Get Rid of Your Kitchen Appliances
I love my clutter-free kitchen and the simplicity of food. People generally overcomplicate cooking. They burn one side of their Kraft Singles grilled cheese and accept their fate. As a result, many choose to buy bulky appliances that litter their cabinets and countertops to aid in their culinary endeavors. I compare this to using a crutch to walk when your legs work perfectly fine.
Cooking doesn’t require a million and one appliances, especially those with only one function. I spent the better part of my adult life cooking professionally, working my way up the ladder of that brutal industry. When serving hundreds of people daily, those handy appliances are necessary. But what if you live alone, like me? Perhaps you live with a partner. All that extra stuff is not needed!
I grew up watching cooking shows with my grandparents, but one performance stood out in particular: Julia Child’s “The French Chef.”
Julia Child was the legendary chef who popularized cable TV cooking that we all know and love today. Back when she was airing on black and white TV in the 60s, kitchen appliances were obviously not what they are today. Instead, she used classic French culinary techniques with standard household equipment to produce exquisite home-cooked meals.
It was one of my favorite cooking shows because Julia made mistakes on camera. She always gracefully recovered and sometimes would giggle to herself.
What can we learn from her?
Well, a ton.
The biggest takeaways are: learning the basics of cooking using essential equipment and having fun with it!
Start small, like a simple omelet or the perfect scrambled eggs. Learn how to cook rice in a pot instead of a dedicated rice cooker. Bake a potato!
I once worked with a chef who owned only one knife: a large Chinese cleaver. It was a stark contrast to the rest of us, the American culinary school alumnus with the 27-slot knife rolls. He used his trusty cleaver with sleek precision, from cutting vegetables to fileting fish or breaking down a side of beef. Guys like me had a separate knife delegated to each task.
Next time you’re in the kitchen, try this: grab one pan and do all of your cooking in it. This will be a challenge for some, but that one pan can take you across the world in flavor. There are endless things you can cook with just a cast iron pan — if you know what to do with it.
Cook more with less.
Stay spicy out there, friends.
“I think every woman should have a blowtorch.”
— Julia Child
