I met once a left handed dentist who had a difficult time finding a clinic to work with, as all the clinics he looked into had equipment set for right handed people.  He couldn’t deal with this equipment, as a dentist he wanted to be able to work comfortably with his stronger hand.  He ended up having to open his own clinic, making big expenses to get left-handed equipment for him.

In the kitchen, left handed face similar problems.  The regular kitchen equipment is made for right handed, and can be difficult to operate for the left handed.  Some lefties are able to adapt and work everything with their right hand, but others find it a lifetime struggle.  I think the most common problematic tool is the can opener:  It is set to be held with your right hand.  There is no way to handle a regular can opener with your left hand, and lefties will have to struggle to open with it.

Kitchen knives are another problematic story:  They are sharpened in a way that makes them cut better when used with the right hand.

Well, left handed cooks don’t have to suffer:  There are tools available for lefties.  They are not always available in your around-the-corner store, but they are indeed worth the effort to look for them in some bigger store, or order them online.  It makes life so much easier to have tools that are fit for your needs.  You don’t have to struggle each time you want to open a tuna can or cut the meat.

Here are some tools I found on Amazon:

A left handed can opener:

A kitchen knife for the left handed that can be found in Amazon:

This knife is on the expensive side, but can make for a wonderful Christmas or birthday gift for a left handed person who likes to spend time in the kitchen.

And here you can find some other kitchen tools for the left handed that are for sale in Amazon.

This means that at any given time in your cooking learning cycles there is quite probably someone somewhere that is better and/or worse at cooking than you. Take heart from this because even the best have bad days when it comes to cooking.  There are many people who cook for different reasons.  Some cook in order to eat and survive, while others cook because they actually enjoy the process of cooking.  Some cook during times of emotional upheaval and others cook out of sheer boredom.  Whatever your reason for cooking or learning to cook is, you should always begin with the basics.

The first thing that you need to learn is what the different terminology you will find in recipes actually means. There are many new and sometimes foreign sounding terms that you will find in common recipes. These terms can mean the difference in recipe success or failure.  You should be able to find a good section in any inclusive cookbook that explains the different definitions for unfamiliar terminology.  If you aren’t absolutely certain what is meant by “folding in the eggs” it is in your best interests to look it up.

Another great bit of advice when it comes to cooking basics is to try simpler recipes for a while and then expand your horizons to the more complex recipes that abound.  Most recipes will have a little note about their degree of difficulty and you can read through the recipe to see whether or not it is something you are interested in preparing or confident that you can prepare.  Remember Rome wasn’t built in a day and it will take quite some time to build a reliable ‘repertoire’ of recipes to work into your meal planning rotation.

The good news is that once you’ve learned the basics of cooking it is unlikely that you will ever need to relearn them.  This means that you can constantly build up and expand your cooking skills.  As you learn new recipes and improve your culinary skills and talents you will discover that preparing your own meals from scratch is much more rewarding than preparing prepackaged meals that are purchased from the shelves of your local supermarkets.

You will also discover as your experience and confidence grows that you will find yourself more and more often improvising as you go and adjusting recipes to meet your personal preferences.  If you prefer more or less of ingredients or want to make a recipe a little more or less spicy in flavor you can make simple adjustments along the way in order to achieve this goal.  In other words you will begin in time to create recipes of your very own.  And that is something you won’t necessarily learn when it comes to basic cooking skills for beginners but you would never learn if you didn’t master those basic cooking skills.

So what tools do we need?

Pots, pans and skillets are essentials.  You should choose them to be made of conductive materials, and of heavier gauge.  This allows the pans to heat evenly avoiding hot spots, which may lead to part of the food sticking to your pan or scorch when cooking.  Don’t just stop by at your local mass market retailer and get the cheapest pans you find.  Take some time, and if you afford it, don’t be afraid to spend some money on better quality pots for you kitchen.  It is worth it.

Another important ingredient in today’s kitchen is kitchen knives.  Your knives are an investment you shouldn’t have to make too often in your lifetime.  Select a good set and be prepared to spend money for it. Unless you had the experience of using cheap quality knifes, you will not understand how much high quality knifes is important.

When choosing your new set of knifes, try also their handles to see if they feel comfortable enough. . If you do a lot of chopping and cutting during your meal preparation and cooking you will want to make sure that the knives you are using feel comfort

able in your hands.   You will also need a set of steak knives for cutting through meats and other fibrous foods, and a butcher knife to break down large meats.

We cannot forget also the simple mundane tools, which we all need:  a good can opener, a measure spoon, a measuring cup, a kitchen scale.  No kitchen can function without these.  And of course also a good grater.  Some people feel they are satisfied with the pre shredded cheese products they do not need their own grater.  But this is not true:  First of all, pre grated cheese does not have that touch of quality that freshly grated cheese provides.  Secondly, cheese is not the only thing you will want to grate.  Many recipes involve grated vegetables like carrots, squash etc.

What else do we need?

