Would You PLEASE Just Learn to Cook?
Before we dive in, here’s a word from our favorite chef, Chef Dan: You mean you don’t know how to cook? Isn’t it about time? With the recent shutdown, it has only reinforced the need for culinary skills. Cooking has been around since humans discovered fire. It was a staple in every home until modern food service came about. Since then, we have had a sharp increase in diet-based illnesses. Take control of your life by taking control of what you eat. It is a skill every person should have.
A Little Bit of History to Consider
Cooking at home has always been a part of family life. There’s archeological evidence that even suggests that cooking may have been invented as far back as 1.8 to 2.3 million years ago!
Cooking as we see it today was really developed back in 1825, when creating delicious dishes was finally seen as an art form, thanks to the book “The Physiology of Taste.” In this book, the author discussed how gastronomy should be considered, ““the intelligent knowledge of whatever concerns man’s nourishment.” It was something to be lauded across boundaries and generations.
Around the same time, two French chefs became the first to write recipes and bring structure to cooking. Marie-Antoine Careme first began to codify French la grande cuisine (classic French cuisine), followed by Auguste Escoffier simplified the style. This made cooking much simpler and easier to follow across generations.
Since that time, cooking for delight and health has seen many iterations. But today, we’ll admit that we’re not exactly pleased with how cooking from home looks today.
While two income homes are something to be proud of, the popularity of them means that less parents are staying home to cook for the family. Network television shows have catered to our need for constant stimuli by making cooking competitive, rather than teaching logical recipes to be recreated or techniques we can use at home. And as recently as 2017, the editor of Epicurious made waves when she told NPR’s Audie Cornish that “home cooking is dying.” She has a point!
Cooking Today
While segments of the restaurant industry are struggling because of more people eating at home, it’s important to note that that’s very different than cooking at home. Grocery-prepared meals, frozen food, and instant meals are all taking the lead. In fact, a 2014 study by the NPD Group found that, since 2001, under 60% of meals eaten at home were actually cooked at home. We don’t think that’s for the best.
Why You Should Buck the Trend
Cooking from home is healthier for you, as well as providing greater economic health for your community. Creating a meal from the ground up means that you’re spending time in the kitchen, bonding with your family, and, arguably even more importantly, you know what your family is consuming.
Whether you’re brand new to the kitchen, or a seasoned vet on the stove, take a cooking class. Learn the basics. Meals don’t have to take long to prepare and they don’t have to be expensive. We can almost guarantee that you’ll see pieces of life start to improve almost immediately.
Ready to Learn How to Cook
Our entire school is built on the premise of teaching recreational chefs how to cook at home. No matter the class you sign up to attend, we will discuss the techniques used to create those delicious, healthy meals. (Check our calendar for our full class schedule.)
Though our favorite for those that are new to the kitchen is Basic Skills Every Cook Should Know. This two-day course will teach you all the foundational skills you need to know to get started in the kitchen. From knife skills and sauteing, and sauce making to grilling, this course will help you be a whiz in the kitchen in no time.
