Well, more accurately, there's no one right way to cook. When I was in culinary school, I was bombarded with (and absorbed) a lot of strong and largely problematic opinions about the "correct" way to cook things. There was an extreme focus on white/European cooking as the gold standard for culinary excellence. Recipes needed to be made with specific ingredients and prepared *just so* in order to be considered correct, accurate, and valid and anything "less" (meaning prepared differently or by amateur cooks) was laughably wrong.
If this is sounding a little familiar, it's probably because this culture of superiority is sadly abundant in the interactions within the vast majority of food content. A look at the comments section of nearly any food blog or recipe Instagram post will almost without fail have a few commenters telling the poster that what they created is wrong in some way. There's also an uncomfortable trend of trained chefs and culinarians creating content that condescends and ridicules home cooks and amateurs.
As I've grown as a human I've realized that all of that is a load of elitist and ableist bullshit. Here's why (pardon me while I step onto my soapbox):
Many people have specific dietary needs. From common conditions like lactose intolerance and food sensitivities to rare allergies and immune differences, there are many medical reasons that people may need to swap an ingredient. There's also plenty of people without a diagnosed condition who have identified that certain ingredients don't seem to sit right with their bodies and avoid those ingredients so that they can feel better. There's also dietary choices and restrictions that individuals abide by choice for personal, philosophical, or other reasons or for medical purposes - vegan, vegetarian, primarily-plant-based, keto, paleo, low-carb, slow-carb; there are too many to list. Another completely valid reason to replace an ingredient is if you just don't like the original ingredient. Why eat something that doesn't bring you joy when you could eat something that does bring you joy?
Not everyone has the same access to equipment, tools, resources, and more. Some cooking methods are impossible for some people whether that be due to mobility or energy differences, access to the kitchen implements listed in the recipe, or a wide variety of other reasons. Everyone has to make their own choices as to how much they can invest in a cooking experience whether that be monetarily on equipment, ingredients, etc. or personally with their time and bodily and mental stamina. Everyone's physical and psychological energies are limited - some more so than others. If a person goes to make a meal and there's a traditional method or a different, perhaps less labor-intensive method to make the same thing (e.g. using pre-made ingredients or converting to a one-pot version to save time an energy in cleanup), they might choose the alternate method to honor and care for themself.
There are innumerable nuances to each person's lived experiences and they are all valid. Your life and your needs will inform your choices in the kitchen and that is part of what makes cooking such an intimate experience. Accessibility is of the utmost importance to me, so I'll always try to provide options that might better suit your needs - also, always feel free to ask me any questions you might have in the comments!
Have fun and happy cooking!
Photo by henry perks on Unsplash
Comentários