Domestic Arts: How you learned to cook

[SmileBugMK]

We already have a forum encompassing food, but this is more about the art of making delicious food.  And I wanted to give the proposed sub-forum a boost.

How did you learn to cook?  I think this question always elicits animated conversation.  I often try to steer discussion to cookery if a party is dull.  Everyone likes food, and almost everyone like to talk about himself.  So, did you learn it all from your dear mother?  Get tossed out into the world and one day decided you couldn't live on Ramen any longer?  Graduate from Le Cordon Bleu?  How did that training or lack there of make you into the chef you are today?  What sort of chef ARE you today?

I learned baking from mom at a young age.  Began with placing M&Ms on cookies, al the way up to the cakes that I would like to make into a livelihood, or at least money to blow on chapel veils.  Cooking was more my father's domain.  Oh, Mom did it, but she would always use a recipe and follow it exactly.  That's not necessarily bad.  Her dishes always turned out like they were supposed to.  I learned technique and textbook basics from Mom.  For that I am greatful.  Mom taught me to follow the rules, but dad taught me how to break them.  He's the master of taking whatever's in the fridge, throwing out whatever's grown green fur, and making dinner out of the rest of it.  And it was usually good, even though my bratty eight-year-old self will not admit it.  Sometimes dad got a little too reckless.  One episode he will never live down is when his parents had given us a ton of lobster tail, and we needed to use it up.  He'd tried a Thai peanut sauce recently, and wanted to recreate it.  We didn't have any peanuts, and he had no idea what spices went itno it.  No matter!  He slathered peanut butter over that lobster and tossed it in t

I digress.  During the collegiate years I learned to marry my parents' two philosophies toward culinary art., and came up with a style that's somewhere between my mother's paint-by-number and my father's Jackson Pollock.  Baking is exact, everything else is negotiable.  I've had some clunkers along the way, certainly, like a very memorable squash.   I still am unable to fry an egg to my husband's specifications:  the yolk completely liquid and the white completely solid.  But in general he is pleased with me.  He's happy if there's a palatable meal on the table, but appreciates how I can tweak dishes to fit in better with our tastes and/or budget.  I make most of our bread, but the crock-pot is also my friend.  I like to make big meals and freeze part.  Sometimes I play a game with myself to see how inexpensively I can feed us good food..  Entertaining is fun too; I love cooking for friends.

But enough about me, what about you?   

[Texican]

My maternal grandmother, mostly.  I used to watch her cook; it's where I learned to cook Mexican rice.
My father was kinda like yours, I suspect; he used to make whatever he found in the pantry, or fridge.  Since his shop was at home, he cooked quite a bit during the Summers, when my grandma wasn't there.  My mom worked outside the home, so she didn't cook as much, although I did manage to learn a few things from her.
One of my aunts, my mother's sister, used to make the best flour tortillas ever.  I've never been able to make them like the ones she made, so i usually get some from the grocery store.

Apart from them, it's just been watching, and emulating a few chefs, but I've never really cooked commercially, just put pans in the fire, in private kitchens.  I was taught to not be afraid of making mistakes, and that, barring some certain catastrophes, there's usually a way to save a dish, although it may not be what you originally intended.

I will say that, although I own quite a few pans, I've gone back to my roots, and am using cast iron, more and more.  Non-stick is easy, but not having your food stick on an iron pan, without  having an inch of grease in it, is an accomplishment.

Unfortunately, for the last year-and-a-half, I haven't been doing much cooking, save for throwing a steak on the grill, or making some meatloaf variation, although I did try a lentil recipe that was out of this world.
The taboule was pretty good, too!.

[SmileBugMK]

What's taboule?

[Texican]

It's a bulgur wheat salad.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabbouleh

Here's a sample recipe, from Cooks.com.

http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1818,150167-229206,00.html

LE TABOULE LIBANAIS   

1 box of Tabouleh wheat salad
3 big tomatoes
4 bunches of Italian (flat) parsley
4 green onions, white part only
8 mint leaves (more to taste)
2 lemons
1/2 c. fine olive oil
Some cold water
2 romaine lettuce heads

Pour the tabouleh in a big salad bowl. Add 1 cup water and 1/4 cup olive oil. Mix and let stand 30 minutes. Peel the tomatoes, discard the seeds and juice. Dice. Wash and dry the parsley. Discard all stems. Chop up the leaves as finely as possible. Chop the green onions, and 6-8 leaves of the mint.

Mix everything. Add the juice of 2 lemons or more. Taste and add some olive oil. NO SALT OR PEPPER IS NEEDED.

Stick whole leaves of romaine lettuce around the salad, and decorate with mint leaves. Traditionally, one spoons some salad on a lettuce leaf, rolls it up and eat with fingers.

Note: This salad tastes even better when it has been made well ahead of time (the day before). Yield: 6-8 servings if main course. The skin of tomatoes will come right off if you dip them in boiling water for a few seconds.

[mike6240]

I taught myself how to cook.  My mom wasn't a very good cook growing up (matter of fact, her cooking was pretty awful) and my dad's definition of cooking was throwing a hotdog on the grill.  I left home when I was just out of high school and couldn't afford to eat out often so I had to teach myself (or starve).  Now I'm pretty good - if I say so myself.  I've got a great little library of gormet cookbooks and can whip up a very nice sit down dinner for 6 or 8.  Maybe that's why I get "volunteered" every year to do the holiday family feasts.   

