How to Be A Better Cook

A story about food gossip

I can cook well but have been out of the habit lately. I do have a few signature dishes which makes it appear like I am a better cook than I actually am. Some of my recipes are ones that I have graciously stolen from friends and then made them my own. Some are fancier than others but all are delicious. Otherwise, what would be the point?

There might not be a perfect meal, but there are close to perfect recipes.

When talking to others, if you mention an unusual ingredient you have cooked with like bok choy then your cooking street cred goes way up. Having a few signature dishes makes it appear as if you are a better chef than you actually are. My husband is really good at taking what’s in the refrigerator and producing a meal out of it or taking leftovers and making it look completely different. I have not honed that particular cooking skill myself.

To be more familiar with unusual foods I have taken my young son to the store and we chose fruits and veggies we had never had before. We ate starfruit and dragon fruit and some fruit we nicknamed “alien fruit” because it had weird slime in the middle that was delicious.

What seems like another lifetime ago, I was a Pampered Chef consultant and worked my way through the cookbooks. The goal was to not only try new recipes but also…