My name is Laurie. I’m 26 years old, and I just started cooking last month. I’d been watching the Food Network almost exclusively for, oh, six months or so, and finally said to myself, “You know, I bet I could do that.” Even though I’ve never cooked, and have been known to fuck up boxed Mac’n'Cheese. But, you know, I’m not half bad. And it’s become something of an obsession for me…I had no idea I could earn this much pride and enjoyment through chopping and simmering and cooking like this.
I only work with what I have. I haven’t invested in fancy pots and pans, nor do I have excellent knives or a splendid set of utensils. I live with my boyfriend and use only what he had before I came along. Which, well, wasn’t much. I have some mismatched pots, some lids that, at one time, probably had little pot families that they belonged to, but are now just renegades. I have one nice, deep skillet and a set of so-so knives. I had to buy a cutting board, a measuring cup, measuring spoons, wooden spoons and scrapers before I could do anything. My first trip to the grocery store, for my first meal ever (Incidentally, the photo on the header is of my first meal. Yeah, I took a picture. So what.), totaled over eighty dollars. I needed every, single, solitary, stupid thing in the recipe list. Spices, the aforementioned accouterments, cheeses, meats….You name it, I had to buy it.
Because I’m still new, and not yet prepared to dive head-first into kitchen-appliance purchses, I have to skip meals that require a food processor or anything, really, beyond the basics.
The best way to cook, for me, is in solitude. Because there’s something about being in my kitchen, in our quiet house, with my music pumping through good speakers that just makes the whole thing so damn satisfying. I always have a glass of wine handy while I cook, and my cigarettes. (I don’t smoke over the pots, I promise.) I take all the time I need, careful to read the recipe over and over and over, and rarely ever complete a meal in the time the recipe says I will. But I don’t mind. I’m relaxed and happy and I forget about my boring job and my bills and the million little stresses of daily life.
With this blog, I’m trying to keep track of what I’ve done and want to do, but also of how I’ve progressed. I’m somewhat amazed at the changes in me, as a “cook,” in the small amount of time I’ve been doing this. I’m just more familiar with the terms and the times and the way certain things cook. Let’s hope I stay on track.
And, also, let’s hope I work with a full kitchen one day.
