When Does Food Taste THE BEST? Part 5: When Someone Else Does the Cooking
My mom says that food tastes better when somebody else makes it. She loves cooking but she also loves eating. Getting to eat someone else’s creation is a treat.
Last weekend I pondered this as I bit into a breakfast egg wrap at my parents’ holiday kitchen. I make egg wraps all the time and never marvel at their brilliance.
I had watched my mom make the wraps. Here’s my theory: They tasted better because everything was done slightly differently than how I do it.
I’m not saying that one way is better than another. Just different. This yielded a slightly different flavor and texture than when I do it, adding interest to a basic food.
What was different?
- the brand of flatbread,
- no seasoning in the egg (I usually add salt and pepper),
- the cheese was a cheese string (of all things!), divided into 4 strings,
- there was more green onion than I normally put,
- the egg, cold cheese and onion were wrapped in flatbread and then microwaved. I usually melt the cheese on the egg in the pan. Then I serve the bread either cold or warmed on its own.
The result? A stronger egg flavor (are my eggs usually masked by salt and pepper?), the cheese was gooier, the extra onions added sharpness, microwaving everything together made the flatbread steamier and allowed the flavors to blend for a moment.
But here’s the thing. I recreated my mom’s egg wrap this morning. It wasn’t as good. So it’s not about those subtle differences.
I guess my mom’s right. Food tastes better when someone else does the cooking…
…especially if that someone else is my mom.
Would it be rude to invite her over tomorrow morning to make us breakfast?
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It’s true. My mom is an excellent cook. In fact, her cooking showed up in every single one of my posts in the series “When Does Food Taste THE BEST”. Read about what my mom cooked and my theories about why it was so spectacular in these posts:
Check out the other posts in the series When Does Food Taste THE BEST?
Part 2: The Mystery of the Chicken Sandwich
Part 4: Party’s in the Kitchen
Just keep in mind that all those theories are incomplete. They’re missing the key ingredient: My mom. Thanks for all the great food, mom. Last weekend and always.
Different brand of eggs? I’m not good at picking out subtle differences and I never thought I would notice, but when my friend Erin started bringing me eggs from her chickens the flavor and texture was unbelievable!
When Thaniel was an infant, my mom cooked for me while my hubby was on a business trip. Dad would drop her off at 6:30AM on his way to work, so by the time I got up with the baby, the kitchen was clean and breakfast was served. It felt like being in a convalescent home for new mothers! The amazing thing was how she took my meager ingredients (I hadn’t been shopping) and created gourmet presentations. I look at the same pantry and can’t come up with anything, LOL.
I know! One of the things I’ve most learned from my mom is to be resourceful. When her and my dad come and pick us up to take us to Cocoa Beach, she roots through my fridge and starts putting things in the freezer: tomatoes, strawberries, beans, whatever she finds. I’m like, “Why do that?” But I’ve figured out that the frozen produce can be used so easily (tomatoes into a soup or sauce, strawberries onto ice cream, etc.).
Moms are awesome!
Hey, we’re moms. Does that mean that some day someone will think we’re awesome???
I am willing and available to cook for whoever wants me, providing it is a warm and sunny location and they supply the transportation. You are welcome :)
Sounds like a deal! What are you guys up to next week? We’d be happy to have you come cook for us one day. Or maybe I should cook for you – you do always say it’s better when someone else cooks it!