I’ve had many people tell they can’t cook. I’m not the best
cook, but I know how to cook and for my tastes, I consider myself a good cook.
I was very fortunate – I had three people who taught me how to cook. These
three people were my grandma, my dad, and my grandma Lee’s neighbor, The Major.
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| I'm here to help (Source) |
Many people will go on about ingredients, temperatures,
recipes, and preparation techniques being the most important things about
cooking. Some overly sentimental people will tell you the most important thing
is the love you put into the food. While those are all important (though the
jury is still out on the love thing), they aren’t the most important. You can
have all of those things and still mess it up if you are lacking the most
important aspects of cooking:
1.
Patience
2.
Imagination
3.
Bravery
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| Full Disclosure: This did happen once...(Source) |
My grandma embodied patience. She taught me how to wait. When
to check on things and when to leave them alone and let them cook. She taught
me to take the time to prepare the ingredients from a meal properly. She taught
me stirring and letting things cook to savory perfection. Patience is the
hardest for me to learn and I still struggle with it today; this is why I am
only a good cook and not a great cook. But patience is the difference between
having a moist and flavorful chicken breast as opposed to a dry and tasteless
thing.
My father exudes imagination in everything he does, and
cooking is no different. My dad is always ready to try a new recipe or just
throw things together and see what happens. Not everything turns out perfect,
but some things do and if there were no experimentation, we would miss out on
those great dishes.
The Major wasn’t called The Major for nothing. He had been
in the military and I never knew his real name, he was always introduced as The
Major. He only taught me one dish, orange chicken, but the lesson in bravery
may have been even more important than the dish itself. It was an instance and
that one instance has stuck with me ever since. We needed some eggs and he
taught me to crack the egg and empty its contents with one hand. My first egg
fell on the floor. He didn’t get mad about the mess, we just cleaned it up and
I tried again and this time I got it in the bowl. Such a single, simple moment, but it taught me not to be
afraid in the kitchen. Being careful is important, but not being afraid of
messes, sharp objects, open flames, and errors is also important.
Be Patient: They’ll be done when they’re done.
Be Imaginative: Feel free to experiment and create new
combinations.
Be Brave: Don’t be afraid of failing, just clean up and try
again.
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| This took all day to make, the recipe for the potatoes is my own design, and it was delicious |
