Living
Question: What is most needed in cooking?
Great Uncle Fred? I counted my Mum`s cookery books yesterday. She has 37 of them on shelves in the kitchen. She never looks at any of them. She cooks us the same stuff like spaghetti every week. When people come to the house she gets everything delivered by Ocado. I am not complaining, honest. It`s all nice. But I want to learn to and I am not learning. I have looked at her books but they have not told me what is needed. And I don`t know why she has them if she never even looks at them. What would you say is most needed in cooking? (Dod, Spring 2008)
Answer:
It sounds like your Mum is really busy so I`m glad you`re not complaining. I think people acquire a lot of cookery books without necessarily wanting to - they are often given as presents and often barely looked at. Gym membership is the same - millions more people belong to a gym than actually go: perhaps there is some relation between cookery books and gyms... You are right to think that the best way to learn is to work as someone`s apprentice and I don`t see why you can`t help your Mum even if she does make the same things all the time. Once you know how she does it, you can work out how her few dishes can be made even better, and then I am sure she would be delighted if you offered to make other things yourself. And you can help her choose what she orders in from the delivery people. And once you have understood a bit more about the whole process, have a look in those cookery books. Try some dishes. It`s not so hard you know... But if you want to know what I think are the really essential ingredients in a kitchen, given that your cooker works and the place is reasonably clean, I would say: Fresh Local Ingredients, Tomatoes, Butter (lots of butter), Patience, Imagination, Love, and Gusto. `Gusto` means zest, enthusiasm, enjoyment. I first got an idea about cooking by watching a French chef in a tiny wee restaurant in Marseille - he was so exuberant making his sauces! Don`t hold back! don`t worry about getting it just right! follow your instincts! enjoy yourself! Those are my tips.