Why We Cook

First things first. Before we get into the actual mechanics of cooking and take a whirl around the kitchen spaces, let's talk a bit about why we cook. There are many reasons why a cook gets herself (or himself) into a kitchen and starts flinging things around.

Probably the first reason that anyone ventures into the arena of food and cooking is that they are hungry and there is no one else around to do the deed for them. Hunger trumps it all. And if we are hungry and there are others living with us, they are most likely just as hungry. And more than likely, they are all waiting for someone else ( YOU) to get in there and come up with something really terrific. Or whatever.

And after we get into the process, some of us discover that we actually enjoy cooking and all that it entails. Well, almost all. And some of us enjoy it so much that we actually can be caught dancing around the kitchen humming loudly as we get sucked into the rhythm of the pots and pans as they burble on the stove.

The kitchen is a place of constant action. If we are not cooking or washing dishes or chasing pets and kids around the counters, we are probably thinking about what to cook. There is never a dull moment in my kitchen and I would bet that there isn't in yours either. The kitchen is a place that you can clean in one minute and the next minute you have undone it all. Now, that might not be true for you "real" cooks. You know who you are! Your counters are cleared off, your pantry is in perfect order, your cookbooks are alphabetized, and you know what you are having for dinner - tonight.

For The Distracted Cook it doesn't quite work that way as our process seems to be just a bit off the beaten path.  I am usually found searching the pantry for something, well - really, just about anything that looks good enough to eat. No menu, no plan, no ideas, and about an hour till the dinner bell is supposed to be ringing. BUT - that is the fun of it all. What a challenge. Life is never dull. The creative skills are put to the test and it is always a great test. Just don't ask "Honey, what's for dinner?" because you will always get the same answer. And that answer is inevitably "I don't know - but it'll be really great and you will love it!" Well, what choice do they have after all? It's not like anyone is fighting you for the ladle or oven timer!

Really and seriously though, why do we cook? Why do you cook? Hunger for food is a fundamental need that is  fulfilled and that is the first good reason. But when we get beyond that, we venture into the area of creative genius, pride of dominance over pots and pans, interior design (that one is a reach,  I admit,) display of skill, and oftentimes just plain comic relief. No matter what your reason might be, I know that we will have one grand time exploring kitchen mechanics as well as the skills and talents that go into making it one of the rooms we love to live in! And let's be honest, there are just so many really interesting and weird looking things that live in my kitchen that The Distracted Cook can't resist spending a few hours hanging out in here. I hope you'll join me and share the fun.