William's Cooking

What I do in the kitchen.

To my mother’s continued amazement, I cook. Her amazement is understandable considering that from my birth to the day I left for college, I showed no aptitude, inclination, nor desire for the arena of domestic duties. But early in my marriage, I decided to start cooking. Since then cooking has developed into my only non-work related hobby.

The desire to cook sprung from, what else, necessity. Mariah and I did not discuss our marital roles before we were married. Not knowing any better, we assumed traditional roles, and genuinely pursued those roles as an expression of love for each other. In the case of meal planning and preparation, Mariah tried hard, but then her pregnancy with Karagen made her increasing ill. Then one night she produced a legendary meal, which can only be described in person. The next evening, I donned an apron and reached for a box of Hamburger Helper.

My culinary development was methodical – almost mechanical. In the beginning I meticulously followed the Betty Crocker directions each night until I mastered the instructions. (Yes, for a 20 year old male Hamburger Helper requires mastery.) Once boredom set in I would try variations, and play around with the dish. Later, I used the same technique on every recipe I ever tried.

I use my cooking strategy in nearly everything I do. Follow someone else’s experience and instruction (usually from a book), practice until mastery, then experiment. This strategy has mostly been good to me: I learned calculus and a few programming language without taking a professional course, but I’m still a lousy dancer.

Why I continue.

The following (completely sexist) quote sums up my drive for cooking.

“A good cook is like a sorceress who dispenses happiness.”  -Elsa Schaparelli, Shocking Life.

Or maybe Adam Smith created a more appropriate quote for my drive in general.

“Man naturally desires, not only to be loved, but to be lovely…” –Adam Smith, Theory of Moral Sentiments, Part III.I.8 (1790, 6^th edition)

Written Resources

Cook’s Illustrated is the most useful written culinary resource I have. It’s not just a collection of stories and recipes, but detailed documentation of how the cook came to the final product and why it works.  Cook’s Illustrated articles are written as if in a professional science journal, with better prose.

Real Simple is another good resource. The recipes are usually healthy and always fast. I use more recipes from Real Simple than from any other source. Plus, Mariah and Karagen like the fashion sections.

I have several recipe books (focused on documenting recipes) and a few cook books (focused on technique). My favorite cook books are “I’m Just Here for the Food” and “I’m Just Here for More Food” by Alton Brown. My favorite recipe book is “Colorado Collage” by the Junior League of Denver.

Shopping

As far as grocery stores go, I place a lot of emphases on the produce and meat departments. After all, the bulk of our calories come from perishable goods. Otherwise, I bounce from store to store.

There are two specialty stores that I find indispensable: Penzeys Spices and Vom Fass. I’ve been using Penzeys’ spices for years. (Thank you, Virginia, for introducing me to this store.) The black pepper and cinnamon alone sold me on the store. I’m new to Vom Fass. Their oils are wonderful but delicate, so I use them like a finishing sauce or in salads. Their vinegars, on the other hand, are robust showstoppers that I try to put in everything.

These stores are expensive (compared with the grocery store oil and spices), but the quality is high. My only complaint is that they are located so far south from us. (Why doesn’t I-170 run through Brentwood?)