Practice Makes Proficient

I admire people who cook well. In my attempts to go beyond mere proficiency in the kitchen, I realize that a simple desire to cook well is not enough. Not too long ago, I proclaimed my success at making chocolate ganache. "It's just so easy!" I said of combining chocolate and heavy cream for heavenly results. A friend remarked that much of cooking is easy, and I believed her for about three minutes. She happens to be a former chef and spends her free time reading about, shopping for, and preparing delicious food. For people like me, people who lack not just experience, but good instincts about cooking, easy it is not.

It's all about timing. I can follow a recipe, and I'm even comfortable making adaptations as I see fit, but when it comes to the multiple parts of a meal, I start to fall apart. One pot meals have always been appealing to me for this reason. I can brown it up in a pan, pour in some sauce, and let it simmer like nobody's business. Stick it in the oven and forget about it until the bell rings? That's me. Or should I say, that was me. Now that I'm trying to branch out from my standard repertoire of enchiladas, chili, spaghetti and meatballs (all quite tasty, but who wants heavy foods like that all week long?) I see a need for understanding the pace of a meal. Take for example, a meal of chicken Milanese that I attempted last week. The chicken recipe was no problem (pound, season, dip, bake), but when it came to steaming asparagus, boiling pasta and adding pesto, it was a three-ring circus. By the time I plated, the asparagus was too cool and the pasta was too hot. And did you know that adding pesto to hot pasta makes it turn brown? I do now.

As for brown pesto and other minor missteps, no one around here seems to mind. In fact, I'm not sure they notice. Hungry boys and a husband who appreciates the extra time to work equals empty plates. But like we say about teaching, reflection is necessary for growth. Do students always notice when a lesson is off? Do we ditch every lesson plan that doesn't go as well as we'd like? Nope. Cooking takes practice and reflection, and it won't be until I have enough of both that I'll think of it as easy.