[Sigia-l] Cooking

[Eric Reiss]

Ziya wrote:
Cooking without pictures is like having sex in the dark.

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To which I say:
This isn't always a bad thing...and I refer to both cooking and sex.

I've found that many recipes in magazines show photos that contain
ingredients that are not listed in the recipe. That's often because a
food stylist has been at work. So, photos are often very misleading -
and either beyond the skill level of the average cook or require
utensils that are not commonly at hand (e.g. rosti rings, a mandolin)

Moreover, individual presentation of a dish will vary considerably
depending on what else is being served with it. Or if it's to
function as an appetizer or main course. (Which is why single-source
web publishing is basically a flawed idea).

Actually, many of my favorite cookbooks contain no photos at all (Joy
of Cooking, NYT Cookbook, The Classic Italian Cookbook (Marcella
Hazaon), Miami Spice (Steve Raichlen), etc.). And some of the most
useful food pictures actually show techniques rather than meals;
Henry Chung's Hunan Style Chinese Cookbook is superb. And Chef Paul
Prudhomme has great color pictures of the various stages of a roux -
essential info for anyone into French provincial cooking.

When I read a good recipe (good = well-written), I can usually taste
the food. I understand the shorthand (blanch, clarify, a mirepoix,
etc.) So I don't care much about a photo.

Related situation: most musicians can read a score without the need
for a Midi file to heighten the shared reference. 

Short conclusion (following a long-winded reply) - I think pictures
are a nice-to-have, but certainly not a need-to-have.

Let's save the discussion of sex for another time:)

All my best,
Eric

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Eric Reiss
FatDUX Copenhagen
www.fatdux.com