I learnèd something new today!
In the exciting world that is my life, I learned something new today.
I *finally* learned how to co-cook onions and bell peppers to the liking of people OTHER THAN ME.
I don't care if the bell peppers are kinda crunchy, but most of the people who eat my food don't eat them that way. They prefer them wilted, and the onions translucent. I almost never wilt my bell peppers enough, and I don't mind if my onion is a little sharp.
My mother's solution is to cook the bell peppers first, but since I can't visually determine the difference between crunchy bell peppers and soft bell peppers, this means I have to test them constantly. And it can be hard to tell when it's time to add the onions. This means I don't know when is the right time to add the onions so that I don't end up burning the bell peppers. My solution is to co-cook them. Even if it's not perfect, it's good enough. Cooking is just as much about art as it is a science. I think this is why I like baking better. Chemistry, while not something I understand at an advanced level, is a major component in baking. This means as long as the recipe is engineered properly, if you follow the directions, it is hard to screw up. Cooking is much more complicated to me.
This is what happened at breakfast when I was sautéing veggies to scramble with eggs:
Me: "How much longer should I cook them?"
Mom: "Mhm."
Me: "Mom! This is not a yes or no question. It is not "should I cook them longer". I *know* I should cook them longer. I am asking you *how much longer* I should cook them."
Mom: "Did you add salt?"
Me: "No?!"
Mom: "Okay, if you add salt, they'll cook faster."
Me: "Okay, then I will add some salt. *How much longer should I cook them?* Two minutes? Ten minutes? It's on medium because I don't want to burn them."
Mom: "One or two minutes."
Okay, so not exactly the most concise way to get my answer, but I now know that adding salt helps. I also added water and covered them with a lid at her previous suggestion to help steam / boil them instead of adding more and more oil, which is what usually has to happen when I try to make them cook slowly.
I *finally* learned how to co-cook onions and bell peppers to the liking of people OTHER THAN ME.
I don't care if the bell peppers are kinda crunchy, but most of the people who eat my food don't eat them that way. They prefer them wilted, and the onions translucent. I almost never wilt my bell peppers enough, and I don't mind if my onion is a little sharp.
My mother's solution is to cook the bell peppers first, but since I can't visually determine the difference between crunchy bell peppers and soft bell peppers, this means I have to test them constantly. And it can be hard to tell when it's time to add the onions. This means I don't know when is the right time to add the onions so that I don't end up burning the bell peppers. My solution is to co-cook them. Even if it's not perfect, it's good enough. Cooking is just as much about art as it is a science. I think this is why I like baking better. Chemistry, while not something I understand at an advanced level, is a major component in baking. This means as long as the recipe is engineered properly, if you follow the directions, it is hard to screw up. Cooking is much more complicated to me.
This is what happened at breakfast when I was sautéing veggies to scramble with eggs:
Me: "How much longer should I cook them?"
Mom: "Mhm."
Me: "Mom! This is not a yes or no question. It is not "should I cook them longer". I *know* I should cook them longer. I am asking you *how much longer* I should cook them."
Mom: "Did you add salt?"
Me: "No?!"
Mom: "Okay, if you add salt, they'll cook faster."
Me: "Okay, then I will add some salt. *How much longer should I cook them?* Two minutes? Ten minutes? It's on medium because I don't want to burn them."
Mom: "One or two minutes."
Okay, so not exactly the most concise way to get my answer, but I now know that adding salt helps. I also added water and covered them with a lid at her previous suggestion to help steam / boil them instead of adding more and more oil, which is what usually has to happen when I try to make them cook slowly.