I Love to Cook

I love to cook. Frankly there are only a few other things that I enjoy more than being in my kitchen, and those things are all done in another room of my house. (Now stop it, I was talking about sleeping and making my bed, wink wink, nudge nudge). Just a few of my favorite things are sharing meals with close friends and family and getting compliments on my culinary prowess. Now I am by no means a professionally trained chef; I just use food as my creative outlet like some people use paint or clay. And since my family owns a grocery store I constantly hear people say, “What am I going to make for dinner?” There have been days that I have had to listen to that question at least fifteen times! (Amazingly the same person uttered enough this phrase repeatedly). So I decided to take the time to share some recipes, ideas and techniques that I have learned over the years.

Before I get to the fun stuff there are some basics that need to be discussed. I’m sure that you have heard the old saying cleanliness is next to godliness; well I apply this to my kitchen. First of all it is easier to work on a clean and uncluttered space, and secondly, who really wants to eat anything that came out of a kitchen covered in dust, pet hair, assorted junk and remnants of the previous meal. Thirdly, you wouldn’t want to eat at a restaurant that has failed its board of health visit repeatedly; so why keep your kitchen in disarray?

Now don’t think that there is nothing on my counters, I keep my everyday items and a few show pieces (like the cappuccino machine that has been used once in six years but looks oh so chic) out at all times. My everyday items are olive oil, salt and pepper. Let’s start with the olive oil, which one should you use? If you watch the FoodNetwork you will notice that they constantly bestow the virtues of Extra Virgin Olive Oil. So what do I use? Honestly, whatever Costco has in a huge container available. I generally only use olive oil in the cooking process so it really doesn’t matter which one I use. But if you want to use is as a condiment or for dipping you might want to consider spending a little more on a fancy, schmancy bottle of what people in the industry call boutique oil. Other than that you can use whatever you want Extra Virgin, Virgin or Light it really doesn’t matter. Moving on to the salt and pepper; all I suggest is that the pepper is coarse ground and that the salt is either kosher or sea salt because they hold up better during the cooking process.

Growing up my mother had a fully stocked spice cabinet; I mean she had everything, even things like arrowroot and mace. (I have mace, but I use it as a weapon not a spice). So what exactly are these spices used in? Well I’ll tell you, not much because they are still in her cabinet twenty years later. You really don’t need to go out and buy everything in the grocery store spice aisle, just the basics. If the day comes that you need something exotic do what I do, steal it from your mom’s cabinet or check with a friend. And as for that six month shelf life that all the pros live by forget it they just want you to go out and spend more money on their products. Plus my mom still uses the twenty year old spices and she hasn’t killed anyone yet. Seriously though, spices may lose some of their potency over time but all you have to do is adjust the measurement up a bit.

The last things I want to mention are cooking implements. Now I will fully admit that when it comes to my cookware I am a snob; in my opinion the more expensive knives and pans are better. My mom taught both my sister and I that you get what you pay for, and I have always found this to be true. My favorite kitchen tool is my knife; if you have a good quality knife you really don’t need any of those nifty gadgets from Pampered Chef, except the jar opener. And you really don’t need everything in those overpriced knife blocks; just get a seven-inch chef’s or Santuku knife, paring knife and serrated bread knife. (I personally love Wüstof knives). The only other knives that you will need are some high quality steak knives, everything else is just gravy. Also make sure that the knives are sharpened a couple times a year, a dull knife will hurt you more than a sharp one. You can get this done at a small kitchen store for just a few dollars but you will be amazed at the difference a sharp knife makes. You can protect the sharpness of your knife by never ever putting it in the dishwasher or throwing it in the sink; also avoid using acrylic or glass cutting boards, they are the kiss of death for a knife’s sharpness. Oh and make sure that there are screwdrivers handy in the kitchen so that some uninformed guy doesn’t use your hundred dollar knife to tighten a screw. Don’t laugh this very thing happened to my sister.

On to pots and pans; once again there is no need to buy the whole set because sauce pans and skillets should be made of different materials. I have a six piece All-Clad stainless set and on a regular basis I use one sauce pan. Now don’t get me wrong I love them, they look so shiny and professional in the cabinet. The reasons that I don’t use them all are because usually I don’t need the larger pots and I really don’t like the sauté pans because their heat is inconsistent and honestly they are a pain to clean if you burn something. About a year ago I received an old cast-iron skillet from a friend and I LOVE IT. The heat is evenly distributed, it can go in the oven, it cleans with just a few swipes of a sponge and doubles as a fantastic weapon in the event of a break-in. Now if there is a nonstick pan anywhere in your house immediately stop reading and throw it out! These pans are not actually nonstick, every time I used one I still had to coat it with oil or butter; and furthermore if there is so much as one scratch in the “nonstick” surface you might as well call it a night because that coating is cancerous. (Just the kind of pan I want to cook in). If you make a lot of soups and stews invest in a Dutch oven from Le Creuset, these are enamel covered cast-iron pots. (See above for their attributes). Warning! You might go into sticker shock with this item, but remember, it will pretty much last forever and most of the high quality brands carry a lifetime guarantee, so worth it in the long run. Now if you really can’t afford the Le Creuset version you can find a comparable Dutch oven at Target made by Chefmate for around forty dollars.

Okay, so now that we discussed the basics I will give you some time to get your husband or boyfriend’s credit card and update your kitchen. (Psst there is a new William Sonoma at the Holyoke Mall). Have fun shopping.