We VERY recently shared an article about Millennials being useless in the kitchen and provided our opinions! It sparked more discussion than most of our posts on the blog, receiving all kinds of feedback. People are defensive about titles that are given to them and are often willing to prove their worth. A handful of Millennials were adamant that they were capable in the kitchen, but even more fascinating was the confusion that came over the key words used in the article.
We weren’t very intrigued by people’s arguments over what makes someone a Millennial, but we were extremely curious when people questioned what made a cook great. We didn’t really have an answer; the original article really only outlined someone’s ability to identify a butter knife. One professional chef said that he wouldn’t even consider himself a great cook, while another experienced home cook said great isn’t a word they’d ever use to describe their cooking ability. This sparked an even larger discussion amongst former professional chefs and skilled home cooks (and us) over how to define a great cook. We brainstormed the value of certain skills and techniques ranging from knife cuts to making dough from scratch. We debated the difference between knowing how to spatchcock a chicken without any assistance to doing so with a guide and not being able to do it at all. When you think about it, there are so many skills that a cook or chef can have inside and outside of the kitchen.
Right after the conversation, we were even more inspired by watching Ben Shewry’s episode of Chef’s Table. Ben might not cook in competitions weekly like Bobby Flay, but he has slowly developed one of the best menus and restaurants in the entire world. This made us realize that there is even more to consider when it comes to figuring out what makes a cook great. At the end of the day, we settled on a new project that we’re excited about.
We’re going to collaborate with others to work on a guide that will help home cook’s assess their skill level. We mentioned that Blue Apron might not be the best for a beginner or advanced cook, but might work well for someone intermediate. We’ll be working to figure out a way to make the scale be a helpful tool in the community. First, however, it is going to take quite some time to put that scale together. Let us know if you have any feedback as to what you think makes someone a great cook!
Stay hungry and fit!
