Pyrex Vision
Broadcasting live from the stove.
Remember COVID?
It was kind of a big deal. We had to stay inside.
Where the kitchen is!
Back in those halcyon days of early ‘vid, I got into cooking out of necessity.
Pretty soon it became an active and immense source of joy. Years later, it still is.
And after putting in the hours, I’m kinda nice with it.
I started a Cookdini Instagram, to keep track of all the keepers and share the recipes with friends. The selections tend to be plant-centric (my wife likes to say she’s a “vegan who hates rules”) with a fair amount of poultry and fish. Red meat don’t make me feel so great, but there’s an occasional beef stew or two.
Sometimes you gotta answer the siren call of the Instant Pot.
Don’t worry, any bacon is still made of turkey.
Cookbooks like Isa Does It, Ottolenghi Simple, Run Fast Eat Slow and PlantYou’s new Scrappy Cooking are very much my speed — easy to learn, strong effort-to-taste ratio, (mostly) clean eating.
I have my online go-tos as well. Food52, Modern Proper, NYT Cooking, Bon Appetit, Epicurious. The branded ones from Momofuku and Kikkoman, and the Live Laugh Loveish blogs like Dishing Out Health, Pinch Of Yum, Justine Snacks and Half Baked Harvest.
Even Cravings By Chrissy Teigen until she paywalled (c’mon girl).
At first, it’s just following instructions. After a while, you figure out how to freak it to your liking: edits, substitutions, predicting what extra seasonings will be needed based on the author photo.
In the end, they’re all inspirations. I’ll take ‘em wherever I can find ‘em.
I’m amused whenever it’s a TikTok.
One side effect of getting to know all the ingredients and processes that go into your food? The realization that most restaurants are just OK.
I am forever ruined for fast casual.
As a phrase, “foodie” makes me itch. (I prefer Tiga’s “everyone hates hipsters until it’s time to eat.”) But considering the specificity of all my other interests… the shoe fits.
I have thoughts on capers now!
It’s been very satisfying to go from a diet of mid takeout and Trader Joe’s microwaveables to having a psychotically organized spice cabinet and several different kinds of flour.
(Still FW Trader Joseph, more for inexpensive components than ready-made meals. The TJs-specific recipies out there are decent! That said, Fiery Chicken Curry will never leave my freezer on some “break in case of emergency.”)
Blessedly, cooking has no professional tie-in.
It’s just another part of life to enjoy.
I don’t have “chef” aspirations, or want a side hustle in food styling — though it is nice to have a white table to shoot these on.
Not going crazy with gear either. A good knife and a forty-dollar Cuisinart definitely help, but get it how u live… the important thing is just to start.
Please dig around the archives and fire something up tonight!
Jubilee BBC1 Essential Mix — now on Soundcloud 🔥🔥🔥
We Hate You Please Die “Adrenaline”
Eyedress Vampire In Beverly Hills — fav album rn! Shout out bb trickz.
John Mulaney “Music In 50 Parts” Playlist — tastefully on brand. Also: Phish.
Zuko Rosemeid “Murder At The Shubz” — UK bars over a Sophie Ellis-Bextor flip, complete with Saltburn font. Milly Pounds & Shirty approved (I presume).
Annnnnnnd… playlists updated!