Sergeant Pepper, Leftenant Salt

by Braeden

“I'm a terrible cook.”

I've heard variations of this line from dozens of people. W\e often carry negative associations with cooking because of an unsuccessful attempt at following an overcomplicated recipe. The recipes we find in books, online, have 20 different ingredients, none of which we have stocked in our cupboards. To buy all of the spices in the recipe, we spend a fortune, a gross misrepresentation of the amount of savings accrued from cooking meals at home. Making matters worse, the directions are ambiguous and our attention spans do not have the capacity to decipher culinary code come dinner.

It's perfectly understandable why we so often say “screw it” and opt for takeout, but there is a way to take the tedium out of cooking for yourself.

Basics.

Whether we are learning to ride a bike or learning a new language, we always begin with the fundamentals of the pursued subject. Over time, we build upon these fundamentals in order to excel. Why not approach the daily chore of cooking with the same methodology?

Here is where we run into trouble. We try to follow recipes. But, recipes are NOT the building blocks of learning to cooking well.

So what is a good starting point?

Salt and Pepper. Really.

Perhaps you now feel like reading this was a waste of time, but consider this:

Your taste buds collect information about the food you eat, information which is then sent to your brain. Over time, as your brain gathers more and more information about the foods you eat, your sense of taste changes. You've heard the expression a “mature palate”? With the expansion of information that is entered into the “food database” section of your brain, the sharper your ability becomes to detect subtle ranges of textures and flavors. Think of it as a form of conditioning, and what better place to begin than with the basis of all seasoning: salt and pepper.

Smell, taste, touch your food as you cook it, and take note. Take a spoonful and sprinkle a pinch of salt and notice how it changes the character of what you are eating. Try it next with just pepper, and from there, experiment with varying proportions of both. Think of it as a fun science experiment, the result of which will nourish your body. As you begin to develop a sense of proper amounts of seasoning, start to incorporate other types of spices, one by one. Invest in the daily practice of tasting and seasoning your food and you will draw a means of exploration and creativity from your once dormant kitchen.

If we take an elementary approach to our daily chores, we can not only save time and money, but help tame our recurring frustrations with quotidian life. But I digress.

Seasoning.

Invite your taste buds to a dance party. A salty one.

Now this is starting to sound gross...To the kitchen!