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Are you someone who enjoys guacamole but can’t eat an avocado? Or like my dad, who LOVES ketchup on everything, even the kitchen sink, but can’t look at a tomato? I can snack on nuts all day long but don’t think of putting them in my ice cream….who does that? I wonder about these food combinations and what makes them okay, or how do I say this politely, gross? Is it taste or texture that drives our palates? That might be a profound question for a food columnist like myself. Maybe I should stick to recipes and not get all psychoanalytical, but these are the thoughts that make me go, hmmm.
I enjoy food. Everything about cooking, baking, stewing, and grilling is an art. Mike knows this and decided to bring into the cooking technology by gifting me an Anova Precision Oven. For those not “in the know,” including myself, this countertop oven, the size of a microwave, can steam, convection bake, air fry, proof bread, bake, dehydrate, broil, sous vide, roast, toast, defrost and reheat. Much to my dismay, it does not make microwave popcorn, so now I need to keep both machines on my limited counter space. Don’t get me wrong, this new oven can dance circles around my microwave with her fancy proofing bread and dehydrate settings, but I love the smell of popcorn in the evening. I can also run the Anova from an app on my phone. I couldn’t find the off button the other day, but thankfully my cell phone was charged, and I could type in “stop cooking” before I burned my English muffin.
This brings me back to my thoughts of taste and texture. Chicken roasted to perfection is a mile above a chewy and overcooked breast. Can I still say I love chicken? Yes, but only if prepared and cooked correctly. The same is for vegetables. Roasted crisp, perfection. Steamed and flavorless, why bother? I like all foods to have a depth of flavor. Use spices to enhance your meals. A pinch of this or a dash of that can take a dish from blah to brilliant. And don’t fall into the trap of the hotter, the better. Burning my lips by adding hot peppers is not my idea of enhancing the flavor. You’re just trying to hurt me.
I want to encourage you to be brave in your kitchen. Whether trying recipes or picking up a new kitchen device, you know what you like. We have to eat every day, make it fun and delicious. And whatever you do, only eat what you enjoy. Life is too short to put nuts in my ice cream! Hugs and Peace, Sandy
“Food brings people together on many different levels. It’s nourishment of the soul and body; it’s truly love.”
– Giada De Laurentiis
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