Bonne cuisine! (Happy cooking)

When I got married I thought I could cook. I could, with some effort, follow almost any traditional recipe with success. I found out from my husband, after the honeymoon period begin to wear off, that I was, in fact, blissfully ignorant when it came to the science and the mechanics of HOW to cook.

The goal was not just to see or replicate technique or trade but to be able to explain why or why not something was a success.

I had worked in the food industry. I had learned to julienne fruits and veggies, prep and dismember raw chicken, and knew the proper lingo for a steak’s doneness. I had not been taught how to cook those individual elements or how to manipulate them for various recipes. That would have to come later. No one told me I should have worn gloves the first time I cut fresh jalapeños for guacamole.  Spoiler alert: I had one eye swell shut after rubbing it.