Michael Ruhlman, author of many great books around the subjects of chefs & cooking, recently made several appearances in Chicago to promote his latest book, “Twenty.” He’s always done a great job getting his hands dirty in the kitchen, then explaining complex elements into easily understood concepts anyone can comprehend. I’m a fan, so I was clearly in when given the chance to hear him speak at The Butcher & Larder. It was a scene of ~25 folks intently listening to Ruhlman discuss Twenty, chefs he’s worked with, and the importance of cooking. Rob added commentary along the way as he made sausage that would eventually become part of Escarole soup (from Twenty).
The candor conveyed by Ruhlman was impressive. He showed passion to get more people cooking--”cooking well is living well.” He stated that people don’t think enough about cooking; that most people let a recipe do the work for them. This mindset allows them to think that cooking is difficult, when it really isn’t (I was nodding my head here). His way of framing it: “It pisses me off that so many people can’t roast a chicken.” Touche. It shouldn’t be so hard to get folks to pull out a pan & invest a bit of time into cooking, but it is. His books “Ratio” and “Twenty” aim to break down the “cooking is hard” attitude by providing concepts that are easy to grasp & apply across many dishes/recipes/tasks.
His talk was great; he said a lot of things that were quite insightful. The trouble is in spreading the message--sure a lot of food-focused people understand what he says and see cooking as an essential, obtainable exercise...but what about those that view the kitchen as a daunting arena? Someone who believes that cooking is difficult isn’t likely to pick up a cookbook and believe that they can cook. It is yet to be seen how far-reaching the food movements currently underway can be. While it’s unclear whether or not cooking hatred can be overcome on the broad scale, Michael Ruhlman has certainly provided materials to be a catalyst to change.
The candor conveyed by Ruhlman was impressive. He showed passion to get more people cooking--”cooking well is living well.” He stated that people don’t think enough about cooking; that most people let a recipe do the work for them. This mindset allows them to think that cooking is difficult, when it really isn’t (I was nodding my head here). His way of framing it: “It pisses me off that so many people can’t roast a chicken.” Touche. It shouldn’t be so hard to get folks to pull out a pan & invest a bit of time into cooking, but it is. His books “Ratio” and “Twenty” aim to break down the “cooking is hard” attitude by providing concepts that are easy to grasp & apply across many dishes/recipes/tasks.
His talk was great; he said a lot of things that were quite insightful. The trouble is in spreading the message--sure a lot of food-focused people understand what he says and see cooking as an essential, obtainable exercise...but what about those that view the kitchen as a daunting arena? Someone who believes that cooking is difficult isn’t likely to pick up a cookbook and believe that they can cook. It is yet to be seen how far-reaching the food movements currently underway can be. While it’s unclear whether or not cooking hatred can be overcome on the broad scale, Michael Ruhlman has certainly provided materials to be a catalyst to change.
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