I love watching television cooking shows.
The food they make looks delicious and seems easy to make.
I try the recipes at home and it doesn't work out quite as good.
My food tastes good.
It doesn't quite look as good and takes a lot longer to make.
There are many reasons for this.
The first thing that happens is extra prep work.
Most people do not have a refrigerator full of ready to go items.
They also do not have all the professional prep tools.
Because I like to cook, I have some, yet not all.
We don't cook fancy meals everyday either.
This means we don't have the techniques practiced.
Chopping food like they do could easily result in pieces of finger in our meal.
Slow down, this is unnecessary.
Same thing when grating cheese and such.
Save the knuckles, slow down.
A good safe prep makes for a better meal.
The next problem is the oven or stove.
Most home stoves do not have the perfect heat control or the space of the TV show stove.
Same problems with home ovens.
This results in more careful slower cooking.
Sometimes waiting for one thing to finish in order to start another is necessary.
Do not panic.
Just allow a little more cook time and watch you food.
At home cookware is another difference in most instances.
Professional cooks use the best of the best cookware and have every pot, pan, or utensil available.
Many times it is their own design.
Cooking at home usually means using a different pot, pan, or utensil to make the recipe work.
It's OK to do that.
Just make sure it will work.
The thought process to do this takes time.
Actual cooking time changes, too.
The other option is to go out and buy expensive cookware before starting.
Most people can't do this though.
A good inexpensive cookware set would be helpful.
A big time user isn't even shown on cooking shows.
That is the clean up.
If you watch carefully, you will notice that on these shows, every pot and pan seem to get used.
No one is ever shown cleaning up.
They have people who do that.
I don't know about you, but I don't have people.
I have me and clean up takes time.
This time needs to be factored in somewhere.
Then there is what I call the "duh" factor.
This is where you totally forget what you should be doing and have to stop.
Usually a good look at the recipe is needed to get past the block.
This is why, before starting, the recipe should be written down or copied somewhere.
That will save time when "duh" hits.
Also, keep the recipe near so you don't have to search for it.
The main point of this piece is that a meal prepared on television is very different from a meal prepared at home.
It will be messier to make.
Home cooks just are.
They don't have to worry about the camera.
There is a very good chance the home meal will not look quite as good.
They teach presentation in cooking school.
The meal will take longer to make and there is clean up that take time.
Do not expect a 30 minute meal you saw on television to take 30 minutes at home.
Do not think you can come home at 6 and make an 8 o'clock show.
Save the show for another night.
Do expect to eat a good tasty meal.
Do give yourself the time to enjoy it.
Finally, have fun, because that is what cooking should be!