, there are good reasons not to cook.
"The thing we don't stress enough when we talk about cooking is how pleasurable it can be. Once we get over the hurdle of learning a couple of skills, it's a really interesting way to spend some time.
"I don't think we should just cook just because it's good for us, we should cook because it's rewarding, in many, many ways. And if we cook we are going to sit down and have a meal together.
"Those are some of the most precious times in life, and they are going away along with cooking. So pleasure is at the very centre of it. Pleasure in the kitchen and then pleasure at the table."
The aim of the article is to help people reconnect with food. I know there are times when cooking feels more like a chore than a joy so it is good to read an inspiring article like this.
You can read all 10 ideas by Michael here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/0/22728585
Related Articles: If you enjoyed that article you might also enjoy
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In defence of campsite cooking
Embrace stories
"If you understand a little bit of the science of cooking, if you understand the tradition behind a dish, if you understand the story of an ingredient, all these things it makes it a much more interesting experience.
"I find the more people know about the provenance of ingredients the more interested they are in cooking. You gain a power by cooking that you don't have when using say, ready meals.
"The cook knows that that tilapia (a type of fish) say comes from China, and can decide 'Am I comfortable buying Chinese food given all the problems with the Chinese food economy?'"
Slow Down
"We are all cooking too fast, and I know we are rushed, but amazing things happen when you slow down, amazing things happen when you give the onions 45 minutes to sweat instead of 10 minutes.
"It takes a lot of time but as a baker said to me, 'it's not your time, you can do other things while this is all unfolding, if you need to'.
"Grilling for me was taking a fillet, which is usually an expensive piece of meat, cooking it very quickly, searing it, and that was it, 20 minutes.
"I have slowed down on my grilling, I will cook very low and slow (barbecuing), and get really good results that way."
Feel Good
"I don't think people should feel guilty about not cooking, there are good reasons not to cook.
"The thing we don't stress enough when we talk about cooking is how pleasurable it can be. Once we get over the hurdle of learning a couple of skills, it's a really interesting way to spend some time.
"I don't think we should just cook just because it's good for us, we should cook because it's rewarding, in many, many ways. And if we cook we are going to sit down and have a meal together.
"Those are some of the most precious times in life, and they are going away along with cooking. So pleasure is at the very centre of it. Pleasure in the kitchen and then pleasure at the table."
The aim of the article is to help people reconnect with food. I know there are times when cooking feels more like a chore than a joy so it is good to read an inspiring article like this.
You can read all 10 ideas by Michael here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/0/22728585
Related Articles: If you enjoyed that article you might also enjoy
Salmon Fish Cake Recipe
Circulon Contempo Cookware review
In defence of campsite cooking
Don't abandon your camping stove!
A recent survey published by the Post Office indicates that almost half (44%) of Britons setting off on a camping holiday will be dining out when they're away. Around 28% say they're bored with cooking on a camping stove.
If this is true, it jars with the rising popularity of camping cookbooks in the UK. The Cool Camping Cookbook has sold over 25,000 copies over two editions. Annie Bell's The Camping Cookbook, Martin Dorey & Sarah Randall's Camper Van Cookbook and Camper Van Coast are all popular titles riding high in the Amazon charts.
Cooking on the camp stove is far from boring. It's a great opportunity to build a sense of community as you rope your fellow campers into doing all the food prep while you enjoy a cold beer or a glass of wine. You can then move in for the glory shot as you add the final touches to provide your pals with amazing, restaurant-quality camping cuisine. If you manage to delegate the washing-up, too, then that's surely half the fun of camping in the first place.
So why not give campfire cooking another go? There is a great recipe idea for Mussels with beer and coriander as well as the rest of this guardian article here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2013/jun/03/in-defense-of-campsite-cooking
Related Articles from around the web:
Campsite Cook Off
Perfecting Campsite Cooking
Randinium cooking blog
If this is true, it jars with the rising popularity of camping cookbooks in the UK. The Cool Camping Cookbook has sold over 25,000 copies over two editions. Annie Bell's The Camping Cookbook, Martin Dorey & Sarah Randall's Camper Van Cookbook and Camper Van Coast are all popular titles riding high in the Amazon charts.
Cooking on the camp stove is far from boring. It's a great opportunity to build a sense of community as you rope your fellow campers into doing all the food prep while you enjoy a cold beer or a glass of wine. You can then move in for the glory shot as you add the final touches to provide your pals with amazing, restaurant-quality camping cuisine. If you manage to delegate the washing-up, too, then that's surely half the fun of camping in the first place.
So why not give campfire cooking another go? There is a great recipe idea for Mussels with beer and coriander as well as the rest of this guardian article here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2013/jun/03/in-defense-of-campsite-cooking
Related Articles from around the web:
Campsite Cook Off
Perfecting Campsite Cooking
Randinium cooking blog
Sometimes you have to simply face the facts. That really cheap set of saucepans you bought when you first moved into your house are holding you back from being an amazing chef. It's time to invest in some high quality Saucepan Sets. Go on you know you want to!