The psychology of cooking
Everyone knows there is deep psychology and emotions around cooking and food. The smell that makes reminds you of your childhood. Turning to food for comfort, sometimes destructively. Cooking as a way to relax. Adventuring down the grocery aisles, looking for something new to experiment with.
Why do you cook?
Live alone and you'll discover the answer. With no obligation to cook, you quickly learn your motivations. Seems I am motivated by cooking for others. I alone am not worth making a mess over (maybe because there's no one to help clean up). I like the idea of cooking for fun, as an adventure, because it's worthwhile even if just for me. But hmmm, it's not turning out that way. What's fun is sharing the kitchen and cooking for others. My one year old hardly counts yet, and I suspect he won't appreciate cooking efforts for a long, long time.
That said, I know somewhere in my heart, I like to cook. And maybe if I cook for myself occasionally, I will benefit emotionally.
I did cook a pork tenderloin today. In fact, the botching of it inspired me to blog again. Felt like my old self, misstep after misstep.
It was out of "Simple to Spectacular" - a beautiful and wonderful book. I chose the "simple" pork loin with a sugar, salt, rosemary, cayenne rub splashed with dry white wine. I had a boneless loin in the freezer and figured I could adapt the cooking temp/time. Even so, it cooked much faster than I anticipated, and the wine/sugar mix burnt to a quarter inch black, burned honeycomb all around the baking dish; I think I need a razor blade to scrape it out. Reminded me of the time I left my spiced cider cooking overnight in my crock pot. Smelled like it too. I managed to baste once, then there was nothing left to baste with. And it overcooked because I killed my new meat thermometer, waterlogging it trying to wash it, then really breaking it trying to pop it open to see if water inside was preventing it from turning on. I was never disciplined about reading instructions (like "how to wash" and "how to open") and it sometimes bites me in the butt. Some day...I will learn.
Despite all that, it tasted pretty good. I'd like to give it another go.
Why do you cook?
Live alone and you'll discover the answer. With no obligation to cook, you quickly learn your motivations. Seems I am motivated by cooking for others. I alone am not worth making a mess over (maybe because there's no one to help clean up). I like the idea of cooking for fun, as an adventure, because it's worthwhile even if just for me. But hmmm, it's not turning out that way. What's fun is sharing the kitchen and cooking for others. My one year old hardly counts yet, and I suspect he won't appreciate cooking efforts for a long, long time.
That said, I know somewhere in my heart, I like to cook. And maybe if I cook for myself occasionally, I will benefit emotionally.
I did cook a pork tenderloin today. In fact, the botching of it inspired me to blog again. Felt like my old self, misstep after misstep.
It was out of "Simple to Spectacular" - a beautiful and wonderful book. I chose the "simple" pork loin with a sugar, salt, rosemary, cayenne rub splashed with dry white wine. I had a boneless loin in the freezer and figured I could adapt the cooking temp/time. Even so, it cooked much faster than I anticipated, and the wine/sugar mix burnt to a quarter inch black, burned honeycomb all around the baking dish; I think I need a razor blade to scrape it out. Reminded me of the time I left my spiced cider cooking overnight in my crock pot. Smelled like it too. I managed to baste once, then there was nothing left to baste with. And it overcooked because I killed my new meat thermometer, waterlogging it trying to wash it, then really breaking it trying to pop it open to see if water inside was preventing it from turning on. I was never disciplined about reading instructions (like "how to wash" and "how to open") and it sometimes bites me in the butt. Some day...I will learn.
Despite all that, it tasted pretty good. I'd like to give it another go.
posted by hbt @ 11:59:00 PM
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