Learn the secrets of being a great cook!
We've interviewed Lauren Groveman, author of 'Lauren Groveman's Kitchen-Nurturing
Food for Family and Friends.' She is also 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
1.groveman@worldnet.att.net
or
http://www.LaurenGroveman.com
or 914-834-1372.
In this interview, she shares her tips on cooking--and her thoughts
on the power of good food to give children a sense of safety and
nurturing.
Why does cooking interest and excite you?
What is it about cooking that you find so
satisfying?
I love understanding and teaching kitchen dynamics--essentially
culinary cause and effect. I love that cooking is home-based, so busy people
(who are out so much already) don't need to leave home in order to "recreate."
And, cooking and baking is really the only hobby that's truly non narcissistic
in nature. Although the cook gets incredible pleasure from building and sharing
a wonderful meal, everyone in the house also benefits greatly from being
surrounded with fabulous aromas and enjoying great food on a regular basis.
And the best part--doing this encourages a better (more soothing) atmosphere
for communicating around the table. So, everyone benefits by the natural
progression--as a new cook eventually becomes a great cook. I call it "the
rippling effect."
How did you become a good cook? What steps
did you take to learn the art of cooking?
My mother didn't cook. Actually, she was a top model so she didn't
eat very much either....As a child, I always loved to putter in the kitchen
(although I didn't have a clue as to what I was doing). When I began living
with my husband I felt it was important to make my home smell good (aroma
is very very important to me).
Can you share with us a favorite recipe--perhaps
a specialty you are known for?
It's funny. I've never studied bread baking and it's what I'm most
famous for. I guess that's because me and my breads (along with some of my
savory spreads) were featured with Julia Child in her PBS baking series and
accompanying book entitled "Baking with Julia."
Click here for
recipes. This project received a lot of attention (and exposure).
In her book I contributed Eastern European breads and pastry (bagels, onion
bialys, challah, deli rye, pumpernickel and rugulach). I love all my breads
(and spreads) that I contributed to this book, but I think the bread that
I make the most is the challah. (This bread is also in my book and was also
featured in the June 98 issue of Food & Wine magazine.
What are your ten best tips for those who
want to be good cooks? Can you share with us some of your most cherished
cooking secrets?
1) 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.
2) 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 youonly 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.
3) 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.
4) 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.
5) 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.
6) 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.
7) 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.
8) 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'srecipes. (In other words, it's time to turn the page...)
9) Make sure you live with supportive people. Cooking is a vulnerable
sport.
10) 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!
What are some ideas for women who want to
create delicious, nutritious meals for their family--but they lack the time
to cook?
Use little bits of available time to do small tasks so when you're
tired, you don't feel as though you have to begin from the
beginning.
For example:
Keep a jar of peeled garlic in the refrigerator (without oil or
anything).
Blanch several days worth of vegetables in advance and keep them
in therefrigerator (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.
What is your favorite meal? Could you share
the recipe with us?
Well, I can't say what my favorite meal is. It depends on my mood,
the time of year, who I'm eating with, etc. But I'll share with you my kids
favorite chicken dish. Actually, they love my Honey Roast Chicken so much,
that it's become a family tradition to serve it to them on every birthday.
Click here
for recipe. I made this on Regis and Kathie Lee, several
years ago (it's also in my book) and I just made it for the Television Food
Network (for a show called "Chef du Jour," and will air sometime in Feb.
99).
What items should every person have in their
cabinet, refrigerator and freezer at all times if they want to be a good
cook?
Cabinet: Things to embellish a salad, like hearts of palm, chic
peas, roasted peppers, olives, capers etc.
Refrigerator: Jar of peeled garlic.
Freezer: Stock!
What separates a good cook from an ordinary
cook?
An ordinary cook always uses written recipes as gospel.
A good cook eventually will trust her/himself enough to take those
same recipes and use them as a spring board.
What makes you a good cook? What qualities
do you think a good cook must possess?
