Saturday 3 November 2012

On abstract cooking

Now there is many a great cooking blog out there, unfortunately mine isn't one of them. Whilst I aspire to cook most food from scratch, seasonally when I can and with local produce when its available, I've come to realise I'm not really suited to writing about cooking. This may become an issue as the 'manchild' has asked if I'll pop something regularly for him as an online library of recipes for his university years. No pressure huh.
 
Don't get me wrong, I love cooking, its just the knack of doing it consistently, remembering what I've done and repeating it that is my problem.  I'm more of an 'abstract' cook, I lob in as I go, tasting and adjusting to please so recipes are an abstract notion to me, unless I'm baking (which is science anyway and I stick to a plan for that). For everything else, my ad hoc approach sort of works as long as I don't try and cook pre-packaged food, which I can only burn or turn to mush. Its never ever worked, I just can do pre-packed food, I blame my dyslexia entirely.
A meal for a chum, looks much better wrapped up to go than it did during the cooking stages.
Take the case yesterday. My wonderful chum's just had a baby and its nice to take around a home cooked meal for the new bleary eyed parents. Now being like many I'm not a bad fridge forager, although not as inspired as Cheri over at Cwtch Corner, her recipes put me to shame, as do her photographs of cooking. Whilst I did OK on the fridge forage and the freezer surf to find ingredients, my enthusiasm and poor time management mean I forget to take bonnie photos of the ingredients and hastily try and take them whilst cooking. So my photos, unlike many a gorgeous blog food photos, look a bit like this.....hardly inspiring. Although I did hear that it tasted OK and no ones dead, which given they are new parents, is a relief!
Cod with sun dried tomato, chorizo, lemon, courgette and shallots.
Any hints and tips of taking gorgeous photos of food please leave them below. For now I'll not leave my day job and take up recipe photography. And, the manchilds new stolen recipes blog, will be deviod of my own photos until I've mastered it.

7 comments:

  1. hey wee one, you write very well about food, and i can vouch for how well you cook!

    Mr F

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    1. Hey phew, you didn't mention the supernoodle incident. I mean who CANT cook supernoodles? Me it would seem.

      I write very well about EATING food, but I'm a bit pants at recipes.

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  2. Aw Fay how very, very generous of you. Thanks for the lovely words and links Believe me, I am no great cook, I just like pottering. I hardly ever remember to take photos but yesterday I had time on my hands. As for them being good photos. erm lucky I think but I hear bright light and a good camera. I just use my iphone. I love reading about your recipes and food foraging. I am always inspired. I dont use any other recipe other than yours for scones now and I even tried making my own basil after reading your recipe. That photo at the top is gorgeous. I want to come and cook in your kitchen it always looks bright and cheerful. Love the picture too.

    Your son will be really inspired by having his own blog. You will have to encourage him to blog on there too. I just came across Frugal Feeding blog http://frugalfeeding.com when he liked my post. It is a great blog and he started it when at Uni. Seems he has a massive following too.

    Oh, I always manage to burn ready meals and packet stuff. It just doesn't inspire me and I usually end up reading a good book while its cooking.

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    1. Ah you're too odest. The kitchen here ia more about colour than style! The dresser usually has a random assortment of colourful fruit and veg on it, I love looking at food, dried things are in jars, I think seeing food in a kitchen inspires cooking.

      Thanks for the link. My sons gong to just poke me for recipes so I can put the ones he likes up and others as I remember, I'm glad someone else burns packet food.

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  3. Hey, who cares what the photo looks like, I bet the meal was delicious!

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  4. Thanks for popping by Andrea, I heard it was ok, but aside tasting whilst cooking, I never got any!

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  5. I really like your writing style, excellent info, appreciate it for posting . “The superfluous is very necessary.” by Francois Marie Arouet Voltaire.

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