Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Connecting with Your Kitchen

A really good cook always has an intimate relationship with every corner of their kitchen.
There's an order with the food that comes and goes. A natural place of things needed; when and where they need to be used. Mugs next to the coffee pot. Glasses next to the frig. Utensils next to the stove. A flow of need and use. Fresh produce comes in and gets washed and placed to ripen on the counter or ready in the frig. Meats get cut, possibly put to marinade or rubbed. Maybe some gets divided and frozen. Flour poured into airtight containers. Beans and rice lined up in jars.

It takes effort and the effort should make you feel good about what's going on in your kitchen. The movement and flow make it work for you. Small tasks you do when you come home from the market - wash and prep foods and get things set for the food you just bought that you're going to be cooking, doing these things up front sets the tone. Setting out a bowl of fruit that's inviting, not only looks pretty but will be calling your name as it ripens.

Use this time, it's not a monotonous chore, but a natural act of connecting with what your kitchen is going to do, a huge part of the relationship we need to forge. Think about what you want to take place there and the food you want to make and beautiful aromas it will bring.

Can you picture this life happening in your kitchen? Wouldn't it be nice?

You set the tone.

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