There is a beauty in learning how to cook and mastering those foods that are so special to you and those you care about.
The problem today is three-fold: first, very many people know very little about nutrition; secondly, basic meal preparation for a lot of folks comes out of a box or a can and ;lastly, they are stumped at where to go to learn. The folks on TV are entertaining, but they spend far too much time trying to be easy or different…. they don’t teach the basics of bread or cake making or what constitutes a well rounded dinner.
I even read in a current recipe book that one never uses any cake in a bread pudding! Funny, the old kitchens of the 1800’s to early 1900’s would throw in everything from bread to croissants and from cake to muffins! They really knew how to cook in those days… and they didn’t waste anything.
Here’s a tough question I asked a few people: how many minutes does it take to cook a 3 minute egg? It was surprising to find that a lot didn’t know how to begin to answer that question. I know it sounds a little mean … but it does show the state of affairs in many kitchens today.
I love my bread pudding with a wonderful brandy sauce!
The key to starting out is to start with the basics, master that and then move up. Children love to learn how to make desserts: cookies, pies and cakes. It’s great to see a child pull out their first set of Tollhouse (Chocolate Chip) Cookies… and dig in when they are still warm and gooey!
Teach someone to cook and you open a world to them that they never knew existed!
Roger Freberg