Breaking the Rules of Cooking
The Power of Experimentation
For decades, wellness wasn’t a part of chef Roy Choi’s eating habits, but reaching for fast food, chips, and snacks all the time wasn’t sustainable. So he turned things around by using his chef instincts to create vegetable-forward dishes that still hit those comfort food cravings. This journey of transformation led him to write a cookbook that challenges traditional cooking norms and encourages readers to break free from common culinary rules.
Rule to Break: Cooking with Toasted Sesame Oil
• A seemingly big rule you’ve probably heard is that you can’t cook with delicate oils like sesame oil, which is commonly used in marinades, sauces, or dressings. • Choi begs to differ. “I’ve been cooking with sesame oil for years, and it tastes great,” he says. “Going into cementing a philosophy, that was just something I kept private as a cook.”
• Now, he’s embracing the broken rule and letting readers know it’s ok. “I found by writing about it and by pushing it forward is that rule of not cooking with sesame oil on high heat was wrong. It was a fallacy.”
• If you haven’t tried it, go ahead and add a drizzle to your stir-fry. Oh, and always opt for toasted (or roasted) sesame oil.
Rule to Break: Don’t Be Precious with Your Produce
• When it comes to preparing vegetables and fruits, Choi feels like we’ve been taught to treat them “gingerly” or “let them shine on their own.”
• But he’s over that. “I’m all about disrespecting them,” he says. “Throw them in a blender. Fill them with a bunch of vinegars and chilis and spices. Make them tasty. Make them completely outrageous. Don’t be so gentle with them.”
• His goal is to use the same language around nutritional foods as marketing campaigns do around candy, chips, and soda. • Examples of this approach include using beets to make a sweet and spicy sauce or incorporating kale into a rich and creamy smoothie.
Rule to Keep (That You’re Probably Breaking): Take Your Time
• Choi says rushing in the kitchen is a commonly broken rule that should be respected, meaning allowing food to cook correctly and using the time it needs so you can experience it at its most optimal state. • “If you’re making it quick, you’re not going to get what you want out of it,” Choi says. “That in turn leads to people choosing frozen meals over something that is homecooked.”
• When a lettuce-based salad might not do the trick, Roy relies on a “sweatpants version” to help “not take you down the dark hole of eating stuff that is totally horrible for you.”
Staying Healthy on a Time-Crunch
• So what if you don’t have time to cook? Choi likes to be prepared to combat hunger cravings on busy days. • “You have to think about comfort and craving. Those are different feelings than just eating normally,” Choi notes. • When a lettuce-based salad might not do the trick, Roy relies on a “sweatpants version” to help “not take you down the dark hole of eating stuff that is totally horrible for you.”
• Some examples of his approach include using pre-cooked meats, roasted vegetables, and convenient ingredients like hummus and guacamole.
Table: Cooking with Toasted Sesame Oil
| Recipe | Ingredients | Instructions |
|---|---|---|
| Stir-Fried Noodles with Sesame Oil | Sesame oil, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, rice vinegar, vegetables | Cook noodles and stir-fry with sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and your choice of vegetables. |
| Roasted Vegetable Salad with Sesame Oil Dressing | Sesame oil, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, roasted vegetables | Roast your choice of vegetables and combine with a sesame oil dressing for a tasty and healthy meal. |
Conclusion
In the world of cooking, there are many rules that are often followed without question. But what if these rules are holding you back from creating delicious and healthy meals? By breaking free from these constraints, you can unlock a world of possibilities and discover new flavors and techniques.
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