Thursday, February 3, 2011

Anyone can cook.

So, I've officially made four bread recipes now, and I'm proud to announce that I haven't screwed up any of them! That means if any of you are considering making your own bread, too, you can take heart in the fact that it's easy enough even for me. Said by the girl whose mom did not allow her within 10 feet of the kitchen. Said by the girl who never made a single grilled cheese sandwich until she was 15.

(Hear that? It's the sound of everyone's egos growing a few inches taller. I heart self-esteem! Whoo!)

But let's be serious now. A lot of people think making your own food is hard. Well, I am here to tell you it is NOT. It is, however:

Time-consuming.

Fun.

Rewarding.

Healthier.

Scary (sometimes).

A good teaching tool.

Yes, some aspects of food preparation are more difficult than others. For instance, I do not know how to make a roux. But I bet I could learn, because anyone can follow a simple recipe. And do you know what we have today that our mothers didn't have?

GOOGLE. Teh Internetz.

So awesome! I can open Google, type "how to make a roux" and this will come up:

Melt 1/2 cup (unless a specific amount is called for) of butter, shortening, oil, or other fat in a heavy skillet over very low heat.

Gradually sprinkle the hot melted fat with the same proportion of flour and immediately begin stirring.


Stir the mixture constantly until it reaches the desired color, which may take from 15 to 30 minutes.


Remove from the heat and continue stirring until it has cooled down a bit and there's no risk of burning.

Add herbs, vegetables, or whatever your recipe calls for or store roux tightly covered in the refrigerator for later use.


And you see, kids? That is why cooking is not hard. Because if a girl who could barely boil water when she got married can crank out fresh loaves of whole wheat bread simply by following a recipe, then so can you! (Or a cavewoman!)

All you need to be able to do is read, which I am going to rightfully assume you all can. Since this is a blog.

As the great (fictional) Chef Gusteau said in the freaking cute Pixar movie Ratatouille ...




"Anyone can cook."

7 comments:

  1. Oh I can make a seven course meal that would reduce Paula Dean to a buttery puddle of tears...my cookies are God's gift to man (and woman) and I can whip up appetizers worthy of a White House Soiree...

    ...but put me in the same room as yeast and the world will surely implode.

    So you have my deepest respect oh Jenna, Master of Baking!

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  2. I think I need to google, "What is is roux?"

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  3. A roux, as my Granny would say (may she RIP) is "your basic white sauce."

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  4. I LOVE Ratatouille (the movie.) And I also love you. Thanks for inspiring me to be a better housewife!!! I want to eat healthier and I want my kid to eat healthy too, so I need to start NOW! I really am going to try my hand at bread (the easy kind, with instant yeast and an oven!) and see what happens.

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  5. I don't love to cook, even though I seem to be pretty good at it... however, I DO love to bake. I actually haven't ever made wheat bread before, but you've inspired me and now I have to. After I make the cinnamon bread recipe I just found that is...:)

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  6. I skipped over from cjane and wanted to tell you I loved your comment :) I too married a few days after I turned 20. My mother felt it was too young (even though she had me at 18!) Yet my life is great, I've got a degree and four kids :)

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  7. you are a DOer miss jenna. i like that.

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I like feedback almost as much as I like food.