Can You Learn To Cook From A Book
Wednesday, December 05, 2007 Filed in: People
Nearly every married couple has at least one
cookbook. Do great chefs learn to cook from a book?
Or, is there a better way?
It doesn't take much to cook these days. Buy box of microwave macaroni and cheese, add some water, push a button, and a minute or so later, you're a cook.
By that notion, it doesn't take much to become a cook. Can you learn to cook from a book? Will a cook book make a cook better? I don't think so.
Some cookes may improve by studying a cook book, but there's no guarantee that improvement comes merely by reading a good cook book.
Think about it. How does a person become a professional golfer? First, someone teaches them the basics of golf and gets them onto a golf course, preferably when they're young. After that, the first requirement is to hit a lot of golf balls.
But many golf balls hit does not another Tiger Woods make. Along the way, someone else is required to observe the prodigy golfer, analyze, teach, measure performance, instruct, and inspire. Then, assuming there's also a healthy does of talent mixed into the genes, the young golfer may improve to the point of competition.
Who competes in cooking? Cooks? Baked beans, cakes, and bar-b-q sauce, maybe. It's not like there's a national contest to see who's the best cook in America. Besides, men would always win. Women are too emotional and competitive and steal recipes. Men are original cooks.
In summary, a cook book does not a good cook make. It's a start, yes. Good cooks, chefs, are born with taste and flair and talent and a desire to create a mouth watering feast of culinary delights. They are diven by the passion of food and taste combinations for which the average American housewife, the family cook, the one who serves Mac Cheese and calls it dinner, will never fully understand.
It doesn't take much to cook these days. Buy box of microwave macaroni and cheese, add some water, push a button, and a minute or so later, you're a cook.
By that notion, it doesn't take much to become a cook. Can you learn to cook from a book? Will a cook book make a cook better? I don't think so.
Some cookes may improve by studying a cook book, but there's no guarantee that improvement comes merely by reading a good cook book.
Think about it. How does a person become a professional golfer? First, someone teaches them the basics of golf and gets them onto a golf course, preferably when they're young. After that, the first requirement is to hit a lot of golf balls.
But many golf balls hit does not another Tiger Woods make. Along the way, someone else is required to observe the prodigy golfer, analyze, teach, measure performance, instruct, and inspire. Then, assuming there's also a healthy does of talent mixed into the genes, the young golfer may improve to the point of competition.
Who competes in cooking? Cooks? Baked beans, cakes, and bar-b-q sauce, maybe. It's not like there's a national contest to see who's the best cook in America. Besides, men would always win. Women are too emotional and competitive and steal recipes. Men are original cooks.
In summary, a cook book does not a good cook make. It's a start, yes. Good cooks, chefs, are born with taste and flair and talent and a desire to create a mouth watering feast of culinary delights. They are diven by the passion of food and taste combinations for which the average American housewife, the family cook, the one who serves Mac Cheese and calls it dinner, will never fully understand.
