Which Great Home Cooks Did You Learn From?
My go-to website and mailing list for recipe ideas, Epicurious, just posted a gallery of who they think are the greatest home cooks of all time, with emphasis on those who changed the way we cook at home. From the strange truths about the history of Betty Crocker to introductions to regional cooks I’d never heard of, it was a fun long read on a rainy day.
But they were missing a few of the great ones who taught me how to cook, which I didn’t start learning in earnest until well into my 20’s, having subsisted on canned, frozen and fast foods until then.
Once I decided to learn I had to start out really basic. I was a vegetarian by default: I couldn’t afford meat and had such bad experiences with Mom’s tough, overcooked versions of it that I didn’t want it anyway. Vegetarian was cheapest, so I went with that. But what in gawd’s name do you do with tofu? (The eventual conclusion: nothing) What’s the difference between brown and white rice, and what are all those other weird grains in the bins at the local natural foods store? What do I do with all these awesome fresh vegetables from the corner farmer’s stand besides steam them and cover them with cheese? I knew nothing about fresh herbs other than parsley, nothing about spices other than seasoned salt and lemon pepper, nothing about condiments other than catsup and mayo, and no clue as to how to cook grains other than Minute Rice or beans from a can. Mary Estella’s Natural Foods Cookbook was my first primer, and a clear and gentle hand-holding introduction to basic flavorful whole foods cooking.
The Epicurious list also left out another of my best cooking teachers, Frances Moore Lappe, whose Diet for a Small Planet made eating beans and rice a joyous political act. The, after a visit to the Tassajara Zen Center in the Carmel Valley hills I bought Edward Espe Brown’s The Tassajara Recipe Book which was another life changer. It taught me that not only could vegetarian cooking be gourmet but that eggs didn’t have to be runny and gross, after I got up the nerve to taste the mustard and tarragon baked eggs served for breakfast.
I stayed resolutely vegetarian until the first year of my marriage when I had double foot surgery that involved breaking and resetting my first metatarsals for an advanced hereditary case of hallux valgus. I came home in double leg casts, and John put a plate of spaghetti and meatballs in front of me, and with a sly smile said “You can pick out the meatballs, but at least give one a taste.”
I was initially suspicious, as he had once urged me to taste a Chinese herb that made my entire mouth go numb, then innocently asked “Want to know the antidote?” Still, he knew I needed meat after surgery to help repair the broken bones and build blood. After a doubtful look I took one bite and swooned, then wolfed down every single delicious meatball made of ground beef, veal and pork. So he gets credit for making a carnivore out of me, and inspiring me to learn how to cook meat, fish and chicken.
Here’s just a few of the 100 Greatest Cooks of All Time from the Epicurious list to stimulate your memories and your appetites. Is one of them on your personal list? Or, like me, do you have other cooks who, especially early on, taught you the basics?
Betty Crocker
Famous Amos
Fannie Farmer
Joan Didion
Julia Child
Ina Garten
Rachael Ray
Zephyr Wright
Martin Yan
Wendell Berry
MFK Fisher
James Beard
Pearl Bailey
Abby Fisher
Mark Bittman (New York Times)
Alice Waters
Alice B Toklas
Irma Rombauer (The Joy of Cooking)
Also, too: Are You Going to the Women’s March tomorrow?
What do you want to talk about today?
RSVPS
1. idlemoments, organizer (kosmail her to connect)
2. RickNelsonmn (can carpool)
3. slapshoe (can carpool)
4. Thutmose V
5.
MAYBEES :
Judeling
angry marmot
keepminnesotablue
Garrett
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WOMAN'S MARCH NYC 2017
Footage compiled from the 2017 Woman's March on New York City, directed by Joan Brooker, with support from the SVA community.
Organizers, remember to choose a place to meet in advance and that cell phone service will shut down before the events get started. Consider a sign to hold up above the crowd for people to find you with. Check with your local march organizers to find out what materials are not permitted, such as balloons or sticks.
NEW YORK RSVPS
1. joanbrooker, organizer (kosmail her to connect)
2. belinda ridgewood
3. gchaucer2
4. kathny
5.
MAYBEES :
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LONG ISLAND RSVPS TO RALLY AT THE INTERSECTION OF RT. 112 AND 347 IN PORT JEFFERSON STATION AT NOON
1. grannycarol, organizer (kosmail her to connect)
2.
MAYBEES :
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Ypsilanti, Michigan RSVPS
Saturday, 12:30 at ypsi library 229 W Michigan ave
1. peregrine, organizer (kosmail her to connect)
2.
MAYBEES :
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lansing, michigan RSVPS
Kate will be at the Lansing March on Sunday the 21st, which runs from 2:00 to 5:00 PM. meet at the Biggby Coffee, 120 W. Ottawa Street, around the corner from the Capitol, at 1:30 PM. Please come join us!
1. peregrine, organizer (kosmail her to connect)
2.
3.
MAYBEES :
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RSVPS
1. EagleOfFreedom
2. Bleeding Blue
3. DoingBusinessAs
4. momomia
5. ptressel
6. Kay3295
7.
MAYBEES :
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Puerto Rico Kos
Stay tuned, big Daily Kos meet-up on January 29th with Chef Bobby Neary aka newpioneer. Daily Kos is sending Kelly Macias from our Editorial Staff and Chris Reeves from our Community Building Staff to do some original reporting about Puerto Rico coinciding with the SOTU address.
PUERTO RICO RSVPS
1. newpioneer, organizer (kosmail him to connect)
2. Kelly Macias, Daily Kos Staff Writer
3. Chris Reeves, Daily Kos Community Outreach Organizer
4.
MAYBEES :
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Netroots Nation 2018