This week I want to talk about how I look at progressing with your cooking abilities as a whole. To properly explain this idea, I need to give you a little background on where it comes from first.
Way Back When...
My philosophy on trying to master any cooking technique has been influenced by the time I spent studying Aikido (a defense based martial art) back in 2008-9. Studying Aikido is similar to learning how to cook because it has overall philosophies and is made up of lots of individual moves. Like cooking, the more you refine each move, the more fluidly and accurately you are able to execute them no matter the situation (or ingredient you are working with). In Aikido this was taught to me as a "Beads on a String" philosophy and it certainly applies to learning and improving your own cooking!
The Wisdom in a Bead
Imagine any move or technique in cooking (or Aikido) as a string where you start at one end and finish at the other. There are plenty of tiny moves (beads) that make up the whole process (the string). When you first begin you may only be able to focus on the large moves (Cut, Sear, Plate) but as you learn more and more, you begin to focus on and refine all the little moves in between (Peel efficiently, properly slice/dice, heat the pan to the right temp, use the proper amount of oil, season appropriately and accurately, use good sautéing motion, cook to exact temp, plate beautifully and quickly, etc). So when you begin, you have a few beads on your string and as you learn more and more, you slowly fill out the space between each initial bead (cut, sear, plate) with more beads (see list above) as you refine every tiny move along the process thus making the entire process smoother, more efficient, and more accurate.
Parts Make Up the Whole
I've said many times that cooking is just a ton of little tiny skills rolled into one overall activity called cooking. When you focus on each of these tiny little skills, they combine to form the overall idea of "being good at cooking". That's why I can be good at so many things in cooking and respected as a "Chef" (whatever that means;)) and still be a novice at things I haven't seen or worked on perfecting. It's all about keeping a learning mindset because you will never be "done" learning how to cook because there will always be more to learn and refine. But focusing on each little skill will add to your abilities in the kitchen and thus make your food better as a whole.
Kai-Zen
This may also be why so many of the best cooks I know keep a self-deprecating mindset, so no matter what they do well, they stay humble and keep improving constantly. There is a Japanese philosophy, Kai-Zen, that describes this idea of Consistent Incremental Improvement in every aspect of what you do. When you apply this idea to cooking, it will help keep you working on becoming better and better at every aspect of cooking (and maybe beyond). This goes back to one of my original posts about never being able to cook perfectly because "perfect" food doesn't exist, only the attempt to improve.
Old Kitchen Wisdom
This idea of learning every little aspect of any technique in the kitchen is expressed in one of the old axioms I heard somewhere in culinary school, "You don't know how to do anything until you do it 1000 times." To me, this just means that you have filled out your string to a pretty great extent and you really and truly understand every little part of what you are doing. It's not about the amount of times you do something, but the amount of attention you place on every little aspect of it and the skill you have for each aspect.
Little by little we all get better! And now you can have this idea running in the background as you work to improve at all the little skills throughout cooking!
Since the time for cookouts and picnics has arrived, i'm sharing a perfect, simple coleslaw recipe with you. It's delicious on top of a grilled sausage, nestled on a plate between bbq ribs and mac 'n cheese or even as a side for a crispy piece of fish. And remember, it doesn't have to be perfect to be delicious. This is a great place to practice some of the beads on your string, knife skills! See how finely you can shred the cabbage using just your (sharpened) chef's knife. And to add another bead on your string, you can make this coleslaw your own. When you're tasting it, taste for individual flavors, taste for salt, taste for acidity, taste for spice, taste for sweetness, taste for mayo, taste for carrot, taste for onion if you'd like...add some! Make this your own because recipes are just a rough guide and you can send it in an infinite number of directions! Wanna make a curry slaw? Add some curry powder! And if you want to take this one step further, come check out my Essential Series and i'll show you how you can become your own Master Chef!
Cookout Coleslaw
yields 4 quarts
1.5 cups Mayo
1/2 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
6 tablespoons Lemon Juice
1.5 tablespoons Salt
1 teaspoon Cayenne
1.5 tablespoons Celery Seed
1/4 cup Dijon Mustard
1/4 cup Sugar
4 quarts Cabbage, thinly sliced
2 cups Carrots, grated
Whisk all the dressing ingredients together until smooth then mix with the veggies. Taste and adjust how YOU want to make YOUR tastebuds happy!
Happy Cooking Y'all!!
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