Worry Less, Cook More

Just read this on Mark Bittman's column in the NY Times ... quite inspiring i think ...

Question: “What would you say is the most important skill to develop in the kitchen?

Answer: “The ability to go in there and start. I am the least impressive cook you will ever see. I am completely without knife skills, I screw things up all the time. When I’m in the kitchen I’m not obsessively trying to create the perfect dish; I’m trying to put dinner on the table. Comparing yourself to the people who cook on television is like comparing yourself to Andre Agassi. If you can drive you can cook.”

i think when you are in the kitchen and you worry too much about being perfect, you lose the creativity side of things. sometimes you just have to start and go with the flow ... at times, you will end up with dishes that can go straight into the trash but at others, you will end up with dishes that wow everyone. we all have different skills, and that's what makes each cook unique. trying too hard to be certain chefs make you loose your style. get inspirations, different techniques and different cooking philosophies from different chefs ... at the end, you add in your own twists ... and make the creations your own.

really .. don't try too hard ... just cook!