Cooking or just heating things up...

I spent Sunday afternoon flipping back and forth between ESPN and the Food Network.

ESPN is dedicated to all things sports. Football was on ESPN. There were plenty of commercials for cars - big trucks, beefy Hemi engines, sexy sports cars. There were also ads for beer, jewelry, deodorant, financial planning, and of course various cures for male erectile dysfunction. That all makes sense, the target audience for these products likely tunes in.

Now, the Food Network is a channel dedicated to food and cooking, right? So you would think that most people who watch the shows on that channel enjoy cooking and are looking to learn more about it. I'd expect to see ads for things like Kitchen Aid mixers, Le Crueset cook ware, knives, spices, and such. Nope.

There were lots of Wendy's ads. Are these for slackers? "You know hon, I was gonna try making Emeril's herb crusted chicken tonight, but that Wendy's bacon double looks mighty good - get the keys, let's go."

Another ad was for Cambell's Cream of Mushroom soup. I guess I'm OK with this product as many people consider it an "ingredient" in some recipes. And I've used it myself in a pork chop recipe. I think the odds are pretty good that the commercial will some day air during a show where the host is actually making Cream of Mushroom soup.

The worst, though, was a commercial for Boston Market. This is a cooking channel, renmember? The Food Network. The show that was on was showing how to make a holiday meal, including a standing rib roast. But the commercial for Boston Market (with music by what sounds like The Reverend Horton Heat) says:

Food Makes The Holidays.
Let Us Make The Food. (Click to hear the song)

Sure, just pick up the whole thing and put it in your serving dishes and let everyone think you made it.

This got me to thinking about the difference between cooking and merely heating things up. I remembered this great piece in The Onion called I Make THE Best Spaghetti.


Now, my 12-year old son likes to "cook." His specialty is Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. He's gotten pretty good at it. And he's made spaghetti for us before, too. Boil the water, heat up the jar of sauce, combine the two and it's dinner.

When I was young, my Mom would make spaghetti dinners fairly often. It was always the same - Golden Grain spaghetti, ground beef added to Ragu spaghetti sauce, and usually garlic bread. It was consistent, reliable, and fairly nutritious. And we had it every Friday before my sister's Saturday swim meets. Usually, the next night was T-Bone steak, broiled, and raviolis with the left over spaghetti sauce.

When I make spaghetti, I make my own sauce. Spaghetti sauce is incredibly easy to make. It is also cheaper in the long run than buying sauce in jars. I start with a little olive oil in the pot. I saute some garlic and diced onions and whatever spices call to me from the rack- Usually some "Itallian Seasoning," basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, tarragon, some parsley, and maybe a dash of cumin. I float a couple of bay leaves. I add tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, a bit of wine, and some brown sugar. It always tastes a little different, and it is always better than anything I've had straight from the jar.

I also make garlic bread. My Mom used to use this garlic spread mixed with margarine. It was tasty. I did mine the same way for a long time. But I've learned a better way. I crush fresh garlic, mix it with butter and melt it in the microwave. I slice the sourdough loaf lengthwise and then cut individual slices leaving them still connected at the crust. I pour the melted garlic and butter over the bread and work it in between slices and all across the top. I spread a couple of spoonfuls of my sauce on top of that followed by some spices, a little paprika, some grated parmesan, and maybe a little mozzarella. It takes a little longer, but it is worth it, in my opinion.

So what am I getting at here? I guess I think there should be some rules about the difference betwen cooking and just heating things up. Mac and Cheese is clearly just heating things up. I would say Mom's spaghetti is still just heating things up, although it borders on cooking since she had to brown the meat. My spaghetti is clearly cooking, but borders on just heating things up. I will try to learn how to make pasta from scratch.

My rules:

1.) If you follow directions on a box, can, or jar, you are heating things up.

2.) If you follow a recipe, with actual ingredients, not just products, you are cooking.

And beyond that:

3.) If you start with a meal in mind, follow some basic principles, use ingredients, and insert some creativity, and it actually tastes good - it can be art.

Examples:

1.) Papa Murphy's Take 'N' Bake and Boboli Crust pizzas are just heating things up.

2.) Making the crust yourself (flour, water, sugar, olive oil, yeast, salt, spices), spreading the sauce (I will allow even canned pizza sauce, but it's better if you make it yourself), adding the cheese and toppings and baking it is cooking.

3.) Crock pizza is art.

(I'll post the recipe and some pictures the next time I make it.)

Visual examples:


This
is
heating
things up...



This is cooking...



Cream of Mushroom Soup
From Food Network Kitchens
Ingredients
1-1/2 ounces dried porcini mushrooms, or other dried mushrooms
7 cups chicken broth, homemade or low-sodium canned
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 cloves garlic, minced
10 ounces button mushrooms, chopped
2 leeks (white part only), thinly sliced
2 medium shallots, thinly sliced
7 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 parsley sprigs
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon Madeira
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Place the dried mushrooms in a large bowl. Bring the broth to a boil and
pour over the dried mushrooms. Set aside to rehydrate for about 20 minutes.
Using a slotted spoon, remove the mushrooms and reserve the broth. Roughly chop the mushrooms.
Heat the butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the button and rehydrated mushrooms and
cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and somewhat dry, about 6 minutes. Add the leek and shallot
and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 4 minutes. Stir in the flour and
cook, stirring, for 2 minutes more.
Pour in the reserved mushroom broth, taking care not to add any grit or dirt that may have fallen to
the bottom of the boil, and bring to a boil while whisking constantly. Tie the parsley sprigs, fresh
thyme, and bay leaf together with a piece of kitchen twine and add to the soup. Lower the heat and
simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
Remove and discard the herb bundle. Working in batches, transfer the mixture to a blender and puree
until smooth. Using a sieve over a large bowl, strain the mushroom puree. Return the puree to the
pot and reheat over medium heat.
Whisk the heavy cream, Madeira, and salt into the soup and season with pepper to taste. Divide among
warm soup bowls and serve immediately.

And this...


...is art!