I’ve never been (and probably never will be) a fancy-cooking type person. My favorite TV chefs are Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver, but I only watch Gordon Ramsay to see him swear at stuff and then help fix things. And even Jamie Oliver, who tries to make things easy–I mostly don’t make the food I watch him make. Though I have gotten better with a knife watching him!
Me, I’m the kitchen gadget type. I love my slow cooker, and my Instant Pot. Got an electric grill, too, and of course a toaster oven. I’m into convenience. If it’s not easy, odds are I’m not doing it.
So while I’ve heard the phrase “depth of flavor,” I didn’t really buy into it.
But I’ll tell ya…
Once or twice a year, my roommate makes apple cider. It’s good, it’s yummy…but then she takes the apple bits and adds some spices and stuff, and then she cooks them, and cooks them, and cooks them, down to ~*apple butter*~.
If I could say that with rainbows and sparkles, I so would. That apple butter, y’all…oh wow, is it good.
I get a good slab of roomie’s homemade bread, and stick it in the toaster oven just long enough to warm it, so butter will melt. then I smear on some butter (real butter, of course!) and once it’s melting well, I toss on a good dollop of apple butter. I try to judge it just right–too little and it won’t be fully covered. Too much, and it will be just a little too much. Which isn’t a problem, it’s still delicious–but it’s better when I get the balance right, and also I wouldn’t want to waste any. She cooks it all day and into the night for maybe four small mason jars. And odds are, I need to make those jars last a year, until apple season comes back around. Waste is a horrible thing to do to it. It’s tragic. It’s criminal.
When I’m eating that apple butter, I understand “depth of flavor.” It dances on my tongue. It cavorts in my mouth. It sneaks out of dark taste buds and whacks me on the head with yum.
It.
is.
so.
good.
So I guess I should start taking a recipe seriously when it says I should sear the meat before I put it in the slow cooker. Or that I need to “sweat” the onions before I toss everything else in the Instant Pot.
Maybe I will. I’m way into convenience, and it’s not like anything I do is gonna make that meal as good as roomie’s apple butter. But at least now I get why they’re saying it.
Oh. I should mention–it’s my book birthday. I’m so relieved to get it out there, I’ve almost forgotten. ::facepalm::