I'm a great cook because I trust myself and my instincts in the
kitchen. I truly cook with abandon. And (I feel) that's the only way to really
experienceyour true creative spirit. This happens over time, though. You
need patience to become a great cook (like with any sport). Each time you
hear the words "this is delicious," you become motivated to keep
cooking.
What are seven things every person should
understand about cooking that can help them become an excellent
cook?
1) 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.
2) 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.
3) 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).
4) 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.
5) Have a sense of humor! Look at mistakes as "culinary cause and
effect." Many times, mistakes are very delicious.
6) 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.
7) 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.
Tell us about your web site and/or cooking-related
business?
I'm a cooking and baking teacher, an author (my book is entitled
Lauren Groveman's Kitchen--Nurturing Food for Family and Friends), a food
writer for national food magazines (most recently--my chocolate desserts
are featured in the Feb. 99 issue of Bon Appetit magazine), a media spokesperson
for several companies and a television cook. I'm hoping to have my own television
show. I recently taped five shows for the television food network (for a
show called "Chef du Jour) and they will begin airing in Feb. 99. I've recently
launched my web site
(www.LaurenGroveman.com) where
I offer more than recipes. I also share my philosophy regarding the "sport"
of cooking and the value of incorporating more "shared meals" into ones life
(whether married or single). My site is interactive and I'm hoping that viewers
will use the site (specifically the "Rants" section and the chat room) as
a safe place to ask the questions and to share the issues that might keep
them from trying to cook. I also have a bulletin board to network with
professionals (Let's say, you're looking for a caterer for a party or you
want to know where to find a certain ingredient or piece of equipment...)
I've recently placed two different (download able) shopping lists for viewers
to print out and take to the market. Having a well-stocked home keeps those
mad-dash trips the market to a minimum.
Have you written any cookbooks? If so, tell
us about your cookbook.
Lauren Groveman's Kitchen--Nurturing Food for Family and Friends
(Publisher: Chronicle Books) and I've made a substantial contribution to
Baking with Julia (Publisher: William Morrow) My book is a general cookbook
with ten chapters (over five-hundred pages). Since we don't cook the same
way every day (because of seasonal availability, time constrains, who we're
feeding etc.) I wanted the food offered in my book to reflect the different
days in the same persons life. I'm very proud of my book.
What recipe makes you the most proud when
you cook it? Why? Could you share it with us?
It's funny but although I can do really fancy baking and cooking,
it's the foods that make people soothed at my table that make me the happiest
and the proudest. I'm going to share a dessert that's very special to me
(and incredibly easy to prepare). It's the birthday cake I make for each
member of my family. (Now, I love making homemade ice cream. But this cake,
which features store-bought ice cream and candy, makes those I love so happy,
I wouldn't dare change it!)
Click here
for recipe.
Why is cooking so connected to our memories
and emotions? How can a person utilize this connection to create memorable
and special meals?
This is a very important question, to me. I believe in my heart
that foods evoke feelings. Soothing foods evoke feelings of calmness, safety
and love. Bad foods evoke a feeling of deprivation, agitation and the fear
of not being taken care of. Delicious foods with wonderful aroma (experienced
in childhood) are carried with us throughout life, through sense memory.
We, as parents have a wonderful opportunity (and responsibility) to foster
this sense of safety in our children in order to do more than merely give
them a delicious childhood--doing this helps them build a rich sensory life
that they can reflect on later, when it's time to nurture their own families.
To me, the actual eating of the meal is the last stop on the train. What
happens first...the "clanging" sounds from the kitchen and the wonderful
wafts of onions sautéing that fill the house are all equally important
to the experience of sharing meal. When the food smells great, those in the
house run to the table (because great smells creates the anticipation for
great flavor). And the better the food tastes, the longer those at the table
will linger and talk. These kinds of meals are the "memorable times" that
our children use to build there sense of self and embellish there self-esteem.
These are also the times that we (as parents) will always cherish with our
children. |
