Over the last week, I’ve been diligently reading Salt Fat Acid Heat, and I am currently halfway through the section on Heat. As I progress, I begin to think on how I am going to structure this blog and my cooking journey in general.

My ultimate goal is to learn how to improvise whilst cooking, and I know there’s a lot of information to learn. However, I am thrashing with where exactly to begin. This past week, I’ve been grappling with several questions.

What happens after I finish this book? I originally thought I would immediately start improvise cooking using what I learned from the book. However, I am slowly realizing that I wouldn’t know what the hell I’d be doing. I have little knowledge of sophisticated cooking techniques. For example, I don’t know how to braise chicken, what spices go well together, or how to make a sauce from scratch. I don’t have a bank of ideas to pull from beyond the basic dishes I cook from scratch today. I just see myself being overwhelmed, giving up way too easily and ordering takeout. I am still mulling this question over, but I may have to rely on recipes for structure, at least in the beginning. I can then use the knowledge from cooking those recipes to establish a basis for improvisation.

If I use recipes, then do I avoid food waste in the beginning of my journey? One of the biggest reasons I have for taking on improvisational cooking is to reduce the amount of raw ingredients I throw away. For example, when I buy cilantro, I use it in small amounts and throw away the rest of the bunch almost consistently. Every time I throw it away, the voice of my father swirls around my head, shaming me for wasting food. I’ve thus turned that into a powerful motivator for improvisational cooking. In the past, I have been hesitant to rely on recipes because it has led to food waste. But I may just have to use recipes and be more creative with ingredients. For example, I could cook recipes from a similar cuisine that share ingredients. Still thinking through question, though.

With respect to the blog, what exactly am I going to be talking about? My original plan was to center the blog around scientific and well-researched answers to major questions I had about cooking. I even have a list of post ideas! However, this past week, I drafted a post about reseasoning my cast iron skillet. As I researched more about the chemistry, I quickly became bogged down by the amount of information, and I lost my will to work on the post. However, I found a more relaxed, stream-of-consciousness style of prose to be more enjoyable and sustainable to write. Therefore, I think for now least, this will be my style while I gather my bearings.

After having written those questions down, I feel a little bit better about my next steps. I still have more to think about, though, and I’ll hopefully have formulated a plan of action by next week. Stay tuned!