Background
Cooking is something that everyone encounters in their lifetime. Whether that be whipping up a quick, one-pot meal on a busy weekday evening or a long full-day cooking session, cooking is a shared experience among humans. While some of us may claim to be bad and others are self-proclaimed Gordon Ramsays, everyone does a little bit of cooking. Today, I'll be attempting to share a little bit of my cooking experience with you.
I grew up in a family with a knack for cooking. My grandmom and mom both love to cook and that is one of their main ways of showing love. They both spend hours a day in the kitchen, pouring their heart into making something delicious for us. I tried baking when I was in middle school and absolutely loved it. Soon I started cooking meals too which was also a blast and since then, I've loved cooking for others. Whether it's for my girlfriend or family, cooking is also one way I show love to the people around me.
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Experiences
I don't really have a preference when it comes to cooking since I love eating any cuisine but I usually end up cooking something Asian, particularly Chinese food. However, Chinese food is kind of an antithesis to me because I don't enjoy prep work like washing and cutting things and Chinse food has a lot of that. Instead, I prefer to spend my time actually cooking things like frying or braising things.
I find that cooking is basically all about personal preference. Different people have different palates and tastes so it's really all about what you as a chef want. Do you like strong, heavy flavors or are you more of a delicate and light tasting person? There is a reason why chefs say that cooking is expressing themselves on a plate and it's because this is what their palate looks like.
One thing that has really helped me to learn to enjoy cooking is taking my time. While I know that this is not always going to happen, I would recommend everyone to trying cooking with a friend or loved one on a weekend or a day with more time. When I'm able to take things slow and enjoy my time, I find that I can really appreciate each step, ingredient, and flavor of what I'm making.