We're all different. No two individuals are exactly alike;
however, there are some general categories that seem to
hold true. For instance, there are the Morning People and
the Night People. I am definitely of the latter variety.
About 9:00 p.m. something kicks into gear—a burst of
energy, creativity, and feeling totally alive—and I
could work until daylight, and have done so many times.
Mornings are an entirely different story—for the
first 30 minutes of the day I hardly know which planet I'm
on. There are some Morning People in my family. They awake
with the birds, happy, cheerful, and ready to meet the day
with a smile—it's disgusting! Suffice it to say, we
just don't understand each other.
In the culinary category there are also two basic classes
of people as I see it: the Bakers and the Cooks. Baking is
a very precise science. Flour, sugar, salt, baking powder,
soda, milk, buttermilk, flavorings, shortening, oil, butter
or other ingredients are used in a variety of ways in baked
goods recipes, but they interact with each other in very
specific ways. Measurements have to be precise or it's
disasterville in the kitchen. Commercial bakers even weigh
their ingredients to assure they're using just the right
amount. Cookbooks have recipes that are tested and
re-tested until the directions shown, if followed, will
result in a tasty dish. There is very little room for
personal variations unless the baker has a great deal of
experience. When we see a famous chef on TV appearing to
simply mix in this and that in a somewhat carefree manner,
it's just because he or she has put in a great deal of time
learning basic measurements and techniques that yield that
mouth-watering masterpiece.
Although I can turn out a good cake or pie when I have to,
it's not what I enjoy most. A few of my baking experiments
have yielded some "interesting" results, like the time I
thought I'd vary a mini-chocolate cupcake recipe. I added
some extra chocolate, filled the cupcakes with raspberry
jam to which I had added raspberry liqueur, and just knew I
had created little masterpieces. What I took out of the
oven was a pan full of mini-disasters that resembled lumps
of coal! So much for baking innovation.
Apart from my creative baking experiments, there's the
whole other category of baking blunders. Recently, I
prepared a batch of cranberry-orange muffins to thank a
friend for his help with a computer problem. When he took
the first bite, I knew something was definitely amiss by
the scrunched up look on this face. He ran for the kitchen
garbage can, spit out the offending mouthful and said,
"Sorry, but that tasted terrible!" As I looked at the
recipe again it dawned on me that in my haste to get the
muffins in the oven before he arrived I had forgotten one
very vital ingredient—sugar! This was another
reminder to me that baking is a precise science that
requires careful attention. If one ingredient isn't
measured correctly or, in this case ignored, the result can
be completely inedible.
On the other hand, there's COOKING, which I love! I'm
fascinated with creating new recipes, varying others to
make them look and taste just a bit different, or using
ingredients in new ways.
For instance, take that good old American standby, potato
salad. Most of us have our favorite recipe, but have you
ever thought of some ways to vary your version? Take
potatoes, the main ingredient. Do you go with Russet,
Yukon Gold, White Rose, Baby Reds, or some of the more than
40 other less known varieties that are grown? And what
about the onion family? We have lots of choices there too:
white, sweet, and red onions, scallions, chives, or
shallots, to name a few. Dressings are another story. Some
people prefer mayonnaise; others, salad dressing, a creamy
sour cream mixture, French dressing or a light vinaigrette.
Then there are the add-ins, which can vary greatly. Some
people don't consider it a real potato salad without the
addition of chopped, hard-cooked eggs. Others prefer
crumbled bacon bits, chopped pickles, sweet relish, or a
variety of crisp vegetables. You get the idea—with
cooking, there's room for innovation, and that sparks the
creative side of me.
I am definitely a Cook as opposed to the esteemed title of
Baker. My motto is, "a pinch of this, a smidge of that, a
little bit of that spice to kick up the flavor, and don't
forget the lemon zest."
Which kind of culinary aficionado are you—a Baker or
a Cook?
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Jeff Gustafson and MyHATT, An international dinner club
concept where people get to know people one bite at a
time...thank you to Arlene Hawkinson for her contribution
and my entire MyHATT staff for the educational content for
world culture, the history, world traditions, the
international menus for this wondeful family activity
website...
http://www.myhatt.com
