With Economy and Grace
Inspired by Tamar Adler’s An Everlasting Meal, I’m setting an intention to cook with more economy and grace, and another one to appreciate my time in the kitchen more.
And what do I mean by “economy”? I mean that I am going to be more creative and less wasteful — if a recipe calls for egg whites, I’ll be saving the yolks to whip up aioli. I’ll never throw broccoli stems away again because they are perfectly delicious if you give them some attention. I will not be buying things I can make myself (like breadcrumbs). I’ll take my greenmarket haul and prep all the vegetables in the beginning of the week, so any dish I decide to use them for is already half-made. Weeknight dinners are so much easier this way, and that’s a real luxury.
For a while I was starting to see cooking as a chore, and that’s just crazy of me. I love cooking. And any chance to practice, or get creative, or learn more, is something that should be celebrated. So that’s what I’m doing, and Tamar Adler has so many good ideas for spending time in the kitchen wisely. I can’t recommend this book enough. If you feel like you need some inspiration to get in the kitchen, if you want some simple recipes, or if you need proof that eating well is easy and inexpensive, you should read this. To make you even more interested, I’m including a video that depicts the prepping-my-vegetables-for-the-week idea.
Happy New Year. And happy cooking!
K
To learn more about Tamar Adler, and to see more videos, visit her website.
Video: How to Stride Ahead - Part Two from CJ Richter on Vimeo.
