How To Cook Anything

[ChefShane]

Many people often wonder and ask about the complexities of cooking. "How do you cook this? How do you cook that?" I'm often asked by family, friends, neighbors, and even chefs. My response is always the same, "apply heat". While seemingly elementary, this essential fundamental will save you years of frustration and boost your confidence to a level that will allow you to explore new culinary territory without fear of destroying dinner.

Allow me to explain. If you bake, broil, grill, poach, sauté, or flambé, you're doing the same thing in different ways -applying heat. The principal here is if you apply enough heat to any food long enough, it will cook. So the next time someone asks you if you can cook, regardless of how novice you may be, ask yourself, "can I apply heat to food?" if you can turn on the oven, then put something in it, then respond with a confident "yes". The method in which you arrive at cooked food is irrelevant so long as it’s edible. Now different techniques do yield slightly different results, and based on your desired outcome you can choose a method that matches what you're looking to accomplish. But before you learn different techniques or figure out what your desired outcome may be, just know that there are no rules or right or wrong answers - just heat. When you finally grasp this concept you'll soon realize that you can cook anything regardless of how complicated you once thought it to be.

So can you bake your eggs the next time you make breakfast? Can you grill a pizza or broil soup? The answer is, "of course you can". If you apply enough heat to any food, it will cook. So don't be intimidated the next time you tackle a piece of meat that you aren't familiar with. It's just meat. Treat it like any other. Heat it until it's cooked.