On Cooking

Stephen King has a short article in the 2011cookbook "Man With A Pan."  Well, it's sort of a cookbook.  It has recipes.  But it also has articles.  Kings three page article focuses on why he cooks and some things he considers no-no's in the kitchen.

The reason King does a lot of the cooking in his home is because his wife, Tabitha, has lost a lot of her sense of taste and smell.  The result is a lack of passion for food.  So, King's work in the kitchen is one of some necessity!  Does he love to cook?  He makes no such claim.  "I can respect the food even if I"m not especially crazy about cooking it," King says.  He closes the article with the statement, "You can cook stuff people love to eat (always assuming they have a sense of taste) without loving to cook."

The article is wonderful.  The cliff notes:

• King likes the frying pan a lot!
• Cooking requires patience.  "Engage in culinary foreplay," King urges as he discusses how frying gets a bad name because people go crazy.
• The microwave can be your friend.  "I also love the microwave" King says, explaining it's all how you use the thing.  He then gives a quick explanation how to cook a "great fish dish that's beautiful in the microwave."
• Be gentle.  That theme resonates throughout the article.  Food deserves some respect, so even if cooking is not your pride and joy, don't destroy every ting with fire.

About the book, editor John Donohue says,

It was very important for me to include a broad cross section of men who cook for their families in the book," Donohue says. "I wanted the well crafted essays by professional writers, but I also wanted to hear from other working fathers, ones who might have more demanding jobs than being a successful writer. It's one thing to make your own hours, it's another to have to be on the job as a fireman, a bond trader, a carpenter, an economist, and still get food on the table. I wanted the book to be an inspiration to men of all professional stripes."

Man with a Pan can be purchased HERE.  The book is also available on Kindle.