Kitchen Success
- Robert Adams
- Oct 12
- 2 min read
Updated: Oct 13
“Do not fear mistakes, there are none.”
Miles Davis, musician
THIS ABOVE STATEMENT RESONATES with me, especially considering my lifelong passion for food preparation and the numerous challenges there are in developing great recipes.
I have tried so many different recipes throughout my life. It all started when I was eleven.
During my early days, I helped my mother a lot (from my point of view). She had me learn my way around the kitchen centered around our stovetop electric range. We tried recipes we both liked. There were certainly mistakes made, but plowing ahead was pretty much the holy grail that she passed on to me.
Fudge and tomato casseroles were early recipes I remember, taken from her collection of cookbooks. She also encouraged me to prepare green beans that I had freshly harvested from our family's garden. I learned to carefully remove the stems and tips with a paring knife. I would then steam them in an inch of boiling water. I enjoyed watching all the clouds of steam escape from around the covered lid. Mom would test them to see if they were done to her satisfaction. She would then cut in a pat of butter, and salt and pepper the beans to perfection.
I thought I was so helpful.
I remember a hot pad that burst into flames once on the stove top. This was after I moved it too close to a red-hot burner. Mom simply tossed the smoldering hot pad into the sink and doused it with water, calmly commenting that it was time for a new one, anyway. I quickly recovered from this mishap, ready to move on with another lesson under my belt.
Today, I like to experiment with new recipes that I find just about everywhere. Frankly, only about a third of them make the grade for me to add to my journal notes. I find I’m critical in my assessments of flavor, mouth feel, and appearance, yet I still love to be surprised by an excellent new recipe. It is truly one of the joys in my culinary life.
I searched the internet to find the old-fashioned recipes I referenced above:
Tomato Casserole
Chocolate Fudge
It occurs to me that simplifying recipes is also reflected in my newer approach to be less complex in all matters I face. When I begin a recipe search, the fewer ingredients are high on my list of requirements.
Finally, I approach my cutting boards always with sharpened knives. It somehow slipped by my mother.
“Poor is the pupil who does not surpass his master."
Leonardo Da Vinci
Comments