Chefs need to Taste their Food

Cooking is an important skill to learn for anyone. For many people it has become a hobby. When you learn how to cook it seems that you are much more independent because you are no longer reliant on parents to make your food. It also allows you to express some creativity. In the learning how to cook process, it is better that anything you make can be tested and tasted. It is not enough that you are the only one tasting it because there is very little objectivity. After all, you know what you put in and you have the greatest wish that it all goes well. In fact, the best thing to do is to get friends and family to taste what you have cooked. So it was with great trepidation that I announced to my family and some of my friends that I will cook for them. I spent days preparing for the day. I researched the best and easiest recipes I could find that I would not screw up. I practiced in the kitchen as much as I can.

 

Al at Eucalyptus

On the day that I arranged the tasting of my food, I was confident because I had gone shopping for the ingredients the day before. In my head, I was sure that I had everything I needed and nothing will go wrong. I was envisioning my friends and family will be so amazed that I learned to cook this magnificent meal. I asked the people that I was cooking for to leave me alone in the kitchen so what I’m cooking will be a total surprise. It started out well. I was doing my prep work, cutting and chopping my vegetables and herbs, cleaning my meat, and heating up oil. I started to season my meat for the roast chicken and potatoes that I learned from a recipe book. In the pan I put in my herbs and stuffed the chicken with the vegetables. Now I needed to sprinkle in my salt and pepper.

That’s when things started to go wrong.

 

The salt I had used did not feel right. It felt very grainy and crystallized. But I kept going because everything had to be placed in the oven.

I looked at my potatoes and started to toss them. I glugged olive oil into the bowl and then again went for my salt and pepper to season the food.

Again I thought the salt felt weird but I had to get things going.

So I kept cooking. I was noticing that the potatoes were forming some sort of crust but I thought, hey, I must be doing something brilliant because caramelization tastes really good. Finally everything was ready.

I nervously plated my dishes and brought it into the dining room for my friends and family to taste.

My family began to cut into the chicken and the potatoes.

Then their faces contorted. They asked me if I tasted the food. My eyes went wide because a chef needs to taste their food before serving it to anyone.

I went to the plate and forked some pieces to taste. I put in sugar instead of salt!

I wanted to cry so badly but my family and friends hugged me and said that practice makes perfect. So I guess I need to cook more and use salt next time.

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