Your Journey As A Cook

The Late Night Gourmet

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I'm sure there are all sorts of skill levels on this forum, and all sorts of reasons people have for being here. Not everyone has dreams of being the next Master Chef (I'd say I'm about 20 years to late for that!) But, that doesn't mean we can't take pride in our own victories in the kitchen.

So, what's your story? Why did you get interested in doing more than just eating out and pressing the button on the microwave?

I'll start out with the post following this one.
 
My Journey

In the Beginning

My dad was born in Italy, and both he and my mom would share the cooking duties when I was growing up. They never encouraged nor discouraged me from helping in the kitchen, and their cooking was so good that some part of me probably just wanted to enjoy their delicious creations.

When I graduated from college, I had to learn to fend for myself, and - living on my own - I couldn't afford to eat out all the time. So, I got creative with popular staples among young people: ramen noodles and macaroni and cheese (not at the same time!) This showed me that I could feed myself, and that the food could be decent.

I also dabbled with brewing beer, making a crazy array of fruit beers and other concoctions (the most bizarre - and surprisingly good - was a honey spruce beer). I didn't realize that this was my first real expression of creativity in the kitchen.

More Recently

It wasn't until much later - several years ago - when my slowing metabolism made me start thinking about what I was putting in my body. I wanted to make things that were healthier than I could find in a box, but still tasted good. Along the way, I also realized that I could modify food that I bought that wasn't quite what I wanted. A local Chinese restaurant has a good Hot & Sour Soup, except for 2 things: it's neither hot nor sour! So, I learned that I could add peppers for heat and rice wine vinegar to play up the sour.

Now, I make my own food for lunch every day. I joined Weight Watchers, and I post my recipes for other WW members to try. I've lost 27 pounds, and I couldn't be happier.

Future goals

I have bought a domain that I plan to make into a food blog one day. I have tons of recipes and photos. but the mechanics of how to update my site to add recipes is cryptic to me. I haven't given up on that dream. It will happen. But, in the mean time, I plan to keep on cooking.
 
My folks were traditional with meals'meat and 2 veg' they had an allotment so we had a lot of fresh home-grown fruit and veg.

As a kid I enjoyed baking but I don't do that now because there is just the 2 of us. Cooking only started when we started living together and sharing the chores. We have both discovered many new things over the years but my husband does most of the cooking. He has skill, knowledge and passion-I cook because it isn't fair to leave it all to him.
 
My folks were traditional with meals'meat and 2 veg' they had an allotment so we had a lot of fresh home-grown fruit and veg.
Have you modified this formula, or do you find yourself following it to this day? I ask because my wife's mom was recently horrified to find that my wife doesn't eat meat every day. :laugh: Times change. Back when my wife's mom was a child, the doctors would smoke a cigarette while they examined you.
 
Have you modified this formula, or do you find yourself following it to this day? I ask because my wife's mom was recently horrified to find that my wife doesn't eat meat every day. :laugh: Times change. Back when my wife's mom was a child, the doctors would smoke a cigarette while they examined you.

We do things differently. Back then you could not get a lot of the ingredients you can buy now, nor were there the cooking shows. The world is a much bigger place now.
 
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My mum cooked meat and 3 vege. We were poor. Mum cooked average but too much salt. My fave meals to this day are cheap simple meals. I tried to join the army as a 16 yo but my school record stopped that. I was pretty naughty lol. So I did a class at high school where you learned to cook.it grew from there. I'm good at trying something then replicating it. I have a lot of fave entrees and mains I cook. I cook for my kids and their kids every Sunday night. We love Sunday. Birthdays you get to choose 3 courses of your choice. I love cooking and pleasing my family.

Russ
 
Chapter one

I was hopeless, simply hopeless as a teenager. My cookery teacher at school gave up on me. She couldn't understand why I was so good at art and yet couldn't make pastry. When I left home I could barely boil an egg. I lived in an attic where the only cooking facility was a tiny Baby Belling stove. It didn't matter to me at all, as I never cooked. I was vegetarian and ate in Indian restaurants which did very cheap lunchtime deals or I ate in the pub or student canteen. I was vegetarian which wasn't that easy in those days. The Indian restaurant food began my love affair with spice. I'd grown up on a very bland diet, albeit with great fresh vegetables grown by my Dad. There were no spices and virtually no herbs. But we did keep chickens and I loved eggs and still do, to this day. I can't live without them.

Chapter 2 to follow later...
 
