Cooking by Feel

This post is a bit different than the rest. No photos. No recipes. Just an idea.

When it comes down to it, cooking is about feeling – and to feel, one must sense. There is little thinking involved. Certainly, you can learn to cook by following steps, by reading books, and by watching your grandmother elicit extraordinary elixirs over the stove-top flame. There is, however, nothing more rewarding than knowing nothing about an ingredient and turning it into something remarkable – without the aid of anything but your own brain.

The only way to do this is to use your senses. Trust what your fingers, eyes, mouth, nose, and ears tell you. Use what knowledge you have, but do not depend on it. Instead, deduce what you can from what you’ve got. Taste it. Roll it through your fingers. Discern its qualities with your eyes. Smell it. Listen to how it reacts. Do these things at all stages of preparation, whether it be in its original raw state, its prepared state before cooking, its state while cooking, or its final condition. Keep notes if you must but never forget that it is the senses to which food appeals.

The only way to know what is appealing is to constantly evaluate ingredients and how they interact with each other. You cannot learn this from a book, your favorite food network star, or from me. You must know your own palate, and trust it wholly. Only then can you feel. Only then can you cook.