learning to cook

People say "if you can read, you can cook," which is true if you just want to reproduce someone else's recipe. But where's the fun in that? Cooking is like writing, or anything else really. It takes a lot of practice and a lot of experience to develop your own style. I like to read about cooking and food. I like Saveur magazine because the writing tells a story about food, culture, family, travel. It's so much more than a recipe mag. I like Elizabeth David; she has such a sense of propriety and such humor! and a deep appreciation of local, seasonal, simple food done well.

But I have learned the most about basic techniques that work from Cook's Illustrated magazine. I heard an interview on NPR with some folks from the test kitchen about their new book, The Science of Cooking, and in an effort to get me to cook more, my honey immediately ordered a copy. This book is essential! I'm really looking forward to picking up new tips and tricks--which aren't even tricks, just Science! --and sharing them here.

Things I'd like to understand better: pastry, roast chicken, fish & shellfish, fussy sauces, characteristics of different wines, fat content of dairy and what it means for cooking.