CMK EATS : 5 THINGS I WISH I KNEW ABOUT COOKING

Look who's cooking now?! Can you believe it?! I can't believe it either :) But yes, here we are talking about cooking. No, this blog will not turn into a cooking / recipe blog any time soon but I'd like to share some bits and pieces of my experiences how it actually feels like cooking by yourself. In my entire life, this is the first time that I have cooked anything. And oh boy! I even prayed before touching the pan. I pray that a) the food will be palatable, b) nobody will get a stomach ache, lastly c) I won't burn the house or cut my fingers. Amen. 

But first. WHY? I need to learn how to cook to feed myself during my entire London stay. I cannot live on takeaways because it's unhealthy and costly. Think I've mentioned this on my post on CHEERS TO FALL.

Anyway! Here are these 5 things that nobody told me about cooking. You may find this ridiculous or funny but hey, this is real story, guys!

LESSON 1: To saute' means you have to put in onions, garlic and oil on the pan. I mean, how come cookbooks are so incomplete?! Or should it be, how come I didn't know about this {this is more like it}.  Heck! Good thing I've watched the Youtube clip 7 times and it dawned on me that to saute means to add the whole team in there. I don't know what's tougher: Accounting or Cooking?! I have so much respect for all the moms (and cooks) out there. {Salute!}.



LESSON 2: It's all about the ingredients. You know what they say, you can never give what you don't have. Same logic applies to cooking. Good stuff in good stuff out {well, generally}. And vice-versa. True story: I bought a so-so fish and shrimp (much cheaper than I usually buy) guess what? It was so salty and I ended up throwing the whole thing in the bin. Bought BBQ Chicken Pizza since I am way beyond famished and drowned my sorrows watching Lucy (the movie). That's my first attempt that failed. Hopefully that would be the last.
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LESSON 3: Try to input some healthy stuff in your dish. That's the beauty of home cooking. You are aware of what's going in the pan. Make a healthy choice and incorporate greens in your dish. Confuse your taste buds and swoosh your favorite sauce to mask the taste. Not ideal, I know, but it's one step closer to eating healthy.

LESSON 4: Identify your 'default dish'. Let's be clear: I have a job and it doesn't involve cooking. That said, I need to find a dish that I can eat during client calls or working lunches plus I should be so familiar cooking the dish even with my eyes closed {figuratively, of course}. For me, it's a thigh part chicken fillet soaked in barbeque sauce that's set 1. And same chicken part marinated over Chargrilled seasoning. I can live with that for a good number of repeated intervals.

LESSON 5: Go for ingredients you can use in so many ways. Like key quality pieces in your wardrobe like LBD's, trousers and plain white t-shirts - you need the same thing in your kitchen. Another experience: the adventurous in me tried to create a Chicken Pita Wrap (above) with Guacamole and Tomato. It tasted good and I finished the whole number - only thing is, the guacamole turned brown after 3 days (it's Avocado-based) and I can't eat it any more. Money wasted, sadly.

I have a looooong way to go in the cooking department but I'm just enjoying the process. It feels good that you can eat what you've just made. I think that's fulfilling. -CMK.