Chef vs Cook

Last week I announced open doors for the Think Like a Cook challenge - did you catch that?

One of the questions that has been popping up is this: Why does the title refer to a cook? Should we not aspire to think (and cook) like a chef?

It's a good question, and one I have been pondering on for a while, often brought into sharp focus when reading or listening to other 'cooking folk' and the way they define themselves.

How about you? In your wildest dreams of effortless cooking genius, do you see yourself as an aspiring cook or an aspiring chef?

It certainly seems that the current food culture is nudging everyone to aspire to being a chef. Even if you cook at home, somehow, being cheffy in your kitchen is considered the ultimate badge of approval.

If you look online, there seem to be chefs galore among us home cooks, calling themselves home chefs, home-made chefs, self-taught chefs, and so on (and inevitably #notachef too). Being a mere (home) cook has somehow become a derogative. Anybody who takes their home cooking seriously must surely aspire to being a chef, while everybody else, well, should better leave cooking to the chefs, at home or otherwise.

This just seems wrong to me.

Regardless their culinary skills, a chef is someone working in a professional kitchen. Hence someone can be a chef by trade and a cook at home.

Which makes sense because the goals and challenges in a professional kitchen are entirely different to the goals and challenges of cooking at home. Why on earth would I - as a home cook - want to take on these goals and aspirations when I'm cooking for myself and my family, rather than paying patrons of a restaurant?

Obviously, there are methods and principles that apply to any kind of cooking, whether you are a chef or a cook. For example the art of properly seasoning your food.

But, comparing home cooked food with that cooked by a chef in a restaurant is missing the point: it's like comparing apples with oranges.

Of course, I expect anything I cook to be tasty. And nourishing. And generally to be the best it can be. But I don't even try to make it perfect, pretty, photogenic, the 'right way' or 'authentic' (whatever all this means).

This would just distract my limited time and energy when putting dinner on the table day after day. And would make me feel like a failure when something doesn't turn out quite as perfect as the (super styled) photo that comes with the recipe.

I much rather approach my cooking with curiosity and an open mind. And aim for simplicity and flavour, rather than looks and perfection.

To achieve that you don't need cheffy gadgets, fancy recipes, expensive ingredients, or superlative knife skills.

You simply need to approach your cooking with curiosity and an open mind.

Trusting your taste buds is more important than following instructions.

Confidence in the kitchen is all about the intuitive skills no recipe ever talks about.

Think Like a Cook is designed to change that!

A challenge to switch on your kitchen confidence, asking for 20 mins of your time for 5 days.

It's fun, it's free (this time around only) and we're starting on Monday.

You can sign up here.

#cooking #chef #cook #food #foodforthought #foodforthesoul #learnsomethingnew #confidence