Who Says You Can’t Play With Your Food?

One of the things we heard growing up, was our parents telling us ‘don’t play with your food’. Whoever said that you shouldn’t? Well I’m here to say, there’s nothing wrong with playing with food.

To me, what makes a great cook, is those that do indeed play with their food. Being creative and willing to try new things out is one of your biggest assets in the kitchen. Play with those seasonings. Play with different cuts of meat, different cooking styles, just have fun with what you’re preparing for your next meal.

I know I post alot of recipes in my blog. But the fact is, those recipes are not set in stone. If you find you don’t have one of the ingredients, SUBSTITUTE. If you don’t like certain ingredients (or have an allergy to something), by all means substitute one ingredient for another. Also, try different meats with a particular marinade or dressing. You’d be surprised how the flavors change with little changes.

The idea is to have fun. To change boring into something new. Take simple tuna salad…Find it’s getting a bit boring having on a salad or sandwhich? Try instead, coring a tomatoe, making a small ‘bowl’ in it, then filling it with the tuna salad. But you’re not done there. Top it with a bit of shredded cheese then throw in the oven at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes.

Finding grilled cheese sandwhiches a bit dull recently? Why not try different bread types, different cheeses, or add fruit to it before grilling. One of my favorite grilled cheese sandwhiches is using sliced pears or apples on cinnamon bread with blue cheese crumbles and provalone together.

Found meatloaf to be a bit boring recently? Here’s something that will perk it up and make it a family favorite. Instead of pouring tomatoe sauce on top of it before baking? Try pressing brown sugar over the top instead. As the meatloaf bakes, the juices mix with the brownsugar and you get a nice sweet crust.

Fruit perserves and butters make the simplest, easiest meat and veggie glazes or marinades. Just toss/coat your meat or veggies with your favorite jelly or perserves. Depending on the spices you choose to use, you can get a sweet/hot taste to a sweet spicy tang.

Don’t be afraid to experiment. Play with that food! 

This entry was posted on Friday, June 22nd, 2007 at 1:54 pm and is filed under Editorials. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.