The Fundamental Secret of Cooking

Here's the tiny but game-changing realization that marked the moment I became competent in the kitchen: Start cooking just about everything slightly too hot, and then turn down the heat.

Cooking's all about heat. There are countless modern stand-ins for "fire", but make no mistake about it, it's always about fire. No fire means no cooking. You need that kinetic energy to make things happen.

I once read an article by a writer who'd challenged a famous chef to come to his apartment and try to prepare something brilliant just from the so-so ingredients on hand in his refrigerator, using his non-professional cookware and appliances. The first thing the chef did when he entered the kitchen was to turn the oven and all stove elements onto "high". This was before examining ingredients, let alone cutting or slicing.

When I read this, it dawned on me that, really, it's all about heat. Recalling my pre-competency cooking, I mostly remember food sitting in pans laboring to get up to speed....and meals emerging piecemeal as certain items took far longer to cook than expected.

Imagine, for a moment, a good chef at work. You're visualizing sizzling, hot, kinetic action, no? Now imagine an amateur. I'll bet you see someone hesitantly stirring away at some silent static pot. The trick is to use heat as a professional driver uses fuel: boldly. Though, of course, you must be focused and careful, too, lest you (respectively) crash or burn!