I do not spend my spare time being shot from a cannon weilding knives, wearing a toque and chef coat. I am not faster than a speeding bullet. I cook. I cook alot. I spend quite a bit of time cooking for my church. During a seemingly non stop cooking session, the nickname canonchef took hold. Seemed kind of fitting. Canons can be many things. In the Church, they are rules/laws decreed by councils. There are Canons of literature, Musical Canons ( Pachelbel's Canon), Aesthtetic Canons, Penitential Canons, and on and on. BUT, what they all have in common is a set of rules...as does cooking. There ARE rules in cooking, although cooking is much more free-spirited and free-wheeling than ..say...baking. Some things just can't be messed with. Roux is equal parts fat to flour. Vinaigrette is one third to three thirds ( depending on preference). Don't under- cook poultry. Don't saute' a pork butt for 3 minutes. Don't boil milk. Liquid measures and dry measures are NOT equal, and Don't whip cream too long unless you want/need butter....ok ok.. Point made.
I guess my Canonchef nickname means alot to me because of these rules. I am a free-spirited follower of rules....of recipes......of concepts. Thomas Keller's cookbooks are Canons to cooking. Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking is a major Canon. My favorite; and my Canon of Literature ( the first thing I was told in school to buy) is Larousse Gastronomique. Michael bought it for me $$$$$. It is always on my counter. I refer to it daily.
Even when winging it in the kitchen, some principles and rules of cooking should shadow. But, always fly through the air as if shot from a cannon. Cook with abandon!; and always remember, you have to know the rules to break them.
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