@1humblepalateMost people are under the impression that great food is found only in an establishment where people get paid to do just that: make great food.
But some of our best food memories, if we look back, come from the kitchens we grew up in or had access to through our moms, grandmas, aunts and guardians. The one thing I admire about the oumas and the memes was that they took seemingly mundane, ordinary ingredients and made magic.
My mom wasn’t making Michelin-starred meals as we grew up, but that woman’s oxtail stew is like no other. I literally don’t cook oxtail because I feel like I would spoil it for myself, so I always connive to get her to visit and make me some so I can freeze it. Sometimes it works.
Being a great cook at home is all about paying attention to how flavours work together and how you can elevate a simple dish to new heights. This doesn’t just happen on a whim. There are no foodie fairies waiting to dust you with magic food skills. Investing in wanting to be better is essential, just as with any other skill you’re going to learn. I don’t imagine Lionel Messi became one of the best footballers in the world from the comfort of his couch, sighing and wishing for what he wanted to achieve. You have to put in the work.
Learn the basics to get yourself going. I’m guessing you can boil water to make tea or boil an egg without burning the house down. If not, start there. There are various cooking methods that you can use to prepare food. Learn how to fry, steam, roast, bake and grill, and how stewing and poaching (not the animal kind – we don’t do that here!) are useful. You need to understand what all these things are.
Experimentation is essential if you want to become a great cook. You are going to put things together that might be horrendous. It’s bound to happen, but keep trying and learning. Mix things, combine flavours, add, subtract. Use your imagination. Squeezing grapefruit juice into cupcake batter didn’t work well for me that one time, but when I learned how to balance liquids and flavours, I ended up making one of my favourite go-to home bakes.
Have no fear, as this will hinder you from breaking out of your mould. Feel free to take yesterday’s leftovers to make a completely new dish. Leftover boiled potatoes? Mash them up, add butter, garlic, black pepper and mixed herbs, and boom. What about the rice from two days ago? Fry some onions, add some mixed veg, toss some garlic into a pan, throw the rice in and add an egg, and you have egg-fried rice.
Copy and paste will get you there faster. Seeing what others are doing and recreating that in your own kitchen doesn’t only give you the confidence to do more, but increases your knowledge base. Imagine learning a few recipes and techniques from different people either on TV or social media — soon you’ll have a whole collection. We should all move from just boiling green beans in water and serving them on a plate. How about boiling the beans ever so slightly, then adding them to a hot pan with a bit of butter or oil, frying them with black pepper, some mixed herbs and salt, and adding a squeeze of lemon at the end. I don’t just boil my veggies any more. They need character and, besides, butter makes everything better.
Develop a passion for food and for feeding others. Food is more enjoyable when you put your whole heart into it. What separates home cooks from ‘good’ home cooks is that the former cook as a chore, while the latter cook to please those they cook for. I cook relatively well when cooking for myself, but when I’m cooking for others, I always aim to bring my A-game. The smiles that come from full bellies are really rewarding.
Enjoy home cooking and share your whacky recipes with friends.
– @1humblepalate is a food experience blog dedicated to
contemporary Namibian cuisine.
