Correct Frame of Mind When Cooking
 

One time, my chum, who is taking up culinary arts, agreed to teach me how to cook some of his favorite meals. He gave me a list of meals, but, I did not know most of them. According to him, most of those meals are Russian foods that their professor told them. Since, I'm not familiar with those foods, he selected the recipe that he would lecture me.

Before cooking the so-called Best Siberian Pelmeni from Magic Mold, we arranged all the materials that we would need in his large kitchen. Then, we went to the marketplace to get the ingredients that we need and went back home to start cooking. While preparing the delicious meal, he was teaching some techniques on how that recipe is being cooked. According to him, I should be in a better mood because sooner or later my mood will be reflected back to the taste of my finished product. At first, I was tittering because I supposed he was joking. But it turned out to be right because when I cooked the recipe few weeks ago with a bad mood, the food was so awful and its taste was ridiculous. Thus, from that time on, I assured myself that I should be in the right mood whenever I cook something.

http://travelrussia.blogspot.com/200...n-cooking.html

I have to cook in a clean kitchen. If there are dishes/glasses rinsed and sitting on the counter next to the sink, the dishwasher must be unloaded and loaded with the dirties on the counter before I can begin cooking. I really do not understand this compulsion to begin with a clean kitchen that I intend to dirty up with my preparations...

I'm also like this about leaving the house for a trip. The house must be clean before we leave so we return to a clean home with nothing to do but unpack and do laundry.

I'm usually not in any particularly happy mood when I cook, though I will turn on the Disco or Classic Rock music and dance around the kitchen as I cook, sometimes dancing with Hubby as he passes through for a beer. I wonder if the distracted dancing is why oft'times my smoke detector announces dinner?

Shortly after I was married, my grandmother asked me if I liked to cook. I told her: "No Grandma, but I like home-cooked food, so I have to."
That just about sums up my cooking.
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I've got knife sets for people who like to cook, and for people who have to.

For me, the correct frame of mind when cooking is HUNGRY.

WRONG! It's too late then:thepain: !

I agree, if I'm hungry before I start, dinner could wind up being a bowl of cereal. Hungry (for me and hubby) will not wait for anything to 'cook'.

I definitely cook better when I'm hungry, I get more into it, more creative... self control is a must though.

I don't cook when I am in a bad mood. If it is bad enough, it won't be worth the after effect of having to clean.

I love to cook when I'm feeling creative, nurturing, Earth-Mother-ish, boutiful and calm. That is why most nights it's Lean Cuisine.

I enjoy cooking when I have plenty of time. Time is a rare commodity as of late. Quick meals don't work out for me.

Cooking while I'm hungry works for me too. But NEVER shop for groceries when you're hungry. Or stoned.

STARVING is the wrong frame of mind to cook. Hungry, the beginning stages, especially combined with a craving, is perfect.

Like, I was craving pizza las night, and I ended up making the best pizza I'd ever cooked.
(Homemade crust, sauce, crushed red pepper, little more sauce, mexican blend cheese (monterey jack, cheddar, and two cool mexican kinds), mix the cheese in with the sauce, then a light topping with a blend of mozzerella, mexican blend, and parmesan, then a sprinkling of crushed red pepper, italian seasoning, and a tiiny bit of rosemary. p-e-r-f-e-c-t.)



Oh, and I shop best hungry... and with someone else's money.

Hunger is the best seasoning...

You have your point there. :)

If I cook when I'm more than a little bit hungry, I usually end up very uninterested in what I make. It's not that it doesn't taste good - my critics generally give solid reviews - I just feel like my food mindset/palate shuts off. This is especially the case when I'm cooking just for myself.

Also agree that attitude can affect the outcome. I do fine under pressure - done some of my best stuff with 15 hungry/wine-happy folks growling in the dining room - but anxiety totally kills the taste. I have a horrible time cooking for girls I really like during the courtship period ... I still manage to get laid :) but then I have to prove that I really do have good moves in the kitchen.

You can get things like monterey jack cheese in asia?