I've concluded that cooking is easy, overhyped

[UTUSN]

I grew up with cooking as mystique---Mom’s dishes, then years later the hype of the cooking shows and books. Luckily I “interviewed” Mom before she died and got it down in writing. Later, after doing it her way many times, I modified her recipes slightly with some natural foods.

The past couple of years, for very repetitive, everyday cooking, I’ve zeroed in on this:

1- Thin sliced boneless, skinless, chicken breast or 2) ground turkey.

2- Chopped celery & onions for sure, plus one or two veggies, chopped, of whatever is handy---potatoes, squash, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, whatever. I *heart* cauliflower.

3- Season (salt, pepper, garlic powder, cumin, chili powder) the meat on one side. Heat up olive oil. Cook the meat on the seasoned side, seasoning the top side. Turn for cooking the other side.

4- Bring out the meat for cutting into chunks and return to the pan.

5- Add the veggies and cover. Check back a couple of times, stirring around. When the veggies are at whatever condition you like, all of it is done. Can add cream of mushroom soup.


There is no way to mess this up. It’s always the same and always different because of the different veggies. So what’s so hard about cooking. O.K., let me have it---teach me, scold me, condescend away.

[Swede]

1. You han't eaten at my uncle's then.

The man cannot boil water.

[patcox2]

2. Its one of those things thats great at any level.

It can be easy, or very complicated, and its enjoyable at every level. There are a few things like that in life, where you can enjoy yourself without having to be an expert, but at then same time, you will never get bored because no matter how expert you become, there are always new horizons.

Master the ceasar salad, thats easy and you get huge bang for the buck, and a basic marinara sauce, and you can fool anyone into thinking you are a chef.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

4. Even french sauces are easy once you've mastered the basics

[eyesroll]

3. Cooking isn't difficult, even without using canned soup

Sometimes, recipes are complex. But break it down...very few recipes actually call for a demanding technique. They're just sequences of little simple steps. (Sometimes there are dozens of little steps, but the steps aren't difficult.)

My own repetitive cooking is Asian-influenced:
1. Marinate whatever meat I have in the freezer in one of the folllowing:
A. Oyster sauce and soy sauce (Thai)
B. Sambal oleck, brown sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, ginger (sort-of Korean)
C. Soy sauce and mirin (basically Teriyaki)

2. Boil some noodles (cellophane, rice sticks, whatever), drain, cut into manageable lengths

3. Stir-fry the meat and some vegetables, add the noodles, add a sauce (usually it's pretty close to the marinade liquid)

4. Serve.