What is the artistry of food and the pleasure of cooking for you?

I like trying new food combinations, and I like following structured recipes, it’s relaxing to me.

I love that all my senses are engaged in the process. From planning the menu to clearing the dessert plates after the meal, every moment is wonderful for me.

The process ignites my creative side, as I’ll often find recipes that I change to suit my tastes or those of the people for whom I’m cooking.There’s more than a touch of science involved in planning the timing, etc. Project management skills are critical.

Setting the table—sheer joy! Mix it up, punch it up, spice it up. The table is an empty canvas awaiting my brushstrokes.

Eating is actually the least important aspect of the process. I’ve had my share of tastings prior to delivering the meal; and it’s really the pleasure that others derive that makes the meal a pleasure for me.

GQ, but my interest in cooking is nil. I’ll take takeout.

After feeding the masses for decades, the pleasure of cooking for me is no longer having to do it. Sheer bliss.

I like bashing the hell out of biscuits for a crumble base, very therapeutic.

I love food. I love the taste and texture of food. And because I love to eat things that make my taste buds light up, I have come to enjoy the process of figuring out things that will make me feel good and the process of making them.

There is a skill in preparing food—shopping for the right ingredients, finding the best ingredients, preparing them well, and turning them into food.

I love talking to the farmers about the ducks and mushrooms and unusual vegetables they bring to market. My Amish farmers bring “choke” in the spring. Nettles. It’s kind of stalky like asparagus, and a bit astringent. But cool stuff.

My mushroom vendor grows many varieties of mushrooms in his basement. My favorites are blue and gold oyster mushrooms. But he also sells trumpet mushroom and lions mane mushrooms. I’m not fond of the lions mane. They are a bit mushy. But the blue oysters are my favorite and they crisp up good in butter and go great in scrambled eggs.

My chicken pot pie lady is no more. She moved to Florida. I still have one last chicken pot pie in the freezer. But they’ll find another chicken person to take her place. They are good about that. What we really need is a cheese vendor. Someone who makes interesting cheeses. I think I might want to become a cheese maker later on in life.

Or a glass blower.

I love knife work. Chopping and slicing and separating the turkey from it’s breastbone before it is in the oven. Or cutting a goose’s thigh joint before it is cooked—as Julie would say to do—is one of the trickier things I have ever done.

There’s a skill in this that is a pleasure all on its own. It’s like being a surgeon of sorts. You have to know the body of the beast. It’s quite tricky, and quite satisfying to do.

There’s so much to know. Handling chocolate is a science all its own. Learning how to cook vegies just right. So easy to overcook them. Learning how to cook meat just right—it, too, is so easy to overcook. Dry meat is horrible. Not worth eating.

Knowing how and when to use a microwave. Do you like boiled food? Because that’s what a microwave does: boil food.

I recently told a friend that if I had my own personal chef, I probably wouldn’t cook at all. But now I do have my own personal chef, and for the most part, that is good. She doesn’t cook things I like. She cooks for the children. This is good for me, because I don’t eat as much when she cooks.

But there are still times when I hanker for this or that. Just invented a new sandwich. Open face. Avocado and Edam with poblano peppers, salt and pepper. I love poblanos. I froze these last summer (after roasting and peeling and seeding them). They are the prince of peppers, in my opinion. Hot, but not too hot, and lots of flavor.

I’m the only one who can cook to my taste. But when I cook, I get fat—really fast. I always eat too much because it tastes too good. Better not to have good food around. But I do enjoy thinking up things and exercising my creativity and making things work out well. Hell, I even, kinda sorta enjoy the compliments afterwards.

I’ve always liked to make things with my hands. I did ceramics, needlework, leather carving, wood working, etc. The only thing I didn’t like is that with those crafts is there was a product when I finished and I had to do something with it. With cooking, I get to use my hands, create something, and then it disappears into happy tummies. Perfect solution. Plus, I love food.

I like combining tastes together and working with whatever I have in the kitchen at the moment. So, for example, I just made creamed spinach for lunch. It was delicious.

I like feeding people and having them love it. I made a French (Provencal) lamb dish for a couple of friends when we were spending the weekend at the beach in Delaware. That was really fun and good.

Every time I try a new recipe, even simple ones, I feel like I have ventured into uncharted waters and taken a risk, and that it is often rewarded by eating something scrumptious.

Just two days ago I made pan-seared scallops for the first time. I was so proud I took a picture and put it on facebook! Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

My love of cooking came slowly. My mother was a terrible cook so I had no knowledge of good food. I thought all fish or chicken or vegetables were supposed to taste bad.

Then I met my wife who learned to cook under three uncles – two professional chefs and one a baker. This really opened my eyes.

Recently, I spent five years doing design and marketing for a large family-run farm with a full-service gourmet kitchen. I worked a lot with the chef to promote what they did and, through osmosis picked up some techniques.

Plus, I’ve been a fan of the Food Network for years.

As a result, I’ve become a decent cook (although, not nearly as good as my wife).

My favorite part is in the planning of the meal and the reaction of the people you are cooking for. It’s a good sense of satisfaction.

When I’m in the mood to cook, I love the entire process. The planning, the prep, watching it all come together, and that first bite…. ahhhhhh. Sadly, I’m not in the mood to cook as often as I’d like.