[Sca-cooks] Is cooking like costuming?

[A F Murphy]

Sure! Texture is a very important part of this. The creamy smoothness is
a big part of the appeal of ice cream, or pudding, or even some soups.
You wouldn't, however, normally want a meal where everything was smooth,
except, occasionally, when you're not feeling well and it goes down so
well...

Crunch is important. I'm sure everyone here has suffered through soggy
fried food, when the major reason for deep frying is the crisp outside,
and the tender inside. So contrast matters, too.

Some things should be chewy. A good rye bread should resist the teeth.
But you wouldn't want a pancake to feel like that!

Texture is probably one of the things most easily ruined in bulk
cooking, as I think about it. At least, it's the part most often ruined
in cafeterias, lunch counters, fast food places, etc. And sometimes even
good restaurants...  Soggy foods, or curdled, or gritty, or...   What is
the experience of those of you who have cooked feast? Do you have to
watch out specially for it? What do you do?


Anne



Olwen the Odd wrote:

>   She said I think in textures.  I think every
> cook worth their weight *has* to think in textures.  After all, food is a
> texture.