Have Fun in the Kitchen
If you asked me to cut up an onion or mince garlic two years ago, I would have had no clue how to do that. Picture me, tears in my eyes, struggling to slice an onion- that isn't someone you would expect to be studying food, right? In the Dietetic program at the University of Memphis, I have gradually been able to move past the fear of cooking and to accept that every good slice, every good meal, and every nutritious recipe is the result of failed attempts and practice.
I remember thinking why do I need to learn how to make these recipes or how to cook a certain way, my job is just to tell you what is good for you and go from there. Well, let me tell you guys this, my professor asked me, “How do you expect to be successful in this field if an individual is asking how to put together ingredients in a recipe when you can’t even explain to her how to cut up an onion?”
Today, I love being in the kitchen. Messing around with ingredients and cooking techniques to make recipes uniquely my own has become one of my favorite parts of my day. Instead of being afraid to make mistakes or upset when it does not taste as it should, it just gives me another opportunity to try the recipe again and tweak it to my taste buds. Watching YouTube videos to learn new recipes and kitchen tips are fun and help improve my cooking. I say all of this to show that it is never too late to try new things in the kitchen and to step outside of your comfort zone. If I can do it, so can you!
Which brings me to a few tips I have learned over the years:
One of my favorite professors gave our class a tip that I have used repeatedly to this day. Remember when I told you onions make you cry? What if I told you to put that onion in the freezer for five minutes- yes just five minutes before cutting it. Get it back out and put it on that cutting board and pick up that knife and did you make it without crying? I now love getting recipes that include onion without worrying about my mascara running down my cheeks or my eyes burning.
Next, there is so much social media that is now available to us, with blogs, YouTube videos, TikTok, and Instagram reels there are so many ways to watch and see how other people are cooking. If I need inspiration for what to cook, I hop over to Pinterest, and then when I have decided what sounds good I’m able to find multiple videos on it. Watching those videos, I’m able to morphe the recipe to my taste. The amazing thing about the kitchen is you could never go wrong (unless you burn your food). Every recipe is unique and different, and everyone has different food preferences.
Which brings me to my last point, having fun in the kitchen is the most important part. Every recipe will be different, every recipe will be unique, and once again every recipe will be amazing. Trying new recipes with a loved one, family, or just yourselves is meant to be fun and challenging. When you get to eat the food you make and it rewards you for that hard work and may even surprise you how good it turns out to be. Next thing you know, you have become your own personal chef.
-Jacqueline Copeland
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