To Do

Updated February 7, 2010

When my life is calm and I have a bit of time to play with, I love cooking. When things get hectic and I get away from it for awhile, I forget how calming and centering it can be to create delicious food and experiment with different flavors.

The Food Network that’s on TV today isn’t the same Food Network I first fell in love with. Originally, there was a lot of focus on learning classic techniques and learning about the origins of different foods and how they worked together. Curtis Aikens had Pick of the Day, Sarah Moulton had Cooking Live, Emeril had a quiet show before he went Live, the Two Hot Tamales taught about food around the world without traveling anywhere, David Rosengarten had Taste, and Mario had Molto Mario. And Food Network played old classic episodes of shows like Julia Child and the Galloping Gourmet in the middle of the night.

Now, there’s a lot of traveling, a lot of roadside diners and hamburgers, a lot of competitions, and very little talk about creating the perfect béchamel. I can’t even remember the last time I saw someone start a dish with a classic mirepoix. Instead, I sometimes turn it on and watch in horror as someone creates a faux Creme Brulee using instant vanilla pudding mix or gobbles up greasy roadside diner steak sandwiches. Times have definitely changed.

I’m more interested in the real cooking that doesn’t involve premixed ingredients in a box. Classic techniques and different sauces and real, delicious, wholesome food. I’ve wanted to take cooking classes forever, and for a long time a lack of money was stopping me, because these classes aren’t cheap. Now I have some money, but I’m so busy making money I don’t have the time. Someday I’ll figure out the right balance and take some real cooking classes.