My Hobby Is Cooking

Before turning to how we make good food, let’s take a minute and think about just what makes some food really good and other food not so much. A fairly common definition of good food is:

Delicious food is created by mastering several key components: flavor, texture, aesthetic appeal, temperature, balance, and technique. The criteria for determining the most delicious food often include flavor, texture, aroma, and presentation. Quality ingredients, skillful cooking techniques, balanced flavors, and a pleasurable sensory experience contribute to making food delicious.

That strikes me as a reasonable description of good food. The problem is that the description is a bit overdone for our purposes. So, let’s break it down. Essentially, really good food, that is, a memorable dinner, is composed of just two parts: presentation and taste.

Presentation

We use the phrase “a feast for the eyes” whenever we see something beautiful because our eyes tell the brain to expect something wonderful. When it comes to food, the eyes taste the food before the palate does. The plate is set before you, and your eyes instantly tell you whether or not the food will taste good. If the food on the plate looks unpalatable, then your palate is predisposed to the food not tasting good. Conversely, if your eyes tell you that the food is really attractive looking, your palate will probably agree.

As you cook, keep in mind what your finished product will look like to your guests and even to you. Think about the colors on the plate; try to avoid a monochromatic look. Avoid having everything white, for example. Have some variations, such as brown (e.g. steak), green (the veggie), and then some white, such as mashed potatoes.

When you watch the chefs at a restaurant, you will probably note that the last thing the chef does before releasing the plate is clean it up. He may have spilled some gravy on the side of the plate, or an unattractive piece of vegetable may have slipped in. He corrects those unsightly items by cleaning the side of the plate and ensuring that everything on the plate is where he wants it to be relative to everything else.

Presentation—the first step in making good-tasting food.

Taste

More than presentation, taste is very personal. You may like beets while your wife detests them. You may love curry, but she is allergic. So, one of the steps to take in cooking is identifying who you are cooking for. Let their likes and dislikes guide you in how you put the meal together. OK, that’s general stuff. Let’s get down to specifics.

Things taste good because the food being consumed is generally a combination of flavors. Most foods, alone, are pretty bland. We say, “let’s spice things up” because whatever it is that we are talking about is bland. Perhaps the most common spice in our American kitchens is black pepper. Notice, I did not say salt, because salt is not a spice. Salt is derived from the sea, while spices and herbs are plants. Clearly, salt has a flavor, but it does much more than flavor food. Salt also enhances the flavor inherent in your food; it makes spices spicier and herbs herbier (if that is a word). Salt is so important that books have been written just about salt. I have one and it illustrates just how critical salt is to not only food, but all animal life.

I’m not going to talk about herbs and spices in this installment, but a few more words about salt. For this one, let’s wrap up the talk about salt with this: salt goes in about everything. A pinch of salt in pancake batter makes it better; salt in pasta water, as we all know, is mandatory. Salt can even be used as an insulator in the bottom of a skillet when frying food. Some things salt does not go in—coffee or tea, for example—but not many.

As you learn to cook, do three things each time. One, assuming that you are using a recipe, read the recipe all the way through before commencing anything else. Two, gather all of the ingredients called for in the recipe and put them on the counter within easy reach. Three, taste your dish during your preparation. If it doesn't taste good to you, it won’t taste good to anyone else. You’ll learn what to look for as you gain experience, but you will also learn how easy it is to oversalt your food. That is the most frequent thing I do as I cook. I taste and add more salt. Bear in mind, however, it is far easier to add salt than try to fix a dish you have over-salted, so add it judiciously.

Finally, one more thing that a good cook requires: time. Don’t rush your cooking; take the time to plan where the meal is going and how you are going to get there. Make sure you have enough time to complete the meal. Some recipes call for simmering the ingredients for hours. Others call for marinating a part of the meal for hours. If you don’t know how much time your meal is supposed to take until you start to put it together, the chances are you will run out of time doing it.

Some of you liked the last recipe, so let’s try another one. This one is for pancakes. It is the best recipe for pancakes I have ever had. They are light, thanks to the beaten egg whites, and flavorful.

However, before you start cooking, put your plates into the oven to heat at, say, 155⁰. Warm plates and a hot breakfast go together.

Ingredients (serves three or four)

• 1C flour
• 2C buttermilk
• 1 T baking powder
• 1 T granulated sugar (for variety, you can use brown sugar)
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 egg, separated
• 1 T butter, melted
• 1-2 T lemon juice (lemon juice? Really? Yes, really)

Steps

1. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Combine egg yolk with lemon juice using a small whisk.
3. Whisk in melted butter.
4. Whisk in buttermilk.
5. Combine wet ingredients with dry ingredients. I use a spatula to do this so I don’t beat the batter to death. You need some judgment with this step. After you have incorporated the milk, look at your batter. Too runny? Add some flour; too stiff? Add some more milk. The thinner the batter, the thinner the pancakes.
6. Beat egg whites so peaks form.
7. Fold somewhat stiff egg whites into batter.

Cooking

This is the toughest part of the process. Pancakes are easily undercooked and easily overcooked. Heat the griddle over medium heat. Oil the griddle, and when a drop of water on the griddle dances around, it is hot enough. Use a ladle to drop your dough onto the griddle. Use a lot or a little dough, depending on what size you want your pancakes. Watch them, and they may or may not develop bubbles on the top. Take a peek at the bottom of a cake when the edges begin to curl. When the underside is browned, flip it. Cook for about the same time, remove the cake or cakes to the warm plate, and do the next batch.

Accompaniments

Warm syrup, maple, or blueberry. Fried or scrambled eggs. Bacon or sausage. If you are doing a full-blown breakfast, think about juice, a fruit bowl, or maybe hashbrowns. If it is a full-blown Sunday brunch, how about a mimosa or bloody Mary?

Symbol guide: “C” = cup; “T” = Tablespoon; “t” = teaspoon