Cooking and Baking - The Approach

It has been another fasting day for me here - and a welcome break from all that eating and cooking - well sort of a break because I am still cooking for everyone else here and baking bread most days. Recently I came across mention of how if you like cooking, usually you would not like baking - and vice versa.

I was floored by this - mainly because there probably isn't one aspect of food, cooking, baking, preserving or eating that I don't enjoy. I even like the washing up after wards - because I like a clean kitchen and to have everything back in it's place.

Of course, you know me, I have been mulling this over ever since. How might someone enjoy baking and not cooking....hmmm. Then it hit me! It was because they have put these two activities down as being separate from each other.

That baking is somehow separate kitchen magic from ordinary cooking of meals for instance. So, I guess it must all be in the approach. I would bake up a storm before any feast days. Baking bread is something I do nearly every day, and I would use the oven to cook some meals such as stew in the Tagine.

Baking therefore is not separate from any other meal for me. But there is more than this - for others baking conjures up visions of sweets, chocolate dripping off of cakes and cookies that make you fat just by looking at them.

It is an entire separate food group (which would not even register as food as far as I am concerned) crammed with as much sugar and other nonsense as possible for your enjoyment and dining pleasure. Then, that would depend on your idea of pleasure. 

Giving children sweets full of sugar and other junk and watching them act up and get a sugar rush - is not something I would take pleasure in. I know enough teachers and others who work around children who would say the exact same thing. 

The poor child would then be yelled at or some other negative response because of this behaviour and we are well into a vicious cycle here. 

So, I  enjoy baking yes and cooking - what I enjoy far more is the fact that any of my cooking can be eaten without concern of sugar or other nasties. It is certainly not a behaviour altering experience to eat good, wholesome organic food - unless having extra energy changes your life!

April

Cinnamon Cake