Saturday 15 December 2007

Cooking Up A Storm...

There is something just so utterly wonderful about cooking. It's the experimentation with ingredients, the swish of the wrist while stirring, the sizzling sound of adding something to hot oil, the smell that emanates from the dish, and the constant wonder about what the taste will be like. Those who have never cooked, have never lived- that's my opinion.
I have always liked cooking. Watching my mother in the kitchen, I picked up things here and there. I observed the amount of oil heating in the pan, listened to the number of whistles of the pressure cooker, and looked carefully at what she was putting into the dish. That's how I learnt. I started off with simple things like tea and boiled eggs. Then I moved on to cheese-tomato ommelettes and French Toast. After that came cakes and brownies, and then the chapter of chicken and mutton- and now, I am pretty much at home in the kitchen. Cooking's in my blood too- my both my grandmothers- fabulous cooks, my mom a great one too! My mom though is completely in a class of her room- she's the fastest cook I've seen. For instance, she can cook fish curry in 10 minutes flat! (I'm not lying.) She's also very inventive- she puts random ingredients in, and the dish smells and tastes wonderful.
But there are things I make even better than my mom- like ommelettes, cakes, and pasta- to name a few. My cakes have always been famous. Refer to another blog with a picture of cakes that I baked- NOT roadkill!
It's a truly therapeutic experience. If I need to relax- I either take a long hot bath, or I cook. I can literally feel my tension ebbing away while I chop the meat or the vegetables, add the spices, and stir the cooking.
Today I made pasta for lunch. I don't usually blow my own trumpet, but I am stating a fact when I say it was rather yummy!
There are people, who if asked if they can cook, reply, "Me? Oh, I can't even make tea!" Like it's something to be proud of. I mean, everyone should be able to cook- people still have a notion (even in this day and age) that girls should be able to cook, but why limit it just to the female sex? Everyone should know. It's a basic necessity. And it's not like cooking is all that tough!
I'm not the best cook in the world. Even I have my moments- when there's a tad too little or too much salt, when the amount of pepper makes me sneeze, or when the chicken is a little more 'cooked' than necessary. But I'm learning. And it's fun. It's a fun challenge- to try new things and experience new tastes.
As Harriet Van Horne, an American columnist once said, "Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon, or not at all."
Aah yes, I have entered into it 'with abandon'.

20 comments:

Doubletake, Doublethink. said...

i agree. cooking has taught me more about life than education has.

and boys should learn to cook. there is something inordinately sexy about a man cooking.

pasta creators unite! *raises toast*

Esmo said...

havent u dangled quite enough carrots???when do we(read i) get to eat??????when??

Elendil said...

Absolutely! I second you entirely! Cooking is very stress-busting and very satisfying. It's creativity and you also get to eat something (hopefully) delicious. I love cooking even though I do it irregularly. I also agree that the myth of girls being the ones who should cook is bullshit. My uncle, for instance, is the best cook in the family.

AbhijanB said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
AbhijanB said...

Heh!

your way of picking up cooking is similar to how I picked up driving. That is a stress buster as well,

:)

CheshireCat said...

will you teach me Fishy???

Magically Bored said...

@ Doubletake, Doublethink: Yes, a man cooking is sexy. You know what's even sexier? A man feeding you. :P

@ Soumya: Uff- you and your constant wanting to eat. Good things come to those who wait..

@ Elendil: You're absolutely correct. It's VERY stress-busting.

@ Joe BR: Driving? Stress buster?? Not for me, atleast!

@ The Soliloquist: Anytime!

rukmini said...

my ma says that usually people who love eating also make great cooks. i love eating, but i think i would make a very lazy cook :P

Magically Bored said...

@ Rukmini: It's true- she's absolutely correct. If you love to eat, you're bound to cook well. Heh.

Astraeus said...

cooking is therapuetic for me too. i love cooking whenever i have nothing else to do and i need a stress buster.
even after cooking dishes like, chicken curry, pasta, salads, tandoori items....
sadly i still dont know how to make tea :P

Magically Bored said...

@ Astreus: Don't worry about it. Making good tea is actually quite difficult.

La Figlia Che Piange said...

I can only make scrambled eggs. Maggi and instant soup I make with a great deal of trouble. The one thing I cant figure out is boiling. Like, does the stuff go in AFTER the water is boiling or before? Also, I'm pretty ham handed and that's dangerous in the kitchen, no?

Magically Bored said...

@ Opaline: Hehe. Boiling isn't that easy. It really depends. For instance, when it comes to pasta and chowmein, you put it into the water only AFTER it's boiling. But when it comes to eggs, I put them in right away. Atleast I think that's correct. :P

Esmo said...

i ahve another post..i really really do!!!!!!!

new age scheherazade said...

abandon is right. especially when at first it used to come out burnt. now i'm a whiz!
what's the best thing you cooked? for me it was this chicken in white sauce that was just heavenly, but a batch of chocolate chip cookies could be it.i could never make better cookies than those, having forgotten what i experimented with :(

Magically Bored said...

@ New Age Schezerade: Umm.. The yummiest thing I cooked? Hard to say. 99% of the stuff I cook comes out well. Maybe my cakes.. That's my strong point. I'm not too bad at pasta either. :)

Ephemera said...

Yeah cooking is a form of art involving all of man or rather woman's :)...senses

Magically Bored said...

@ Dream Baron: Cooking's just not meant for women, you know. Men cook just as well as women, sometimes even better.

Ephemera said...

in this case its a woman

Unknown said...

for me cooking is just another hobby like reading books ......though i don't cook everyday but yes whenever gets time and want to try my hands on some really appetizing food...so jus keep cooking!!!