Travelling and cooking
I know I haven't written anything in a while, so here's a post to make up for that. However, I'm still out of ideas for a fresh new post so I'll just write down random thoughts as they occur to me. Oh wait, that's really all I do anyway. =P
This afternoon, Jia Wern and I finally decided on flight tickets to Maine for his brother's graduation/family reunion and all the logistics (ie estimating travel times, getting a rental car, booking a motel stay - it's more work than you think it is!). This is one of the biggest luxury purchases we've made together as a married couple, and it does take a while for that uneasy feeling of "that's X hundred USD gone for fun" to fade away. Granted, it's probably exacerbated by our recent vacation to Gatlinburg over New Year's which wasn't cheap either. Travelling is so expensive, and if it weren't for family, I really don't think it's worth it. My own parents didn't travel all that much when we were growing up - I think most middle class families in their generation couldn't afford to, really. That said, since we've already gone ahead and booked the tickets, I guess I should stop fretting and focus on having fun instead. We aren't that broke, and I'm just being a certified, bona fide worrywart. Like, what if our kids don't have enough for their college fund? =P
Moving on, a friend from small group was giving away some used cooking magazines so I went ahead and took some. They were just what I needed! Unlike plain ol' cookbooks, Cook's Illustrated is precisely what I need to satiate my curiosity about cooking methods, tools and tips. Sometimes I feel lost in the kitchen because I don't know the difference between, say, sauteing and stir-frying, or if cooking time matters. And does it really matter how you chop an onion? I don't consider myself a good cook because most of the time, I don't quite understand the chemistry behind the cooking and I'm just blindly following a recipe/putting stuff together and hoping that they come out alright. They usually do, but there are also times they come out not exactly as I'd intended, and I have no idea why. Could be the amount of water I added, or maybe the way I cut the meat, or perhaps I should have added the seasoning at the beginning instead of the end, who knows? My philosophy is, if it tastes fine, the means justify the ends and no one has to know the means *cough cough*. For those of you noobs like me, this paragraph is for you! Cook's Illustrated features recipes, tips, and even tests to see if these things matter. I love that they have features on ways to perfectly cook different types of eggs, the difference between pungent and sweet onions and how the cut affects the flavour, best kitchen utensils among common store brands, and narratives of recipes gone wrong until they achieve the perfect combination. To make things even better, they explain the science behind it all as well! Reading it is like practical research, which is just what this lifehack-lovin' gal digs. Readers beware: You are bound to salivate while reading, especially with all the exotic recipes from all over the world to well-loved comfort food recipes like grilled burger patties. Mmm yummy.
But as long as I'm May, I'll never be a perfectionist about food for all the cooking magazines I read (I just like feeling smart because I know things). With me, it's always about efficiency first, the input vs the output. Which is why things like food presentation aren't important to me - why bother when it's all going to disappear into my tummy? And if there's a shortcut, I might go for it even if it means the perfect texture/taste isn't achieved. Of course, I have my limits too - microwaved fries just aren't as good as baked fries. Generally speaking, though, life is too short to spend an extra hour cooking with extra electricity when you could be lazing around reading a book after dinner with all that extra time. =P (Disclaimer: This philosophy only works for lazy people like me and not people who are actually passionate about the cooking process.)
Okay now that the whole world is aware of just how lazy I am, maybe it's time to sign off. Till next time!
This afternoon, Jia Wern and I finally decided on flight tickets to Maine for his brother's graduation/family reunion and all the logistics (ie estimating travel times, getting a rental car, booking a motel stay - it's more work than you think it is!). This is one of the biggest luxury purchases we've made together as a married couple, and it does take a while for that uneasy feeling of "that's X hundred USD gone for fun" to fade away. Granted, it's probably exacerbated by our recent vacation to Gatlinburg over New Year's which wasn't cheap either. Travelling is so expensive, and if it weren't for family, I really don't think it's worth it. My own parents didn't travel all that much when we were growing up - I think most middle class families in their generation couldn't afford to, really. That said, since we've already gone ahead and booked the tickets, I guess I should stop fretting and focus on having fun instead. We aren't that broke, and I'm just being a certified, bona fide worrywart. Like, what if our kids don't have enough for their college fund? =P
Moving on, a friend from small group was giving away some used cooking magazines so I went ahead and took some. They were just what I needed! Unlike plain ol' cookbooks, Cook's Illustrated is precisely what I need to satiate my curiosity about cooking methods, tools and tips. Sometimes I feel lost in the kitchen because I don't know the difference between, say, sauteing and stir-frying, or if cooking time matters. And does it really matter how you chop an onion? I don't consider myself a good cook because most of the time, I don't quite understand the chemistry behind the cooking and I'm just blindly following a recipe/putting stuff together and hoping that they come out alright. They usually do, but there are also times they come out not exactly as I'd intended, and I have no idea why. Could be the amount of water I added, or maybe the way I cut the meat, or perhaps I should have added the seasoning at the beginning instead of the end, who knows? My philosophy is, if it tastes fine, the means justify the ends and no one has to know the means *cough cough*. For those of you noobs like me, this paragraph is for you! Cook's Illustrated features recipes, tips, and even tests to see if these things matter. I love that they have features on ways to perfectly cook different types of eggs, the difference between pungent and sweet onions and how the cut affects the flavour, best kitchen utensils among common store brands, and narratives of recipes gone wrong until they achieve the perfect combination. To make things even better, they explain the science behind it all as well! Reading it is like practical research, which is just what this lifehack-lovin' gal digs. Readers beware: You are bound to salivate while reading, especially with all the exotic recipes from all over the world to well-loved comfort food recipes like grilled burger patties. Mmm yummy.
But as long as I'm May, I'll never be a perfectionist about food for all the cooking magazines I read (I just like feeling smart because I know things). With me, it's always about efficiency first, the input vs the output. Which is why things like food presentation aren't important to me - why bother when it's all going to disappear into my tummy? And if there's a shortcut, I might go for it even if it means the perfect texture/taste isn't achieved. Of course, I have my limits too - microwaved fries just aren't as good as baked fries. Generally speaking, though, life is too short to spend an extra hour cooking with extra electricity when you could be lazing around reading a book after dinner with all that extra time. =P (Disclaimer: This philosophy only works for lazy people like me and not people who are actually passionate about the cooking process.)
Okay now that the whole world is aware of just how lazy I am, maybe it's time to sign off. Till next time!
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