Slow Food

Photo © Rob Jones

Growing up… there was often talk of labour-saving devices.

They were novel, but I hardly think they saved labour.

The late sixties and early seventies a cavalcade of strange devices entered the kitchen at home. All manner of peculiar choppers, egg cookers, a spiraliser, a salad spinner. Used once maybe and then pushed to the back of the cupboard to gather dust.

In recent years I have not exactly turned against novel items in the kitchen, but I have become more circumspect about items that I am likely to use only once, and then never find an opportunity to use them again.

Until recently, the last thing I welcomed with open arms was the Microwave. I wouldn’t say it revolutionised my cooking. I think it made it less pleasurable. I’m not one for ready-meals, but the microwave tends to turn everything into a ready meal in seconds. Minimal cooking, and where’s the fun in that?

I do make an exception however for the Air Fryer which I think is a marvellous machine. I like it on health grounds more than everything, but also taste. You can cook without everything being smothered in fat or grease.

Everything else in the kitchen has to happen with one trusty pan, a chopping board and a sharp knife, oh and my grandmother’s egg timer.

Once again I have to praise Marco Pierre White for opening my eyes to - to my mind - perfectly cooked scrambled egg.

Now, me and AMM have form when it comes to scrambled eggs. Once upon a time, we ate the best … in a business hotel in Almaty in Kazakhstan. I was blown away. So creamy and moist. How did they do that. And ever since then I have trotted down to hotel breakfasts in the hope of finding it ‘just so’ on the breakfast bar. I am usually disappointed. Sometimes very disappointed to find a pale mass of dry almost solid scrambled egg which usually disintegrates on the toast. (Sigh.)

For perfect Scrambled Egg - it’s about sloooooooooow cooking, over a loooooooow heat.

The pan should be warm enough that you can keep your hand on it. Melt a healthy chunk of butter. Break the eggs whole into the pan. Season. Agitate slowly and break the yolks first. Keep stirring slowly until you end up with a creamy yellow molten mass… slightly shy of perfect. Sourdough toasted bread, buttered while warm. One last sloosh of the egg pan and then spoon it onto the toast. Cap with parsley.

I’m tempted to suggest you should meditate or sing while stirring the eggs to perfection.

Cooking shouldn’t be about labour saving or fancy machines, outlandish methodology.

It’s about thoughtful, purposeful, intentional, anticipatory, effort… which deserves the end product.

RJ