June 05, 2004
The Chicken and the Egg
 I've been slaving over a first post for a few days,
when I realized what I was lacking was a bit of
introduction.
I began cooking when I was twelve years old. I can remember my Mom
calling from work and asking me to put some chicken in the oven (she
had already prepared it) after school one day. It was the first time
I had ever used the oven, and I was scared to death that I would
burn down the house.
When the chicken came out golden and crispy later, I was hooked. The
next thing I remember learning was scrambled eggs. I learned very
quickly that one of the secrets to great scrambled eggs was to keep
them moving in the pan so that they didn't just sit in the pan and
cook flat. After that, I quickly became the week day cook at home,
and continued cooking regularly when I moved out on my own.
I started cooking professionally about six years ago. The transition
from "cook at home" to "professional cook" is not an easy one.
Suddenly, you have to plan out a lot of food on a very strict time
table. It's like planning out a major party on a daily basis.
Many of the techniques I had learned at home were still applicable
though, and I learned even more from a great lady named Georgette
who trained me in those first chaotic weeks. Most of these
techniques are so simple, they usually go unmentioned (like never
flip a burger more than once) yet I know many people who cook
regularly and have never learned them. I'm going to share as many of
these as I can, as we go along here, so those of you who are
experienced cooks/chefs may have to bear with me at times.
I'll also be sharing my more original recipes, but only after I feel
that they've been perfected enough in writing to reproduce them
accurately.
posted by John at 10:04 AM
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