Sunday, February 21, 2010

Why I Cook

Friday, Ruhlman posed a question for other food bloggers to answer:  "Why do you cook?"  Needless to say, I've been thinking about it for the past day or so, and I think I've got some good answers.
  • I cook because I enjoy the step-by-step method of following a recipe.  Must be the science geek in me.  Also, probably why I read cookbooks for fun.
  • I cook because I love having a pile of ingredients get broken down, chopped, whisked, sliced, measured, diced, trimmed, brunoise and what not for the mise en place.
  • I cook because with every new recipe, every new ingredient and every new technique, I'm improving myself and honing my skills that much more.  I'll never be as good as the star chefs you see on Food Network or the line cooks toiling away in good restaurants, but I'm damn well going to try my hardest.
  • I cook to bring pleasure to my friends and family.  Not much better than hearing the sounds of people trying to tell me how good a dish tastes, but not being able to because their mouths are full.  Even better when my uncle keeps the leftover soup from Thanksgiving because he liked it so much, or when my mother comes to me for some of my recipes.
  • I cook because my friends probably wouldn't be too happy if I showed up empty-handed at parties.
  • I cook to relax (see item #2 above), but Steph will tell you I'm never relaxed in the kitchen - I just get frustrated when I make stupid mistakes that I shouldn't make.
  • I cook to eat healthier meals than I would if I ate out every night.
  • I cook because of the lessons learned from my mother, my grandmother and my uncle - all highly accomplished cooks in their own right who have greatly influenced how I approach meal preparation and planning.  I can't ever thank them enough!
Really, in the end, I cook because I enjoy cooking, and my wife doesn't.  Enough said.

So that's the question:  Why do you cook?

3 comments:

Rob Timko said...

I cook because I'm spoiled.

Because, I like to eat good food, and to get good food, you either have to shell out a lot of cash (usually, unless you find a few hidden gems) or, you need to learn how to cook.

The way I dine out now is like this; I ask the question. Can I cook a dinner better than this restaurant? If the answer is yes, I usually don't dine out unless it's a matter of convenience, and even then I'm cranky the whole time.

The funny part, I'm not the greatest cook, so what does that say for most restaurants?

Alex said...

Couldn't have said it better myself.

Dude, I think you sell yourself short in the cooking skills department. You pulled off the Suckling Pig, the hardest recipe in the book, on the first try!

Unknown said...

WOW! I need to read the blog more often. Thank you for the compliment. You have proven that you can stand in any kitchen and cook with the best. You are open to learn or teach when necessary. It's good to know that the foods of our past and new foods of our future will be protected and nurtured.

GOOD EATS!!

Uncle D