Cooking Baking Eating

Sometimes I wonder why people look at me and say that they can’t cook. Inside I really think it’s a lie. It’s not that they can’t cook, but they are just afraid.

I don’t mean afraid of the spatula running around and biting them, but afraid of failure and that what they might make will taste badly. True you can burn things, add the wrong thing, or even just pick a bad recipe, but in reality there is no person who cannot cook. There is only that fear of failure (or sometimes poison).

I grew up in a home where, because of health reasons for a family member, the only spice we seemed to have was salt, and maybe a little Lawry’s seasoning salt. I never grew up with spices, yet now I think my spice shelf is pretty filled with spices. It’s never too late to start learning what you love in food. The occasional disaster shouldn’t stop you either, just make you realize what you did wrong and move on.

If someone is seriously thinking about cooking and learning more things, they need to do two important things.

1. Read. By reading cook books, blogs, recipes, or just how-to’s they can learn just about anything. Even how to cook. This is one of the main ways I learned what I have so far about cooking. I love watching the food channel and seeing how they make things, then incorporating them into my life as well.
2. DO! If it’s something you have never done before, there is a pretty good chance that you could mess up. So pick something that is similar to what you already make and go for it. If you mess up, tell them it’s supposed to taste that way.

One way to start slowly becoming more of a cook is to experiment with spices. Pick a new spice and start thinking of new ways to use it. Look up online recipes involving that spice to give you ideas.

One book that I think is invaluable is the Joy Of Cooking. I think it chronicles just about EVERYTHING about cooking. It has so many different types of food and just about every meal.

Everyone will make a mistake with cooking, but it’s really not as hard as it seems. Even if it’s just making a more creative grilled cheese, it is still cooking.

Learning takes time, don’t worry. We’re right there with you.