When it comes to our blog, and our constant focus on all things food and cooking, my mom and I tend to get the same iteration of questions. People are curious…shocked even!…about the who, what, where, when, why, and how’s of what we do and how we manage to do it. Cooking, and sticking to it, that is.
The former three questions are much easier to answer than the latter. The who is obvious (us two and our never-ending conversations about “what do you want to eat”). The what is usually followed by a texted link to our website. And the where depends on wherever we happen to be at that time. Usually one of four places.
But then we’re left with the when’s, why’s, and how’s. The toughies. Although they feel like a profound set of questions that would allude to an equally profound answer, it’s as simple as this: anyone can cook, and everyone should.
If you’re new to Moments – or possibly a seasoned veteran to our out-of-the-box ideas and deliciously dependable recipes (if we do say so ourselves) – you may have been wondering these things yourself. When do we have the time to create these time consuming recipes? Why make something so elaborate for a regular Tuesday? And most importantly, how are you supposed to transfer these recipes and motivations to your own kitchen?
Why? And how it all began…
Just a few years ago, I was in the same boat. As a young college-aged individual at the time, the big, impressive recipes were meant for home cook superstars like my mom, professional chefs doing this for a living, and the rest of the world on major holidays alone. Definitely not for someone like me, with a full-time student agenda and a kitchen that was FAR from impressive.
But, as quarantine began and I was back in my childhood home after graduation, cooking became an outlet for me that I never would have expected. It was a meditative process where I learned to have an appreciation for the ingredients hand-selected in front of me. At the end of the day, the excitement for the rewarding – and special – feeling of presenting a meal to loved ones clicked in my brain.
Now, this isn’t to say everyone will instantly feel this lightbulb moment as soon as their hand touches the right knife, or drizzles the finishing glaze over their long-awaited creation. But one thing I do know is that anyone CAN cook, and everyone HAS to cook. (sounds interesting, but stay with me)
Cooking over takeout, any day…
At one point or another in life, you’re going to have to pull out the pots and pans and whip up something to eat because we all know it’s cheaper than ordering out. That’s pretty much inevitable. But imagine if the end product was 100% worth the effort. Suddenly, the process would be worth the price of admission, right? You may think twice about those cold dumplings from the place down the street and opt instead to make them yourself!
Imagine that biting into a forkful of the homemade pasta you hand-rolled covered in a spicy, yet creamy, alla vodka sauce could make all of your stressors from the day melt away. Imagine you discover a genre of cooking that you absolutely love to make. Or, you’re finally able to recreate a recipe that your grandma used to make for you – and now you can have it whenever you want.
Convinced?
Signs that you can, and should, cook…
Here’s my take: If you watched (and were obsessed with!) Ratatouille as a kid, or caught a glimpse of Ina Garten on the Food Network one afternoon and felt drawn in, or have a favorite meal at a restaurant that you claim you could eat every single day without fail – you can, and should, cook.
I think Thomas Keller sums it up best in his cookbook, The French Laundry:
“Cooking is not about convenience and it’s not about shortcuts. The recipes in this book are about wanting to take the time to do something that I think is priceless. Our hunger for the twenty-minute gourmet meal, for one-pot ease and prewashed, precut ingredients has severed our lifeline to the satisfactions of cooking. Take your time. Take a long time. Move slowly and deliberately and with great intention.”
He continues by saying, “A recipe has no soul. You, as the cook, must bring soul to the recipe. [cont’d] You’re not going to be able to duplicate the dish that I made. You may create something that in composition resembles what I made, but more important – and this is my greatest hope – you’re going to create something that you have deep respect and feelings and passions for. And you know what? It’s going to be more satisfying than anything I could ever make for you.”
The takeaways…
So, to answer the final three questions about Moments, and our journey with cooking in general: We cook whenever we get the chance, because cooking is our source of relaxation, fun conversation, creativity, and fueling our body with the things we want to eat. Our why behind the lengthy recipes and lack of weeknight quick-and-easys, is similar to Thomas. We feel that food – both making and eating – should be as important and special as any other activity in life. So, we ensure that we dedicate our time and energy to it because it matters. And finally, the how is quite simple. If you’ve ever heard the phrase, “if there’s a will, there’s a way”, that pretty much describes it.
Cooking isn’t easy, and it definitely doesn’t become any less so overnight. But everything worth anything takes time and effort. Finding your personal joy in cooking, and putting your own unique stamp on it, just takes that first attempt. And if we learn anything from our cooking idols, past, present, or future – whether it be Remy from Ratatouille, Julia Child, Ina Garten, Stanley Tucci, Thomas Keller, or anyone in between – they all seem to reiterate the same message.
Anyone can cook.
