Jan 22 2009
Creative Cooking
“Creative cooks are seldom neat cooks.”
-Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa (Food Network)
So far in this blog, I’ve talked a lot about writing. it’s really no surprise since that’s my primary form of creative output. However, it’s not the only form by far.
It is my opinion that no matter what task you do or job you have, there is some element of creativity in it whether it’s teaching, parenting, gardening, quilting, beading, or cooking, just to name a few.
Yes. Cooking.
There are some people who only follow a recipe and that’s it. There’s nothing wrong with following someone else’s recipe or (in other forms) pattern. Some people use the recipe or pattern as a safety net. That works for them and allows them to achieve some measure of creative success. Other people take the recipe and add to it or take things from it, experimenting and making it their own in the process.
Creativity in the kitchen is fun. It can certainly lead to some interesting combinations. Some are edible; others not so much. The only time that becomes a problem is if you’re experimenting with dinner with limited ingredients, it comes out disastrous, and someone other than you still has to eat it. It’s not wrong; it just didn’t work out for you at that time.
Some people don’t expect creativity in cooking. What are some unexpected (to you) areas where you’ve found creativity?
Beth, you’re right in that creativity can become apparent during brainstorming. That’s one purpose of that activity, to tap into your creativity to come up with ideas you might pass by ordinarily.
Cheryl, I have too many picky people in this house to do creative cooking, so I’m stuck with doing regular standbys. Sometimes I can do something new, but not very often.