Off Topic: Cooking

I’m a big believer in having lots of hobbies as a writer - or at least a couple of non-writing related pastimes. I find that it helps me get out of my own head.

Cooking is one of those hobbies for me. I started in high school with a passion for baking, but over the years it’s expanded into legit cooking. You won’t see any pictures on here of things I cook since my kitchen is a real, human kitchen, and not some professionally lit studio kitchen, but I think I’ve practiced my way into the title of Home Cook. I’m very fortunate that my husband is an enthusiastic eater who likes 99% of the things I make. In fact, I told him point blank the first time I cooked for him (white chili, with chocolate mousse for dessert) that if I ever cooked anything that he didn’t end up liking, he had to tell me or else I’d probably make it again, and then we’d be stuck in this cycle of well intended dishonesty. Seriously, if you don’t like the stuffed peppers, just tell me! I’m not married to the recipe!

My top favorite cookbooks all come from the America’s Test Kitchen brand. For years I would sit every Saturday and watch their shows on PBS, diligently noting their techniques. I love how their recipes often explain the science behind what works and what doesn’t, and their extensive testing methods. It is very rare (and often user error) when one of their recipes doesn’t work for me. The biggest driver in differing outcomes is that I have an electric stove and they cook with gas. Most of the time it doesn’t make a different, but for things like rice or fudge I have to following my own notes on cooking times. I highly recommend their Cook’s Country TV Show Cookbook, Baking Book, and their classic Cook’s Illustrated Cookbook with the pears on the dust jacket.

I also have a binder, where I keep recipes I’ve cut out from magazines in plastic sleeve protectors. These range from Cook’s Country (their magazine has recipes not always featured on the show), Martha Stewart recipes, and some from Bon Appetit when I subscribed several years ago. Many of these are so familiar I almost have them memorized, and only refer to the recipes for cook times. The Cook’s Country crockpot barbecue pulled chicken recipe I have pasted in there is a current favorite.

I am not one of those moms who lays out a perfectly curated home cooked meal every night for her family. I work full time so that’s not happening. And even if I did have the hours to spare I’m not sure I’d want to spend them on that every day. My children definitely eat more chicken nuggets and fish sticks than I would like (though not the homemade chicken nuggets I occasionally fry up! Oh no. They want the Tyson’s. My husband and I don’t mind, though. More for us!) and if I bake bread from scratch, it’s probably because I need to use up the bread flour before it expires. I’m big on make-ahead meals and saving leftovers for dinner the next day. But on a Saturday or holiday or just a long weekend, I find it extremely satisfying when I’ve planned out a meal and managed to time it so that all the components are ready at the same time. Like when the roast chicken finishes its resting period within minutes of the biscuits coming out of the oven. And if there’s homemade ice cream (preferably the toasted coconut ice cream from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz) in the freezer for later? Even better.

Do you cook at home? If so, are you a baker or grill-master, or something else? If you don’t enjoy cooking, what are your favorite restaurants you find yourself seeking out again and again? Let me know! I’m always on the lookout for good food!