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It's been a long and fun journey. I started with home economics, learning to make a few basic dishes while I was still in grade school. Time marched on, to my first New York City apartment. All I had was a hot plate, and you have to be pretty creative to make a digestible meal. Prior to that, I had a roommate and we stayed at the infamous Chelsea Hotel in New York City, known for their rock and roll bands and artistic people LOL. Again, another hot plate. My roommate managed to get us kicked out while I was at work. I went back home with my tail and between my legs. Those were the lean years. I ate out on occasion at places like Max's Kansas City in New York City, back in the day when Andy Warhol rode in on a white horse. horse. Got my first taste of lobster at Max's. Money was tight, so we made tomato soup with ketchup packets and water.

When I was a child, my mother took me to Radio City Hall for a movie and a show. Before that we stopped at the automat, cafeteria style food, where you put a coin in the window and turn the knob and reach-in for your food. I learned about comfort food like mac and cheese and tried to duplicate it home. She also took me to a place called The Italian Kitchen, where the Chef was tossing Pizza in the window, and their were little Juke boxes on the table. My favorite dish was veal parmesan with a choice of spaghetti or french fries. Best meal I ever had. It wasn't until years later that I tried making my own pizza.

A little later on, I moved to the Upper West Side in New York City, off of Central Park West, and moved in with a roommate. We had a bachelor kitchen. I learned from my roommate how to make orange chicken, which mostly consisted of chicken and a can of concentrated orange juice, served over a bed of rice surrounded with almonds. That was my company dish. Fast forward to my real first apartment with a full kitchen, but limited time to cook. A girl's got to work you know. Bought myself some pots and pans, cookbooks, ate out once in awhile to get an idea of what dishes should taste like, discover new foods and dishes, and tried to duplicate the dishes that I grew up with. It's been an ongoing happy learning process with many fond memories.​
 
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It's been a long and fun journey. I started with home economics, learning to make a few basic dishes while I was still in grade school. Time marched on, to my first New York City apartment. All I had was a hot plate, and you have to be pretty creative to make a digestible meal. Prior to that, I had a roommate and we stayed at the infamous Chelsea Hotel in New York City, known for their rock and roll bands and artistic people LOL. Again, another hot plate. My roommate managed to get us kicked out while I was at work. I went back home with my tail and between my legs. Those were the lean years. I ate out on occasion at places like Max's Kansas City in New York City, back in the day when Andy Warhol rode in on a white horse. horse. Got my first taste of lobster at Max's. Money was tight, so we made tomato soup with ketchup packets and water.

When I was a child, my mother took me to Radio City Hall for a movie and a show. Before that we stopped at the automat, cafeteria style food, where you put a coin in the window and turn the knob and reach-in for your food. I learned about comfort food like mac and cheese and tried to duplicate it home. She also took me to a place called The Italian Kitchen, where the Chef was tossing Pizza in the window, and their were little Juke boxes on the table. My favorite dish was veal parmesan with a choice of spaghetti or french fries. Best meal I ever had. It wasn't until years later that I tried making my own pizza.

A little later on, I moved to the Upper West Side in New York City, off of Central Park West, and moved in with a roommate. We had a bachelor kitchen. I learned from my roommate how to make orange chicken, which mostly consisted of chicken and a can of concentrated orange juice, served over a bed of rice surrounded with almonds. That was my company dish. Fast forward to my real first apartment with a full kitchen, but limited time to cook. A girl's got to work you know. Bought myself some pots and pans, cookbooks, ate out once in awhile to get an idea of what dishes should taste like, discover new foods and dishes, and tried to duplicate the dishes that I grew up with. It's been an ongoing happy learning process with many fond memories.​

Unfortunately home economics are becoming a thing of the past over here, schools are closing their kitchens so basic cooking skills are not being taught, most parents work so don't have time or want to teach.
 
The biggest influence on my cooking was when I first went to India (mid 80s I think) and discovered that Indian food didn't taste anything like the crap that was served in the Indian restaurants around Leeds. That's also when I came across Madhur (not in person).
 
It's been a long and fun journey. I started with home economics, learning to make a few basic dishes while I was still in grade school. Time marched on, to my first New York City apartment. All I had was a hot plate, and you have to be pretty creative to make a digestible meal. Prior to that, I had a roommate and we stayed at the infamous Chelsea Hotel in New York City, known for their rock and roll bands and artistic people LOL. Again, another hot plate. My roommate managed to get us kicked out while I was at work. I went back home with my tail and between my legs. Those were the lean years. I ate out on occasion at places like Max's Kansas City in New York City, back in the day when Andy Warhol rode in on a white horse. horse. Got my first taste of lobster at Max's. Money was tight, so we made tomato soup with ketchup packets and water.

