On Cooking, Experimentation, and Expanding My Recipe Collection

I recently finished watching Good Eats with my wife and also just started reading Alton Brown's book of essays. Watching his show, I feel like I've grown even more appreciative of cooking tasty home cooked meals.

One of the best parts of Good Eats was always how accessible Alton tried to keep everything. He always seemed to make even the more complicated tasks simple, or at least simple enough that even those less experienced could feel comfortable giving them a try.

I consider myself to be a decent cook. I'm generally comfortable trying new recipes and have gotten to have a decent understanding how different spices work together. I still miss the mark from time to time, and screw up other times.

I have found that in some cases, unfamiliar recipes or processes cause me to steer away from trying recipes that otherwise sound good. I'm not sure why either as the internet is full of the information I would need. I'm sure someone on YouTube has made a video on how to do just about anything. As for unfamiliar ingredients, an internet search would give me the information I need to know what it is, how to use it, and where to find it.

Thinking about what I've learned through watching Good Eats as well as having more fun in the kitchen, I think I'm going to really make a concerted effort to be willing to try new things and not let fear of messing up stop me from trying to expand my palate and repertoire. I mean it sucks when a recipe you try doesn't turn out or is somewhat inedible, but it's how you learn and get better.

And if I screw up? There's always pizza.