A Case for Liberation and More Freewheeling in the Kitchen

Does this sound familiar?

‘What did you put in this?’ they ask in mouth-watering ecstasy.

‘I added a little bit of this, and a little bit of that.’ the Savory Chef wistfully responds.

‘Well, how much of this…and how much of that? How many teaspoons of turmeric; how many teaspoons of cinnamon? Tell me the recipe, please.’ they hopelessly plead.

‘Uhhh…so sorry. I didn’t really measure. I just added what I felt made sense.’ the Savory Chef vaguely smiles with blank deception.

Types of Cheffing

The Savory Chef. If you reached this sentence, you know this conversation. First off, I’m not going to call out anyone here (‘Amish Warlord,’ aka my mother/the savory chef – she deserves it). Whether you be the hopelessly pleading or vaguely smiling, we all know the often unsatisfying results of these back and forth discussions with a seeming destination to no where. If we’re lucky enough, we have at least one of these (un)savory chef characters in our lives (the aunty, uncle, brother, mama, etc.) that never measures a darn thing, and brings about a culinary creation that leaves us feeling both eager and forlorn in the hopes of replication. The Savory Chef’s passion is creating and riffing, tossing in a little of this and a little of that at will – because they can. It’s almost a mindset – everything is flexible because in their mind everything is fixable. Unfortunately, reproducing their exact results in the kitchen is probably not going to happen.

“…everything is flexible because in their mind everything is fixable.“

The Pastry Chef. On the opposite end of the spectrum is the Pastry Chef. The ‘P’ in Pastry Chef stands for precision and perfection. Respect. This disposition makes sense. Their work demands a high level of accuracy and replication – they are the Chemists of the Culinary World. Ingredients mean nothing if each beat, batter, blanch, soft peak, and fold is not technically completed. I’m taking my liberties here on the description, as I tend to shy away from pastry making peers – I’m just way to insecure for that. Don’t get me wrong, I’m coupled with Ben ‘the Bearded Baker,’ but pastry making with wholegrains inherently brings a level of humility and different visual aesthetic expectation. We all know Pastry Chefs are just as creative as the Savory Chefs adding unique and artistic touches through flavor combinations, presentations, and techniques, but often with much less room for error. Everything is not fixable; quality and consistency is key. So, if you’re able to get your hands on their formula and capable of executing a detailed plan – their results might just be attainable.

“The ‘P’ in Pastry Chef stands for precision and perfection“

The Food Blogger. Then we have the long winded Food Blogger, my grateful ‘go to’ when I need to quickly google for recipe guidance. ‘Quickly’ might be the wrong adverb. I search ‘three ingredient special sauce,’ – at least 500+ search engine results with infinite scroll appear. Wow, I’m not overwhelmed! Next, filter the results ‘4-star reviews,’ – 300 options. Okay, ‘5-star reviews,’ – 150 hits. I close my eyes to summon some rationality; whatever I do next will determine a culinary path forward. It is determined that whatever 5-star author I see first that shares the same first letter of their name with my brother (Leland) I’m going to select. Totally rational. ‘Lovely Lou’s Kitchen’ it is; I click. I find fabulous stories, pictures, videos, precise measures and so much other content to go along with what I thought was going to be a simple three ingredient sauce. Frustrated by all the ads and extra content I have to sift through (even after I hit the ‘jump to recipe’ link), I’m now questioning whether this is still the right special sauce after all.

“I search ‘three ingredient special sauce,’ – at least 500 search engine results with infinite scroll appear.”

A Case for a Little More Liberation in the Kitchen

Certainly, the spectrum of cheffing goes far beyond and in between the descriptions I’ve provided here. The pacifying point I’m trying to get to here is let’s go with the flow a little bit more when it comes to our work and play in the kitchen this year. With a particular approach, one might find the creative freedom and liberation they seek in the old canteen. For everything there is a season: A time to Savory, and a time to Pastry. By nature, I tend to align with the Savory Chef – blame it on my mother. It’s a confidence that comes with lot of practice and ingredient intimacy. But even then, there are a range of spices and constituents that I feel greater comfort in free-wheeling than others.

“For everything there is a season: A time to Savory, and a time to Pastry.“

Take soybeans as an example. I was born and raised on a farm that grew soybeans. Growing up in the Midwest – I was surrounded by soybean fields every where. Yet, throughout my childhood and adolescence – did I ever regularly see soybean-based food (aside from soy sauce) as an option at the table? No. It wasn’t until moving away from home with access to more international cuisines that I learned about the sweet and savory deliciousness of tofu and tempeh, but that was just the beginning! Most of that food exploration started in someone else’s kitchen, and slowly infiltrated my own. Isn’t that how it always goes?!

For my last several soybean seasons, it’s been ‘a time to Pastry’ in my soybean creations – trying to learn the basic composition first delivering a safe, satisfying product. This year, I plan to riff a little more with soybeans summoning my inner-Savory Chef. If my Japanese friend says ‘I’m sorry that I don’t scale the amount of ingredients… I used soybeans, gobo, carrot, bamboo-shoots, shiitake-mushrooms, kelp, and ginger cooked in soy sauce and mirin.’ I’m going for it.

If life teaches us one thing, it is that trial and error works wonders. By all means, get the guidelines – we all need clues to help us get to the destination we desire. But, let us not forget the wisdom and preferences that are within us and the people around us to help along the way. Let’s taste it as we go adding just a little bit of this and just a little bit of that along the way – asking ourselves the question ‘does this taste about right to me?’ Sometimes we don’t have all the exact ingredients, is there an alternative we already have in our cupboard? If results come up a little too sharp and you can’t quite find the ‘fixable’ adjustment, call up a friend to compare notes. It really is a mindset of trust and faith to get us there. Breathing new life into the resources we already have available provides an endless well of innovation and liberation that is sure to set you free.

What do you think? Does your time in the kitchen feel more like ‘liberation’ or ‘oppression?’ Do you identify more with the Savory Chef or the Pastry Chef? What are some of your culinary goals this year?