If chefs can make an array of sumptuous meals upon request and waitstaff can whisk away dirty dishes that you don’t have to wash, why bother to cook at home? Especially for you folks who can afford to eat out every night, why go through the effort of finding a recipe, shopping for ingredients, doing all the prep work, cooking the meal, and dealing with piles of dirty dishes?
Why not dine out or order in or pick up take out on the way home from work?
Two words: Control and independence
1. Control. When you cook, you control what goes into your meal and what doesn’t. When you order a meal at a restaurant, you are eating a meal you can’t control the contents of. So, if the chef loves to add lots of butter, even if you’re trying to cut back on extra fats, you don’t know how many tablespoons went into your “healthy” mashed potatoes. The sugar, the oils, the unnecessary additives, and preservatives that restaurants are putting into your meal are all things you can’t control. This means your body’s health is out of your hands at that point.
Furthermore, a lot of the food you’re getting at a restaurant is pre-made, pre-packaged, and/or made in massive amounts. This leads absolutely no handcrafted artistry to freshly julienned carrots, cuts of meat, or fluffy yet gooey molten chocolate cakes. Basically, your meal is nothing special. If you really want to get a meal that screams “Fresh! Quality! Handcrafted! Excellence!” you have to be willing to shell out some dough for chefs with true skills who can masterfully execute a well-planned meal.
2. Independence. Perchance a zombie apocalypse occurs and you are forced to feed yourself, you will not, in all likelihood, have the luxury of restaurants, personal chefs, or access to meals beyond prepackaged goods in the abandoned grocery stores. If you can’t at least make a grilled cheese sandwich, you will starve and the zombies will eat you. Granted, that’s an extreme situation. However, there is something very admirable about someone who has the skills to feed themselves without relying on the cooking abilities of Boston Market, KFC, or Olive Garden.
Anyone can order take out. Anyone can buy a meal a restaurant. It doesn’t take any amount of talent. But not just anyone can make a tender beef stew or roast a flavorful chicken or bake flurry, moist muffins. Or can they?
Actually, I think you can. Yes, you, the person currently hunched in your chair with way too many Firefox tabs open and a true appreciation for ice cream with little bits of goodness blended in. The only thing keeping you from being independent in your cooking is your hesitance to risk failure by trying a new recipe. But, who wants to try a recipe that might end in a completely inedible mess?
Good news, you’ve got this site. And me, your guinea cook/baker/guide. So, let’s get to it and make some food that you can control ingredients of and that you can make all by yourself. Well, no need to cook alone. Grab a friend. Make a friend. And get in the kitchen. We’ve got food to make!
