We’ve all been there; an underdone baked potato, an overcooked steak, or a tray of cookies that all melted into a single, frightening (but delicious) mass. If you’ve ever attempted more than a bowl of cereal, you’ve probably been there, too.
As someone who cooks frequently, I’ve been there more times than I care to admit. I’ve made bland soups, underdone pastries, burnt biscuits and doughy dumplings, too. But the one thing I haven’t done is give up.
When I became really interested in cooking during highschool, I had the passion but not the form. I would use too much heat when baking and cut vegetables into barbaric, uneven shapes. Often times it felt like I could barely follow a recipe and get passable results. I may not be perfect, or even great, but I like to think I’m at least “passable” these days.
I can confidently write my own recipes either off-the-cuff, or by glancing at recipes for the food I want to make. Once I have an idea of what to do and how to do it, I write up a recipe and change things as needed.
Of course, the results aren’t always great. But the important part isn’t getting it right the first time – it’s making it better next time. Even if you’re inexperienced and just want to flip an egg without breaking the yolk, perseverance is important.
Once you learn some basics and a few techniques, you’ll be surprised what you can make with a bit of practice.
And if you’re not interested in being Iron Chef material, that’s OK too; you can still apply your culinary drive to your morning eggs, and be better off for it. Like my good friend (who I’ve never met) Chef John might say, “never let the food win”.
One thing I haven’t mentioned yet is the relationship between failed recipes, bad food, and food waste. Since that’s worth its own discussion, I’ll be doing a post for that one week from now.
In the meantime, I hope my take on perseverance in the kitchen has helped motivate you, or has been insightful in some way. If this is your first time on my blog, I encourage you to check out my recipe archive to see just what perseverance can do.
Thanks for reading.
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