Comments on: How to Cook, Not How to Eat http://www.girldetective.net/?p=2431 Reading, Writing, Movies and Mothering in Minneapolis, Mostly Mon, 11 May 2026 23:37:45 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: Kate http://www.girldetective.net/?p=2431&cpage=1#comment-16947 Kate Tue, 11 Aug 2009 13:13:59 +0000 http://www.girldetective.net/?p=2431#comment-16947 Wow. That was a perfect description of dinner time, no matter how early I start. And hysterical--"sometimes involving string cheese, for sadistic consumers." Last night, however, the little guy danced and sang songs for the baby so I could at least get the beets in foil on the grill before I started negotiating/nursing. Add that to the challenge, I think--your cooking may be interrupted at anytime, for any length of time. Keep the food from burning/undercooking/developing bacteria during the interruption. And a reverse Simpons quote--you ALWAYS make friends with bacon. Wow. That was a perfect description of dinner time, no matter how early I start. And hysterical–”sometimes involving string cheese, for sadistic consumers.”

Last night, however, the little guy danced and sang songs for the baby so I could at least get the beets in foil on the grill before I started negotiating/nursing. Add that to the challenge, I think–your cooking may be interrupted at anytime, for any length of time. Keep the food from burning/undercooking/developing bacteria during the interruption.

And a reverse Simpons quote–you ALWAYS make friends with bacon.

]]> By: Steph http://www.girldetective.net/?p=2431&cpage=1#comment-16945 Steph Mon, 10 Aug 2009 21:39:40 +0000 http://www.girldetective.net/?p=2431#comment-16945 Great post! I generally do like to cook, but I don't actually find Top Chef a deterrent to me trying to improve my moves in the kitchen. Yes it makes me want to go out and experience food prepared by those who are top in their trade, but it also makes me more excited to try things out, and I think I've become more adventurous in terms of what I do attempt in the kitchen. I think there are plenty of great cooking shows out there that are "how to" guides that help us see that cooking is do-able, but I think Top Chef is great because it helps show how cooking can be more than just getting food onto a plate and how cooking can actually be fun and exciting! If you're looking for another great recipe book that's focused at busy real-life cooks, I highly recommend Great Food Fast, which is a product of Martha Stewart's Everyday Living, I believe. I bought it a few weeks ago and it has REALLY spruced up my meals, and I've found it quite inspiring. It's given me tons of ideas for food that looks pretty up-scale, but is actually really easy to pull together, and most of the recipes call for a small number of ingredients, which you will likely have on hand already. Two other big pluses: 1) The recipes are divided into sections based on season, so that you're able to plan your meals around products that are in season at the time; 2) EVERY recipe has a gorgeous picture to accompany it, which is a must in my book! Great post! I generally do like to cook, but I don’t actually find Top Chef a deterrent to me trying to improve my moves in the kitchen. Yes it makes me want to go out and experience food prepared by those who are top in their trade, but it also makes me more excited to try things out, and I think I’ve become more adventurous in terms of what I do attempt in the kitchen. I think there are plenty of great cooking shows out there that are “how to” guides that help us see that cooking is do-able, but I think Top Chef is great because it helps show how cooking can be more than just getting food onto a plate and how cooking can actually be fun and exciting!

If you’re looking for another great recipe book that’s focused at busy real-life cooks, I highly recommend Great Food Fast, which is a product of Martha Stewart’s Everyday Living, I believe. I bought it a few weeks ago and it has REALLY spruced up my meals, and I’ve found it quite inspiring. It’s given me tons of ideas for food that looks pretty up-scale, but is actually really easy to pull together, and most of the recipes call for a small number of ingredients, which you will likely have on hand already. Two other big pluses: 1) The recipes are divided into sections based on season, so that you’re able to plan your meals around products that are in season at the time; 2) EVERY recipe has a gorgeous picture to accompany it, which is a must in my book!

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