With my dog's emergency back surgery on Saturday and the rest of life, I've missed a lot in the food world this week. Syracuse's Restaurant Week has slipped me by, I have a back log of posts waiting to be written, and I've missed some of the more thought provoking foodie articles in the news...
Like this one which you can hear on NPR. This interview with Christine Rosen on NPR's Talk of the Nation is all about kitchen renovations. Let me name my issues up front: I would love to have a totally tricked out kitchen. I go to other people's homes and openly gush with kitchen envy. I have already designed several kitchens that I would build if I had the money. And yes, decking out a kitchen with $50,000 worth of appliances--even the thought of it--fills me with guilt at having fallen sway to our consumerist society. But if you wanted to give me a modest little Aga or Thermador stove I wouldn't turn it down.
The truth is, as many a food blogger and home cook could attest, fancy kitchens and luxurious appliances do not a cook make. It can make the cooking experience more pleasant, perhaps, but it won't compensate for time, experience, and a love for messing around in and messing up the kitchen. Perhaps you know folks who have fabulous kitchens that rarely, if ever, get dirty because they rarely, if ever, get used.
You can read the article by Christine Rosen that inspired the interview here. She brings up many interesting points, such as the irony that we would turn what was once seen as domestic drugery into such a status symbol.
"fancy kitchens and luxurious appliances do not a cook make".
No, no they do not. My sister lives in a mobile home and has about a 12 x 12 kitchen area, yet can cook circles around 99% of the people I know. She can make something out of nothing, on a moment's notice....and I hate her for it!
Posted by: David | February 28, 2006 at 02:27 PM
I've always (arrogantly) believed that a truly talented cook needs only a cutting board and a good knife. I did not desire gadgets or appliances and kept a lean, but busy, kitchen.
Recently I married a chef, watched heavy things like a Kitchen Aid and other machines enter my house--and now we have a (beautifully) remodeled kitchen too.
I've got to admit, this feels like progress! And the many happy and satisfied diners that flow through our house think so too!
Posted by: Joanne | March 01, 2006 at 10:23 AM
David, you're right--you can't cover for talent and skills with good appliances--how great to have such a good cook in the family.
Joanne, I hear you. I actually used to be the same way--but now, most days I can't imagine life without my KitchenAid. But yours get used. I can't imagine any kitchen appliance serving as a decorative feature in YOUR kitchen!
Posted by: Jennifer | March 02, 2006 at 12:18 AM