| Lauren is a contributor to 'Baking With Julia,' a cookbook written
by Julia Child. She is a food writer for many national food magazines and
is the owner of Lauren Groveman's Kitchen, a cooking and baking instruction
school in Larchmont, New York.
She can be reached at
l.groveman@worldnet.att.net
or http://www.LaurenGroveman.com
or 914-834-1372.
* Stop saying you don't have enough time...If you make homemade food
and shared meals a priority in your life, you'll suddenly find the time.
* Don't wait for holidays to cook. In order to develop real kitchen
know-how you need to make more dumb-old Tuesday nights delicious in your
home. If you only cook a few times a year (during the hectic holidays...)
you're bound to end up overwhelmed and exhausted (usually vowing never to
do it again.). It really is like going to the gym. In order to develop "cooking
muscles," you need to cook more regularly.
* Read, read, read. Reading cookbooks is the best way to learn how
different people interpret "delicious." You learn (from them) that there's
more than one way to cook (everything), thus giving you more understanding
of the cooking and baking process. After reading, practice, practice, practice.
* Let yourself off the hook! People aren't born knowing how to cook,
any more than they're born knowing how to use a computer. It's really OK
to say "I don't know how." After that, real growth can take place. This is
true in any field.
* Start small. If you've never had dinner company, don't invite a
group over for a meal consisting of all new recipes (or even those tried
and true handed down recipes). For the first time entertaining, invite the
group over for cocktails and a few savory goodies before going to a restaurant.
Or, invite them over for dessert and coffee, instead. This way, you can get
your feet wet without jumping in completely. In other words, be kind to yourself.
* Trust your sense of delicious. If you like it that's great. You
might not please everyone all the time. But trying to be "perfect" is a set
up for possible disappointment. The best way to please people at a dinner
party is to ask questions before you plan your menu. Always ask each person
if they are allergic to any foods or if they have any dietary restrictions
(because of religion or any other reason).
I also always ask people if they don't like something (like liver...)
because it doesn't make sense to go to all the effort of trying to please
people and end up finding out (at the table) that you've gone in the wrong
direction. People are usually impressed with these questions and feel as
though the evening will be "custom made" just for them.
* Don't compete with last year's turkey at your sister-in-law's house.
You're unique and as long as the house smells great when your guests arrive
and you greet them with a big hug and kiss, the evening is destined to be
a big hit.
* Don't be afraid to try new recipes. People can get really stuck
in a rut with the same old things all the time. That also inhibits people
from entertaining, because your friends have experienced your entire repertoire
of recipes. If you find a cookbook that you like, trust more of the author's
recipes. (In other words, it's time to turn the page...)
* Make sure you live with supportive people. Cooking is a vulnerable
sport.
* In order to be a really good cook, you should start by learning
to cook the foods that make YOU the happiest. Cooking should come from a
self-fulfilling place first. And the good news...everyone loves you for it!
Keep a jar of peeled garlic in the refrigerator (without oil or
anything).
Tips on Saving Time in the Kitchen:
* Blanch several days worth of vegetables in advance and keep them
in the refrigerator (in well-sealed plastic bags) so all they need is a quick
sauté and they're ready to accompany your lamb chops. (FYI: To "blanch"
is to partially parboil, until almost tender. Immediately after removing
from boiling (lightly salted) water, the vegetables are "refreshed" by being
plunged into a large bowl of ice water. This stops the cooking process and
(in the case of green vegetables) sets the bright green color.
* Season meats, poultry, fish a day ahead.
* Cook big and freeze for those days when you're so tired you're
hair hurts...By the way, those are the days when we all benefit the most
from having a nurturing home cooked meal.
* If you know that you want pasta for dinner, fill the pot in the
morning before going to work...You might think this sounds silly, but when
you're exhausted (and starving) the last thing you want to do is to lug out
a big pot and wait for it to fill up with water.
More great tips on becoming a great cook
* Becoming a great cook is something that is learned. Be respectful
of cooking as an "art." Although it's not an overnight process, the journey
is truly wonderful and rewarding.
* Baking isn't difficult. Actually, bread baking (which is often
scary to the novice) is (to me) the most "freeing" part of cooking. Once
you understand the players in baking and how ingredients need each other
to work properly, you can be more understanding (and appreciative) of the
entire process.
* In order to grow, you need to take risks. Try something that you've
always wanted to do, but know nothing about. Succeeding at those times, is
truly empowering to cooks (at what ever level).
* Don't be lazy. If you're reading a recipe that you think sounds
great and you arrive at a term or procedure that's foreign, don't get scared
and turn the page. Look in the index and, if the information needed to give
you more clarity is not in that book, put it down and do research in another
book. Reading and experimenting is the best way to become a great cook.
* Have a sense of humor! Look at mistakes as "culinary cause and
effect." Many times, mistakes are very delicious.
* Purchase the best equipment you can afford. Having the best knives
and other tools definitely makes the cooking/baking process more fun and
enables you to use your time in the kitchen most efficiently.
* Keeping your house well stocked with dry, canned and bottled goods
will enable you to cook more often. It's not all or nothing. If using canned
tomatoes in your sauce will enable you to make a delicious chicken and sausage
stew to serve over hot pasta on a week night, then do it! Fresh foods can
work hand and hand with canned foods to create wonderful nourishing meals.
Cooking well is not about being perfect. It's about cooking is happily, lovingly
and consistently.
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