When I was a child, my mother took me to Radio City Hall for a movie and a show. Before that we stopped at the automat, cafeteria style food, where you put a coin in the window and turn the knob and reach-in for your food. I learned about comfort food like mac and cheese and tried to duplicate it home. She also took me to a place called The Italian Kitchen, where the Chef was tossing Pizza in the window, and their were little Juke boxes on the table. My favorite dish was veal parmesan with a choice of spaghetti or french fries. Best meal I ever had. It wasn't until years later that I tried making my own pizza.

A little later on, I moved to the Upper West Side in New York City, off of Central Park West, and moved in with a roommate. We had a bachelor kitchen. I learned from my roommate how to make orange chicken, which mostly consisted of chicken and a can of concentrated orange juice, served over a bed of rice surrounded with almonds. That was my company dish. Fast forward to my real first apartment with a full kitchen, but limited time to cook. A girl's got to work you know. Bought myself some pots and pans, cookbooks, ate out once in awhile to get an idea of what dishes should taste like, discover new foods and dishes, and tried to duplicate the dishes that I grew up with. It's been an ongoing happy learning process with many fond memories.​

What a great narrative @Karen W! I enjoyed reading that. I'd love to have been in New York in the days of Warhol.
 
I like this topic. Its fun, and we get to learn about each other.

I didn't start cooking anything until after I got married at 20 years old. As a kid/teenager my mom would not let us in the kitchen while she was cooking. My mother is easily stressed and any distractions usually caused problems with the meal. I left home at 18 and went into the Air Force. From 18-20 I either ate MRE's or ate at the chow hall. I met my wife at 20 and we pretty much immediately go married lol........seriously lol.

I always thought my mom was a good cook. Once I tasted Colleen's cooking I knew I had been mislead all along. Colleen is fantastic in the kitchen.

side story, sorry......

Early on in our marriage I got sick, cold, or something. Don't exactly remember. Colleen made a home made chicken noodle soup. Bow tie noodles, celery, carrots, onions, and chicken. Very basic. She tells me "hun, I made you some soup since your not feeling well". My response "I don't eat soup". She goes onto ask why. I explain that the condensed canned soup that my mom made was horrible. Colleen tells me to try it, or not to try it. She doesn't care, but that its on the stove if I want it.

Of course it smelled fantastic. So I decided to try it. WOW..............To this day it is a top three favorite meal of mine that she makes. 30 years later I still only want bow tie noodles in it!!!

Back to my cooking journey.

For the first 10 or so years of our marriage she did most of the cooking with me learning, and helping out here and there. I handled the grill. It was always direct heat cooking, burgers, dogs, simple shit (plus we were poor, so we were buying steaks, or good cuts of meat lol).

In my early 30's I started doing a little more of the cooking. I was moving to stove top cooking, roasting, ect....Still nothing too crazy. I really enjoy food, so I figured why not start cooking it.

About 10 years ago I really started expanding my grilling technique. I started doing more indirect cooking, almost smoking, but not quite. I started roasting veggies, different meats, ect....I really like it. Then I met a poker friend that is also a fantastic cook. I was constantly bouncing ideas off of him. It was still mostly grilling, but I was moving into actually creating dishes, or building the confidence to follow more complicated recipes.

About three years ago I really started going all out with my cooking. I probably do 75% of it now. I love it. On SUN's I'll prep and cook 2-4 dinners to feed us during the week.

I still wanted more. About 8 months ago I started browsing cooking forums. I sampled a few before settling on cookingbites. Since I have been on this site I have cooked Thai dishes, Moroccan, anything and everything. I still brag about my wonton soup. I never would have tried that a few years ago.

Thank you Cookingbites.com!
 
Great stories,,first thing I cooked was pineapple upside down pudding at high school home ec class. Made it at home later, family loved it. That was the spark I guess. Still love cooking and pleasing friends and family. When my wife and I got together ( very young) I worked 2 jobs so was always late home so wife cooked. Later when things got easier I took over cooking.
Mg still waiting on part two?

Russ
 
I like this topic. Its fun, and we get to learn about each other.

I like that about this topic too.

I still wanted more. About 8 months ago I started browsing cooking forums. I sampled a few before settling on cookingbites. Since I have been on this site I have cooked Thai dishes, Moroccan, anything and everything. I still brag about my wonton soup. I never would have tried that a few years ago.

What a great story. I'm glad we are part of it. The great thing about cooking is that you can share it with friends and family, its creative and its a continual learning experience. That is what you story demonstrates so well. :D
 
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