The (cooking) adventure begins...

First entry…. And it starts with being a little hungry. I guess that’s a good way to start a blog about learning how to cook, right? :)

Why now? Why me? You make think it’s a funny story. Funny ha-ha or funny slightly disturbing, take your pick. Only a few short years ago (hey, who am I kidding, it’s barely been a year) I would be considered to be a long-time member of the people-who-burn-water club. I have a faded scar from where I tried to sear a roast (what, the oil is really that hot?). My best meal was hamburger helper, and when I really spiced things up, I’d put a little sugar in the Jiffy Cornbread for that extra “kick”. Who was I kidding? I never learned to cook growing up, and never learned during my adult years… so why start now?

I won’t get into all the details right now of what changed... it may only be a story interesting to me! However… after a year of dabbling in the cooking world, I learned that I not only liked making good food... I had a developing interest for understanding the how and the why normal food items became amazing to the sights, smells and most of all, tastes.

I was hooked. However – like most people, I have a full-time demanding job that demands more than its fair share of my work-life balance. Going to culinary school was out of the question. I tried attending a single class (or series of classes) in local areas – but nothing could fit with a full-time job. I tried online courses- and even signed up for one – but the written “instruction” was so poorly written, I couldn’t make it through a paragraph before wanting to throw something at the person that allowed this amalgamation of words to go together in the name of education. (Not to mention charging $$ to do so!)

So… it looks like I have to go it alone. If I want to learn how to cook – and really cook – I’m going to have to see if I can teach myself. Is it possible? You tell me. I’ve learned plenty of other things before through book reading and practice… is it possible to learn how to cook as well?

And here we are.. “The Chef Reader” is my adventure into the culinary world without the help of an in-person chef instructor. I will also vow not to watch the online cooking shows – as I want to see if it’s possible to learn through the art of words and pictures.

So.. here goes. Let’s have some fun!! :)