Thoughts!
By: Chef Christopher A. Lindsay, M.Ed. CC. rev 06/09/2020
Using and understanding relationships can inspire innovation. It is a relatively simple concept. In relation to cooking, it involves building a body of knowledge. In order to become an effective innovator, one must understand the basic relationships in the kitchen. It is not just the relationship between you and your team members, but the relationship between ingredients and their environment.
Cooking is about what happens when you apply heat to an edible object. It is about how different proportions affect your final outcome. It is about the effects of altering structures, whether it is the way you butcher an animal or the way you cut vegetables, or the way you can apply liquid nitrogen or moist heat to a Blackberry. What happens next is the question that should drive you to explore the possibilities. If you can understand these basic relationships, then you can make an educated guess about what happens next.
Food has the ability to affect the senses that create memories and feelings. It can be intimate. It can establish traditions or it may be a rite of passage for others. It is my intention to relay my love and passion for cooking to all of you. This knowledge is what will lead you to innovation. When you understand why something happens, then you can work out better ways to do it. Cooking is not just about getting through the complex task of working in the kitchen. It is learning about yourself. It requires a physical and intellectual ability to comprehend flavors from a non-bias perspective. Most importantly, the preparation and the presentation of food can be a direct reflection of one’s personality, a proverbial mirror into the life or even just the day of the one who slaved so hard to create this artistic and scientific concoction we all know as food!
Using and understanding relationships can inspire innovation. It is a relatively simple concept. In relation to cooking, it involves building a body of knowledge. In order to become an effective innovator, one must understand the basic relationships in the kitchen. It is not just the relationship between you and your team members, but the relationship between ingredients and their environment.
Cooking is about what happens when you apply heat to an edible object. It is about how different proportions affect your final outcome. It is about the effects of altering structures, whether it is the way you butcher an animal or the way you cut vegetables, or the way you can apply liquid nitrogen or moist heat to a Blackberry. What happens next is the question that should drive you to explore the possibilities. If you can understand these basic relationships, then you can make an educated guess about what happens next.
Food has the ability to affect the senses that create memories and feelings. It can be intimate. It can establish traditions or it may be a rite of passage for others. It is my intention to relay my love and passion for cooking to all of you. This knowledge is what will lead you to innovation. When you understand why something happens, then you can work out better ways to do it. Cooking is not just about getting through the complex task of working in the kitchen. It is learning about yourself. It requires a physical and intellectual ability to comprehend flavors from a non-bias perspective. Most importantly, the preparation and the presentation of food can be a direct reflection of one’s personality, a proverbial mirror into the life or even just the day of the one who slaved so hard to create this artistic and scientific concoction we all know as food!