How Different Is Your Kitchen Philosophy from Your Mother's? (grilled, barbeque, healthy)
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I am more like her than not. She is a wonderful and baker, but often worked in circumstances not of her making. Cooking was not my paternal grandmother's forte, her amzing strengths lay in other pursuits; as a result my father had eaten a very limited diet. He dearly loved my mother's cooking because she did everything so well, but he was not an adventureous eater by any stretch of the imagination- corn was about as extreme as he got for vegetables. She wouldn't fix anything he didn't like so that was one limiting factor. The other was that my brother's health required a special diet, so my mother never added salt to a single dish she prepared; we knew to add it at the table.
I learned to cook from scratch from my mother, a lesson which saves our food budget as I buy very few prepared foods. I learned how to make substitutions when a recipe calls for an ingredient not in my larder. I learned how to present food in an attractive manner to the extent that a neighbor once asked me if my family had owned a restaurant (I told her no, it is because I am Episcopalian!) Beyond that, I am more likely to try new ingredients, combinations of flavors, and techniques.
I cook with a lot more heat than she did. Chile pepper type heat, that is.
I bake, momma didn't.
She emphasized salads and greens and cruciferous veg (then dies at age 67 from bowel cancer). I can't remember the last time I had those items in this house, save for cabbage for my Bubble and Squeak.
She cleaned up as she went, I make one huge mess, then have a marathon cleaning session.
She washed her hands even if she scratched an itch on her arm. I'm not that anal. If you eat my food, know this: I just might scratch my arm, then get right back to kneading the dough.
When people ask me what's for supper, I don't answer with the word "Food".
I grill or stir fry veg, momma boiled or served raw.
Momma insisted on using a rice cooker and measuring rice and water, I cook rice in a pot the way Chef Sophie Chen taught me 20 some years ago, and I don't measure anything.
I insist on gas, she insisted on electric.
She washed the dishes before they went in the dishwasher. I don't.
I keep my knives sharp.
I use cast iron cookware every day. I don't think they're unsanitary because
I don't wash and scrub the crap out of them in white hot soapy water or a dishwasher, causing them to be perpetually rusty.
My mom was a good cook and baker for the most part. Essentially, I have taken her influence and expanded upon it. Mom would try new recipes at times, I do it even more. Mom would cook good old midwestern dishes and Italian. I am always trying out new ethnic foods and working them into my home menu. I still favor Italian, as does my husband. My mom also grew a huge garden and did a lot of canning, something I don't do as much of but I do try. I use a larger variety of spices than my mom did.
We were nourished-that's about all we got out of my mother's kitchen. I used to be so upset to see a nice piece of meat thawing for that night's dinner because I knew what a wonderful jerky she was going to make of it. LOL. My mom cooked because she had to. I cook because I like too. I think I was influenced more by my father and his mother than my own mother. They both enjoy cooking for others and using actual ingredients.
Due to my father being a very picky eater the household menu at my house was very limited growing up. No fish, not much beef, not much pork and lots and lots of chicken.
My mother did a good job with the limitations that were placed upon her. But it wasn't until I got much older that I tasted such things as BBQ ribs, pork chops, shrimp and catfish for the first time. Needless to say, I have enjoyed cooking a lot of these things.
Nobody can touch my mother's home made spaghetti sauce though. Even when I use the same ingredients, mine isn't nearly as good, and I can't seem to figure out why. LOL
I like to think I am a better cook, but my mom was not a bad cook.
I think both us have pretty good "kitchen instincts".
I would love to do an "Iron Chef" type competition against my mom.
I am a relatively new convert to local, fresh foods and pastured meat, and I haven't broken mom of commercial meat.
She used to garden, and we both adore garden tomatoes and really fresh things.
She wasn't afraid to tackle new stuff, and I give her credit for that, but I fault her for not reaching far enough. I'm sure some of that was just trying to make dinner that we would eat - I was a horrible, picky eater back then. Sorry mom! I got much better!
Location: Finally made it to Florida and lovin' every minute!
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Mom is also of the generation that overcooks everything. One of the last times DH and I went to her house for dinner, she cooked a pork roast. She doesn't use a meat thermometer, so she cut into the center to see if it was ready. She said, "it's not quite ready. It's still juicy." Need I say more?
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