Ha, Think!

Easier said than done. I cook in two modes – fast and furious, which makes thinking difficult OR slow and thoughtful, which is the most enjoyable and personally rewarding. I would be lying if I said I was slow and thoughtful the majority of the time. It is a goal to work towards but unrealistic for the foreseeable future.

That said, I do believe in what Ruhlman is trying to convey in this chapter, which is the more prepared you are to cook, the better the result. What I gleaned from this chapter:

• Mise en place or find, prepare and organize your ingredients and spices.
• Clean the area in which you are going to cook and get all the tools you are going to need ready. For me, this means wash the pots/cutting boards/knives in the sink, empty/load the dishwasher, wipe up spills on the counter and sharpen my knives.
• Re-read your recipe all the way through or think about the steps of the recipe you are making up- ensuring you have what you need on hand or making a quick substitution.
• My addition – Put some music on.  Whatever inspires you that day.  I vacillate between classical piano at low volume to calm me down to French bistro accordion to channel my inner Julia Child to Todays Hits on Pandora if my kids are around. Give it a try; I bet it will increase your enjoyment of cooking and may even draw some sous chefs into the kitchen to check out what is going on.

That’s about all I learned from the chapter.  Probably, if you read the book, you would take away something different but this is a good place to start… think about what you are making, think about what you need and prepare before turning on the stove!