elevate Your Cooking With these 3 Skills.

Cooking, I believed well into my 20s, was a feminine activity. It was a chore that traditional women were forced to do and one my strong feminist spirit rejected wholly.

When I moved away from my mother’s devoted compulsion to feed me, it was necessity that drove me into the kitchen but rarely. A dish of hummus for a potluck, a cool yogurt dip to accompany my Pakistani friend’s fiery mutton curry, and an ambitious attempt to braise a lamb shoulder for a girls’ night in, were the only highlights of my cooking endeavors.

It was my marriage that transformed the necessity into a love. What began as a leisurely pursuit of trying my hand at making dinner to pass my time turned into an adventure. Could I replicate the scalloped potato casserole on the cover of Saveur magazine or that Ceasar salad my husband had gushed over?

The marriage burnt to a crisp, but the hobby it had stoked, grew into a rich and bountiful relationship—one that I nurtured and that, in return, has fed many different aspects of myself.

For the first few months after I started cooking, intimidation kept me firmly tethered to the recipe’s structure. The chipotle sauce must be exactly 1 tbsp, diced meant just that and not roughly chopped, onions must be stirred until exactly translucent (I admit googling a picture to make sure).  When the dish was close to being done, anxiety and excitement, like a nervous father, made me peek inside the oven door or under the lid every five minutes.

Many disasters followed. One day, it was a burnt casserole. Or another dinner of dry fish that couldn’t be salvaged even with copious amounts of salsa verde. Al dente pasta continued to elude my kitchen. Instead, exasperation at the wasted time, money, and effort was plentiful.

The catastrophes were thankfully peppered with some surprising successes: a dish would turn out even better than the one I was trying to recreate, the sour of the lime and the fire of the red chili flakes cut the sweetness of the mango just perfectly and yes, oh yes, guacamole and radish were surprisingly good partners.

Genuine praise and encouragement fueled my fire to try new dishes and cuisines, and soon I began to greedily amass a recipe fortune. Each trip to the bookstore or to a foreign land brought back cookbooks that were stuffed with even more notes of hastily scribbled recipes. 

Over the past six years, two experiences made me realize that what makes a good cook into a great one is neither the perfect recipe nor the desire to cook.

One of those events was failing health which began with digestive distress. The second was my decision to undertake a sabbatical journey.

Frequent travels and changes of residence forced me to relinquish the treasure of my accumulated recipes. However, this perceived loss cultivated qualities that have not only helped me in the kitchen but in my life outside of it too.

Being away from the comfort of my home and kitchen, unarmed with a recipe book, forced me to make do with what I could find in the local market or in someone else’s pantry. Health problems left me with no choice but to cook my food and take it with me whenever I could.  

What I learned from these experiences was that developing three qualities in the kitchen can make anyone a well-seasoned cook:

Willingness:

Why cook? To save money for starters. But even if this isn't much of a concern for you, being able to control the quality of your meals is comforting and essential for long-term health (as a nutritionist, I hope most of your meals fulfill your nutritional needs!).

It’s not a prerequisite to have any skill in cooking before you begin. All you need is a little bit of willingness to try if the benefits are appealing. Once you start, keep practicing. Start with easy recipes and commit to making at least one meal a day. If your dish ends up in the bin, don’t quit. Pay attention to what went awry and try again.

In time, your consistent efforts will teach you two very important skills: an intuitive sense of what role a specific ingredient plays and increased efficiency in time and ingredient management.

Planning

For at least a year while experiencing serious health problems, I took extra care of my diet. I paid careful attention not only to what I ate but also to when and how much. Waiting until the last minute to figure out what I was going to eat wasn’t an option for me, so I started planning at least two days in advance.

It is important to cultivate this skill because the effort you put into organizing your healthy meals, even if you don't have any serious health concerns, will bring about increased energy, better digestion, and your ideal weight.

Look ahead, figure out which meals you need to plan for, and buy your groceries in advance. Using the same ingredient in more than one dish not only saves you prep time but also stretches your dollar. For example, red peppers go well in a salad, black bean stew, or as a side to chicken, fish or poached egg. Do your washing, chopping, and marinating before you need to cook.

When you begin, account for all the dishes you are making and what ingredients you need. Organize them and have them within easy reach. 

The last thing - pre-pack your meals. You will appreciate even the extra five minutes you just saved when you're rushing out to work.

Flexibility

By far, the willingness to practice flexibility has been the most versatile tool in my cooking kit. I may start a dish with an idea of what it should taste and look like. It doesn't always turn out that way.

Letting go of disappointment and irritation if the dish is not good, allows me to see clearly what I can adjust now and in the future. This resilience has also added to my confidence to personalize a recipe to accommodate my tastes and health needs.

A flexible attitude and sense of adventure have helped me learn new skills, trust in my ability to make do with what I have, and keep extending my comfort zone.

My relationship with cooking has matured in many ways from that time long ago when I perceived it to be a self-limiting chore. That belief has transformed into a deep respect for the earth, for the farmers who provide us with the food that sustains our lives, and for the power that food has to energize and heal our bodies.

 The time I spend in my kitchen has also enriched my life outside of it. The simple act of moving from cupboard to fridge, sink, and stove to wash, chop, and cook strengthens my capacity to be fully present with what is happening in that moment.

By doing so, I can see that it is the simple things in life that bring me joy; sharing a nourishing meal with a loved one or a stranger, showing gratitude toward those who feed me (thank you Mom!) or have sheltered me in times of need, the time we make to sit at a table for a meal, and stories with friends and family are the flavours that enhance my life every day.

I hope you too can make the time to nurture yourself and your loved ones with nutritious home-cooked meals that bring you joy, health, and happiness.