Revelations

    I have some goals I want to achieve while in culinary school.  And I am already starting to develop some of them.  I hoped that I would acquire more patience as it is one of my major weaknesses.  

     Cooking requires much patience if you want to come out with a positive product you can be proud to present to others.  There is great attention to detail.  For example, you must strain sauces through a fine mesh called a chinois if you want the most velvety and blemish free sauce.  Believe me, after spending an hour on a sauce, you do not want to skimp on this step.  Sometimes multiple times.  Also, I have learned to be slow and methodical to produce the most consistent cuts so everything is cooked evenly.  It's not just for looks.  

     The most important step in cooking is the mise en place, "everything in it's place.  This is where you gather all the ingredients and equipment you will need before you even start cooking.  I am the worst offender when it comes to starting a recipe and then realizing I don't have what I need.  I would end up improvising.  I thought this was being creative but no, I'm just sloppy.  Or how about sweating onions while I'm still chopping the garlic.

    I have learned to have a greater respect for food.  You must not casually toss food about but gingerly set them down like you would a treasured piece of jewelry or your favorite nephew.  After a week trussing and fabricating chicken, I have greater respect for the ubiquitous fowl.  I handle the bird with much love.  It's still not my favorite meat, but perhaps that is due to my neophyte skills. 

    Cooking used to be a chore.  Just get something to fill the void in your stomach after a long, hard day at work.  Now, I find myself roasting a chicken and making stock on a Wednesday night!