As my own personal chef, I realized recently that my cooking has become a bit boring. I always cook eggs the same way (sunny side up), I use all the same tricks in my stir-fry (lots of garlic & Sriracha hot sauce) and my lunch sandwiches have become too predictable (grilled cheese, grilled everything). Most likely because I spend so much time thinking about food in this class, my personal standards are slowly shifting, and I'm putting my previous methodologies under review.
Last week, I decided to perfect my scrambled eggs. My old recipe called for cracking eggs in the pan, pouring in a bit of milk from the jug, forking it around and waiting for the eggs to solidify. I notoriously overcook things, and my old recipe's scrambled eggs were dense, sickly looking things.
I did a bit of research and found a much better recipe. Use one teaspoon milk for two eggs in a bowl, fork the mixture in a semi-circle for two minutes to fluff and aerate, pour in buttered pan on low heat, add seasoning, and, as the eggs cook, push the solidified eggs to the center to make room for the uncooked portions. The first morning, my heat was too high and I found myself with a flat disk of eggs. The second morning, while paying extreme close attention, the eggs were perfect: fluffy, soft, perfectly salted and peppered and fresh.
I've perfected one personal recipe, but my quest is just beginning. I decided to spice up my grilled cheese yesterday by frying a patty of tofu in oil and Sriracha (OK, I still have my stand-by ingredients) and layering it within the cheese. Delicious! My next project will be rosemary potatoes, perfectly seasoned, crispy and golden brown.
