Such a Tease(r) Post

I've been a fan of Harold McGee for years now. I don't remember how I learned about his kitchen skills and cooking prowess, but my safe guess is that it had to have been while watching Cooking Live -- I still mourn the loss of that show. And, at some point I obtained a personal copy of On Food and Cooking, and the rest is history. I can't tell you how often I turn to On Food and Cooking for "real" reference while cooking, sure, but I have also used it as a reference for school and it's very helpful if you're having a little quibble about the particular nature of a vegetable such as a cardoon. You can imagine then, if you will, my excitement when I was offered a chance to write a couple of posts about Harold McGee and his newest effort, The Keys to Good Cooking.

And, leave it to Harold McGee to grab my attention from the word go; here's my favorite part, the beginning of the introduction:  "Cooking can be one of the most satisfying things we do in life. It's a chance to  make things with our own hands, nourish and give pleasure to people we care about, and choose exactly what we eat and make part of ourselves." I can't tell you how many times people have found out that I love to cook and they look at me sideways and ask, why? And, I never have a really great answer -- it's just that I like to cook; I find it relaxing and rewarding. But, really, the reason why I love to cook is summed up very nicely in the first two sentences of The Keys to Good Cooking. Cooking is my way of communicating affection to those around me; and when I moved away I started the blog so that I could retain that sense of connection. Even if we weren't together, somehow writing about and displaying the food could serve as a substitute. 

In my Singleton kitchen.

Dudley took pictures of me last winter as I was in the midst of having a little kitchen dance party with Lucy, and they're ridiculous, aren't they? But I think that often, cooking can turn into a stressful experience. Ingredient lists get longer, steps become more numerous, and, if you're anything like me, working with an ingredient you've never used before just ups the ante that much more. I like The Keys to Good Cooking because it aims, through a more thorough understanding of ingredients and how to handle them, to disperse this unnecessary stress. As Harold McGee writes, "Keys to Good Cooking is not a cookbook. Recipes we have in abundance, in print and on the Web, from across the globe and across the centuries, from professionals and celebrities, family and friends. Instead, this book is a guide to help you navigate through the ever-expanding universe of recipes and arrive at the promised land of a satisfying dish." When I read this I see:  less stress, better food, more kitchen dance parties.  We can all use more kitchen dance parties, don't you think? 

I am certain that this book is designed to apply to a large demographic of people; however, I'll just speak for myself, the Singleton who used to be picky, but is getting more open-minded about trying new foods, who loves to cook for other people, even if it means using ingredients she herself wouldn't eat without a serious financial incentive. Yup. That's me. Example:  It used to be that I wouldn't touch an eggplant for love or money. Then I moved to DC and there was an abundance of lovely eggplant:  little eggplant, big eggplant, long eggplant, stripy eggplant, white eggplant. And I started to think, hey, maybe eggplant isn't so bad. And, truthfully, I really wanted to buy some at the farmers market, but I always chickened out because I have no idea how to pick out a good eggplant, or how to make a tasty eggplant dish once I get it home. I needed a little bit of guidance, and I think that The Keys to Good Cooking is a great resource for people like me. Who knows? Maybe after I read what Harold McGee has to say about eggplant I'll get up the nerve to buy one rather than just taking a picture. 

If you know me, then you know that I'm always trying to convert myself to a vegetable-loving, farmers market visiting kind of girl. To that end, I'll leave you with a few of my favorite tips from Chapter 8, Vegetables and Fresh Herbs:

Fresh vegetables and herbs are alive and breathing and should look like it. The best-quality fruits and vegetables are the most recently harvested and carefully handled. 

Extra-large vegetables are usually the most mature and can be coarse in texture and flavor. 

Note to self:  do not start out with a large eggplant.

Choose vegetables and herbs with deep colors, a firm, full appearance, and freshly cut stems.