Kitchen Truths From my Mother
1. The value of a good sharp knife
A bad knife will cut someone who knows how to handle it faster than a sharp one will cut a beginner. I have found that, in some abstract way, this applies to lovers too.
2. Always keep your copper nice and shiny.
A properly cared for copper pot has a shiny, rosy glow. People who take care of themselves with also shine.
3. Oil your goddamn cast-iron.
I wish there was a deeper meaning but seriously once you’ve had to throw out a ruined cast-iron skillet you know pain. And you NEED your cast iron. For everything from searing chicken to fighting Fae Nobility.
4. Sometimes the cleanup isn’t worth the mess.
Sometimes you have to decide to not make chocolate peanut butter ice cream from scratch because the cleanup on an old ice cream machine takes forever. And that’s okay. Sometimes you have to decide to let it be a mess for another day.
5. Drinks taste better out of old canning jars.
Not some hipster bullshit. I grew up broke AF so a lot of our glasses were last-years canning jars. Drinking cider out of them was sublime. But also knowing that you were putting things to use made it feel better. Keeping the useful things is important.
6. You can ALWAYS try again.
That cake not turn out how you wanted? Use the crumbs for decorating and bake another layer. You can also eat the ruined cake.
7. Make food you Like. Or it won’t taste right.
Even the best hummus won’t taste right if you don’t like chickpeas. My mum hates chickpeas. So her few times making them for me ended in disaster. I have learned this applies to things unnecessary things you might not like to do, like social events, drinking, or cross-stitching.
