More people than would care to admit it grew up in a household where the repertoire of meals was really quite simple, but cooking shows changed all that. There were mashed potatoes, white rice or pasta on the plate. There was a tomato sauce, brown gravy or white cream sauce/béchamel. There was a piece of ground meat, chicken, fish, beef or wild game. There were vegetables in the corner of the plate and that was all there was to it.
They were all cooked separately and plopped onto the plate cafeteria style but without the ice cream scooper. Then there was the introduction of various public broadcasting cooking shoes and then housekeeping, and cooking magazines that explored the topics of culinary exploration.
Now, there is programming on several television stations that allow viewers to see how the recipes are put together, the cooking process, and how it should turn out; it’s a step above the old-school recipe description with a still picture of the hopeful outcome, which was of course styled and isn’t completely realistic, especially for a new comer. Whether you’ve been cooking for a long time or are just starting out, there are too many recipes, food combinations and cultural cuisines out there for you to know everything about food and cooking, and quick dinner ideas to boot. We are all always learning and the evolving food devoted cooking shows out there keeps us challenged and encouraged, at the same time, to try new things in the kitchen. There may still be mashed potatoes, chicken and green beans on the plate, but the green beans were blanched then tossed in reduced balsamic with cashews while the chicken was grilled with a paprika/chili spice blend and the potatoes are made with roasted garlic because plain potatoes, salt and milk aren’t going to cut it anymore.