In the beginning...there was Cook's Illustrated

So here I am all "Julia and Julia" style, starting a cooking blog to trace how I blossom into a real live cook, able to whip up a hollandaise sauce in a jiffy and know when to poach versus broil versus sear then broil. I'm overly enthusiastic about this and keeping this blog is a way to keep me accountable for reflecting (and pursuing) my culinary ventures.

Now, I really started boiling with excitment when I learned about Cook's Illustrated and, after reading about it, decided to buy two cook books and a subscription to their magazine in one keying in of my credit card number on amazon. The books came this week and I was uber excited to get started! Here they are (I know the pic quality isn't the best... I'll work on it):



So, in case you don't know, Cook's Illustrated is an empire run by America's Test Kitchen, a kitchen/company located outside of Boston. The kitchen makes it their mission to try and retry recipes over and over until they find the "best" version of that recipe so you can make it at home without many disasters. They don't take anything for granted so they really try all kinds of combinations and permutations. They are also somewhat cost conscious, so you are able to replicate the recipes at home without going broke.

I spent this week reading the magazine on the subway back and forth from work. For each recipe offered, the magazine gives detailed descriptions of how they got to the recipe that is published. They detail their mistakes, successes, the origin of their ideas and the responses from their taste testing panel. I'm thinking that if I read these descriptions (which are also included in their cookbooks) and tackle one thing at a time, I'll really be cooking - pun intended.

I'm not exactly sure what my mission is, however. Unlike Julia of "Julia and Julia," I don't just have one cookbook to get through, I have two. Also, the cookbooks don't have one meal per page. They have pages of appetizers and sides and salads. If I am going to "cook through the cook book" it certainly wouldn't be in a linear way....and it would take me years. Well, I guess I do want to make the investment of "years" to the process and I want to come out of this as someone who knows how certain ingredients interact so that I can throw my own recipes together with confidence. To do that, I think I will say that my goal is to: 1. Cook through every issue of Cook's Illustrated as I get them, over the course of the two months between the publications and to: 2. Begin conquering "The Best New Recipe" cook book little by little, reading the description and background of every recipe I make so that I learn something, and to eventually get through the entire book! I'll put little checks and the date next to every recipe I make. I'm thinking this cook book thing alone will take about three years!... I mean, if I do every single recipe and if I factor in diversions to other cook books, etc. (Obviously this will happen).

Okay, so I am very excited to get started and I'm hoping that this blog will help me make the commitment to Cook Like a Champion today... and every day.