What's the part of cooking you enjoy the most?

In the restaurant it's the choreographed dance working the line on a night that is absolutely out of control busy. Those nights are also the nights when the least amount of mistakes are made, generally.

Another aspect is coming up with a new recipe and you start with an ingredient, idea, technique, that sparks the imagination that eventually after trial and error you end up with an dish that works well on the line and is a hit with the customers.

At home it's all aspects that I enjoy and gives me comfort, peace and food to eat. :)
 
I think it´s the look on people´s faces when they eat what you prepared.
The oohs and aahs are priceless.
I´ve done ONE big event in my cooking lifetime; a 5-course Indian dinner for the local Country Club, 170 people.
Unfortunately for me, these were the clients who had travelled the world and were possibly the most demanding people I could have chosen.
Mise en place took absolutely ages.
Service was nothing less than brutal.
But then I went into the Dining Room, table to table, and everyone said the food was divine.
Whether they were telling the truth or just being nice, I don´t care. It was the satisfaction of knowing that what I´d prepared made them happy.
 
If you mean in a general sense, as long as I'm not rushed and stressed, I rather enjoy prep work. I like the knife work, and I don't mean going blazing fast like a pro, but just the act of chopping things up.

I specifically like handling dough, too. I like making pizza for that reason, both the kneading at the start and then opening the dough later.

If something's a slow cook, like a pot of soup, I like standing at the stove and stirring. It's calming to be able to focus on one thing. I like making oatmeal/porridge for that reason, it's about 30 minutes or so of stir, stir, and stir some more.
 
karadekoolaid said:
I think it´s the look on people´s faces when they eat what you prepared.
The oohs and aahs are priceless.
I´ve done ONE big event in my cooking lifetime; a 5-course Indian dinner for the local Country Club, 170 people.
Unfortunately for me, these were the clients who had travelled the world and were possibly the most demanding people I could have chosen.
Mise en place took absolutely ages.
Service was nothing less than brutal.
But then I went into the Dining Room, table to table, and everyone said the food was divine.
Whether they were telling the truth or just being nice, I don´t care. It was the satisfaction of knowing that what I´d prepared made them happy.
Click to expand...
Yeah, making people happy is why I cook.
A good meal can make or break any event, and can brighten anyone's day. I love the happiness I bring people by cooking. My favorite thing is cooking the dishes my family loves and seeing them enjoy it.

When I was a pro doing catering sometimes people would applaud for us for making their party a succes, that gives such satisfaction!
 
We all have said we like the enjoyment of the finished product, and the appreciation from friends and family. But, I think SatNav was also asking what part of the process of cooking we like the most.

I am pretty sure it won't be the cleaning after the cook. :laugh:

CD
 
Tasting as I go along is the best bit for me. It has been suggested that when I cook a chilli only half of it makes it to the plates and I consume the rest as I'm cooking - 'cos...like... I've got to make sure :shy:

Plating and presentation is the best bit, including table dressing. Even if it's a mid week fish fingers and chips I like it to look right on the plate.
 
The Velvet Curtain said:
Tasting as I go along is the best bit for me. It has been suggested that when I cook a chilli only half of it makes it to the plates and I consume the rest as I'm cooking - 'cos...like... I've got to make sure :shy:

Plating and presentation is the best bit, including table dressing. Even if it's a mid week fish fingers and chips I like it to look right on the plate.
Click to expand...

Sooooooo, you double your recipes to make up for what you eat along the way. :laugh:

CD
 
The eating is the least interesting part for me. By the time I've cooked something special or new, I've normally taste tested so much that I don't really need or want to eat it. In fact I frequently don't eat what I've cooked. My partner eats at different times from me and eats far more calories, so that's not an issue. Whatever I make, he'll eat.

All the rest of the process I enjoy - especially experimenting with flavour combinations and presentation (including photographing it).
 
Cooking for me can be relaxing (simple recipes or a slow cooked soup/stew) or chaotic (thanksgiving feast, or any multiple dish affair with guests coming over) and I think this lack of consistency is one of the reasons I didn't keep up with my youtube channel. Amidst all the chaos though, I guess you could say I derive joy from some simple things:
  • The perfect sear on a piece of meat
  • A clever ingredient substitution
  • A well plated (Instagram-worthy) meal
However, as others have said, the ultimate joy is the happiness of my dinner guests... and I am not above basking in praise (faked or not) :roflmao:
 
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