Btw, I "do" an awesome homemade tabouleh salad with bowtie pasta.

edited for spelling

[Fontevrault]

My mother taught me to cook.  I remember our kitchen as the center of everything as a small child.  We would talk, bake, play, and hang out in there.  I remember making jams, apple butter, bread to bring to a family, whatever.  My mom communicates a lot through food.  She says "I love you" with the little things she throws together every day.  She even used to run a pantry for needy families at our church.

But, the thing I remember the most was when she decided to train to become a professional chef at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris.  She would work these long hours at school and then come home and practice.  She, of course, needed help.  So, my sister and I would learn how to make pretty much everything she studied.  We would help her "practice" and churn out massive amounts of food.  The whole neighborhood put on 10 pounds per person when she practiced for her pastry exam!  Thanks to her, I can throw together almost anything. 

We still cook together when we can.  Christmas, for example, usually involves the three of us (mom, sister, and I) cooking for our family of approx. 30.  At Easter, we each make Greek Easter Bread and call each other throughout the process.  The whole day is filled with "when did you start?"  "how is it rising?"  "how many loaves did you make this year?" and then we reminisce about doing it together - every year for as long as I can remember.  Then, we all get into our cars and take the loaves to friends and family to share the joy of Easter.  Last year I made 14 loaves. 

Wow . . . I'm suddenly home sick.  This sure brings back some wonderful memories!

I've learned to cook a little differently over the years because of my PCOS.  The best way to control it without medication is through diet and because it's based on insulin resistance, I cook low(er) carb.  This usually gets thrown out the window when my mother is around (and at Easter).

My mother has a website for the classes she teaches now that she lives in Grasse, France.  She usually posts some wonderful recipes.  Since I’m fairly certain this is poor advertising for her classes, I feel OK posting this here.  I highly recommend looking at the free recipes she posts from time to time.  There are also a lot of beautiful pictures of her work.  http://the45minutegourmet.wordpress.com/

Thanks for a wonderful topic.  I think I’ll call my mom now . . .

[introibo]

From the time I was in junior high school and on, my job was to bake the dessert for the family.  My father had a real sweet tooth, so we had to have dessert every day.  I started off with cake mixes, but went on to do things from scratch.

I kind of learned regular cooking from my Mom, but she was so particular and often critical - if I cut the eggplant too thick or didn't flip the meatball just so, she would get upset.  Thus that kind of turned me off.

I do have fond memories of watching my Mom make pies..her big baking thing.  Not that I particularly like making pies now, even though I use the super-fast food processor to do the crusts.  And I don't use awful shortening the way she did....I use real butter!

Christina

[Anastasia]

Eldest of nine kids, so I learned how to cook VERY early! My mom cooks in a mixed French-English style, and my dad cooks Italian and Thai, so we sort of had odd dinners growing up. When I was about 12, I was fascinated with afternoon tea, and I used to make several course teas every afternoon for a while. That helped me get very good at baking. And in college, the classics dept used to take us all out to the greek diner, and they all taught me how to do middle eastern food.

[phnuggle]

I learned by watching Nigella Lawson (), reading blog posts and recipes online, and experimentation. I think it took me like, six tries to make a loaf of bread. My sister called it 'failbread' for the longest time. 

So now I can follow a recipe just fine, but I'm not much good at what I really want to learn—improvising and cooking with what you have. I'm always jealous of those people who can take stuff out of the fridge, throw it together, and make something edible, like your pop (but I think I'll pass on peanut butter lobster!).

[AntoniusMaximus]

I'm Italian, cooking is written in my genetics

[devotedknuckles]

i had a private tutor. a professional chief. when i decided to find a lass to marry i figured the best way to her heart was to learn to cook homemade Italian from scratch. pasta sauce, u name it. it worked.
well quicker and better then i thought. now being alone again. i think ill learn to make or disarm ieds for next time. just makes sense
sip sip

[CollegeCatholic]

Cooked my first meal ever just 11 months ago.  It was probably noodles.

Learned from watching a friend, and following instructions online (and directions from mom).

Cooking still isn't that great, but I make one delicious dish (which... I've talked about before - fried maultaschen with peppers).

I'll be learning more this coming academic year, though, probably (hopefully!).

[devotedknuckles]

the best way is to get comfortable and do it. also if u want to know a trick when it comes to lassies. cook it in front of them. learn the proper way to use the blade all the cuts and dices. learn how to manipulate the flame and use cooking wine. trust me.
the actual food is half of it. by the time she sits to eat. she yours
sips ip

[CollegeCatholic]

the best way is to get comfortable and do it. also if u want to know a trick when it comes to lassies. cook it in front of them. learn the proper way to use the blade all the cuts and dices. learn how to manipulate the flame and use cooking wine. trust me.
the actual food is half of it. by the time she sits to eat. she yours
sips ip

I'll definitely agree with that.

When I first made my favorite dish, I had to take the pan and flip the food in it by that flippy-method.  I was terrified all my food would go flying.  But, after months of practice, and realizing what can and can't be done, well...  I'm still nervous about it, but less so!    

[SaraLucille]

I taught myself to cook by watching Food Network... mainly Emeril, Rachel Ray, Tyler Florence, Bobby Flay and Giada. However, my baking skills are genetic, lol.