I did not break my neck, or die. I didn't even break my tooth. In the grand scheme of things killing a tooth nerve and getting a root canal isn't a big thing. I threw a little pity party this morning, lamenting facts and costs and inconvenience and non-scuba-ing. Then Gabe came home for lunch and brought me yummy soup and a present wrapped in foil.
It's called Ratio. It's the sort of cookbook I've been looking for over the past few years. Sure, I can read a recipe and say I cook, but that's not really cooking. So I do a lot of experimenting, but always wanted to have a better understanding of fundamentals so I could play in the kitchen and not feel like it's a TOTAL experiment-surprise. I wanted to understand the chemistry, the whys, the basic formulas so I can master it and let my creativity out.
Aha! If you've ever felt the same way, I recommend this book. I'm only a couple chapters in (for once, a cookbook to read, not just bookmark with cookie-doughed fingers) - but it's great. He gives you the ratios (duh) for lots of baked items, and now I finally understand the real difference between muffins and cakes, breads and pasta dough, and the surprisingly very slim difference between sponge cake and crepe batter. There are also chapters on sauces, sausages, soups and custards. (Why he'd choose to describe homemade sausage over rice or tomato sauce I have no idea.)
I'm excited to experiment, but not quite ready for the public display involved in grocery shopping. The FedEx guy knocked on the door today, saw my face, his eyes widened, he literally looked me up and down, then past me into my apartment to see if there was anything amiss. After I took the package he took another look inside, met my eyes, and gave me this look of grave concern. I'm okay!
It's called Ratio. It's the sort of cookbook I've been looking for over the past few years. Sure, I can read a recipe and say I cook, but that's not really cooking. So I do a lot of experimenting, but always wanted to have a better understanding of fundamentals so I could play in the kitchen and not feel like it's a TOTAL experiment-surprise. I wanted to understand the chemistry, the whys, the basic formulas so I can master it and let my creativity out.Aha! If you've ever felt the same way, I recommend this book. I'm only a couple chapters in (for once, a cookbook to read, not just bookmark with cookie-doughed fingers) - but it's great. He gives you the ratios (duh) for lots of baked items, and now I finally understand the real difference between muffins and cakes, breads and pasta dough, and the surprisingly very slim difference between sponge cake and crepe batter. There are also chapters on sauces, sausages, soups and custards. (Why he'd choose to describe homemade sausage over rice or tomato sauce I have no idea.)
I'm excited to experiment, but not quite ready for the public display involved in grocery shopping. The FedEx guy knocked on the door today, saw my face, his eyes widened, he literally looked me up and down, then past me into my apartment to see if there was anything amiss. After I took the package he took another look inside, met my eyes, and gave me this look of grave concern. I'm okay!
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