Saturday, July 7, 2012

Cauliflower - is it the new black?


Hi all,


Don't mean to harp on about Masterchef but it constantly keeps throwing up great subjects for chat. You've probably gathered by now that we're not huge fans of molecular gastronomy - don't dislike it - but we have reservations about it being touted as being something for home cooks to get their teeth into. That's not a slur on the Masterchef contestants who are all exceptional cooks but 

Surely this is one of the reasons we pay exorbitant sums to eat out, to experience food we can't make at home ourselves or choose not to dues to the enormous amount of work involved.


Some of our chef friends aren't too enamoured over the plethora of cooking shows on TV these days believing that the more professional tips and secrets given away will see a return to the three course home dinner party of the 80's.  A time which saw bums on seats in restaurants diminish as home cooks strove to out do each other each Saturday night. It's mind boggling as to how much money it would cost to entertain at that level in this day and age. With the extravagant ingredients and kitchen toys needed to create the food of today we're thinking about $200 per head should cover it. Please, someone pass me the phone so I can make a restaurant reservation!


Of course, kitchen ware shops will be loving the art of molecular gastronomy being brought to the people. Now no home kitchen, of anyone seriously calling themselves a foodie, is complete without a Thermo Mix, Pacojet, Cream Gun and as of last week, a Smoking Gun. At around $1800 for a Thermomix these kitchen toys don't come cheap. So Masterchef has a positive knock on effect for lots of industries. ( By the way, if you're thinking of buying a Thermomix, have a look at a Hot Mix instead - a much better product)


The other side of the coin of course is the health aspect of sitting down to restaurant rich meals every night on the week. As so well expressed in foodiecure.com.au "Why fine dining may be a health hazard. Thanks to cooking shows such as Masterchef that are contributing to why we eat out more and why our home cooked fare is recreated restaurant dishes. We are simply eating better and richer all of the time. Now that’s fantastic for the food movement and food ingredient awareness, but not necessarily a step in the right direction for health maintenance."


However, our advice is pick up the phone and make a reservation with your favourite professionals and enjoy it as the occassion eating out should be.  Sit back enjoy being waited on (rather than waiting by the stove), the fine glassware (that you didn't have to polish), starched table cloths (you didn't have to iron) and lack of washing up required! 


Cheers,


The Team at Kitchen Couture