There are also all the electric tools.  Every kitchen will have some combination of these.  Some people cannot imagine preparing a cake without a mixer.  Others will mix by hand, but will still need a whisk to whip egg whites.  Some people will have a mixer.  The options are many:  You can have a toaster, a microwave, a crock pot.  Modern life creates more an more needs and tools.

Special Occasion?

Are you expecting some special guests?  Your in-laws are coming over? Are you having a special holiday dinner?

In these days, with all the Jewish New Year holidays, I am having those “special occasions” all the time.  But I believe we all, Jews and Gentiles alike, have those moments in our lives which we want to make really special.  We want to have everything right. When it comes to cooking for these occasions, many of us find ourselves so nervous we cannot make anything right. We feel we keep ruining everything: overcooking the rice, burning the stew etc.  Usually, this is far from the truth.  Even if the stew is not as good as it could have been, it is still delicious.  And anyway, although the meal is the center of the occasion, the real memories will come from the interaction between the people present.  The meal serves as the décor, the setting for the family or social meeting.  What we eat helps make it special, but is not the most important factor.

That said, we cannot deny that the food served helps build the atmosphere.  For this reason, you need to work up a repertoire, if you will, of simple to make special occasion cooking recipes.

You will be shocked and amazed at all the sinfully rich and delicious meals and side dishes that are out there, that are amazingly quick and easy to prepare. You do not have to set aside a full week for preparations, and you do not have to resort to buying from some near-by restaurant.  You can do it; you will survive and will still manage to have a wonderful meal that is enjoyed by all.

The trick is in choosing a rather simple meat dish and dressing it up with the more decadent side dishes. Incredibly rich side dishes that are simple to prepare are greater in number than meat dishes that require little culinary effort. You should also keep in mind the audience for your special occasion. Sometimes a family favorite makes the occasion seem much more special than an all out effort for some fancy dish with a French-Sounding name. There is no point in going to an extreme effort to create a culinary masterpiece if it is going to be riddled with picky children proclaiming that they do not like this or that about your meal.

Another great idea when it comes to cooking for special occasions is to prepare as much as possible ahead of time in order to alleviate the pressure during the event and to allow you more time to enjoy the event rather than dealing with the details of meal preparation. One of the wonderful sides of the Jewish Shabbat rules is the fact you have to prepare everything in advance.  You work hard on Thursday nigh or Friday morning, but when the Shabbat starts on Friday evening, that’s it!  You can now relax, whatever was done is what there is, and now you can enjoy or rest without any guilt.  You cannot enjoy the special occasion if you get there with your last breath.  You cannot also enjoy your cooking if you are in a rush to finish everything in time.

Foods that can be prepared ahead of time and reheated just prior to serving are often the best when it comes to cooking for special occasions. By simply performing a Google search or opening some of the cookbooks you have at home you will be able to find a big selection of appetizers, entrees, and desserts that will work perfectly in this particular instance.  The important thing is that you do not get so caught up in the idea of cooking for special occasions that you forget to actually enjoy the occasion.  When I write this I remember my late grandmother, who was on general a neurotic type.  She would get so nervous about cooking.  She would be caught up in the planning weeks ahead, and be so worried about everything!  I am really not sure if she ever enjoyed all the hosting she did.

Of course, some of us thrive in high stress situations.  Some people do not function without a short dead line ahead.  The key for these types is to do the planning ahead of time.  If you know exactly what you are going to do and you are sure you have all the ingredients, that’s fine. Mistakes occur when people feel rushed and hurried in their culinary efforts.

Another common mistake that is made when cooking for special occasions is cooking outside of your comfort zone. If the particular dish requires things you dislike to do, if you hate meals that involve soaking things for days ahead, don’t do it.  Especially not when you are already under stress.

Special occasions are a great time for friends and family. The hope is that you will have many special occasions throughout your life. Do not waste too much time and energy fretting over cooking for special occasions. Instead, put all of your effort into enjoying those occasions.

My children love to cook.  I already told here about my eldest, Hizki, who has just turned 11.  He already cooks things by himself:  He makes himself pasta, fries schnitzel and potatoe chips, eggs, and more.  Of course when he’s finished the kitchen looks like a disaster, but never mind.  It is already better than the way he would leave the kitchen a few months ago.  Now he usually remembers to put the dirty dishes in the sink,  it is only the pans and the kitchen counter and floor that are left disastrous.

My two younger kids, Miriam and Bentzi, love cooking too.  They especially love to bake (I added too many pounds from the cakes we bake together).  Mainly we bake together chocolate cakes, with various toppings.  But more and more they ask to help me also in other cooking:  They are afraid of the hot oil, but still want to try and put the pancakes in the pan, or the eggs.  They help mixing whatever ingredients are supposed to go in the dish I am making.

It is such a joy to cook with them.  It is nice quality time together, in which we all enjoy each others company, and do something useful too.  It is time we can also talk to each other and actually see each others face;  otherwise they always like to talk about “heavy” topics in the car, when I cannot see their faces.  It is also a good time for them to learn various skills, such as measuring, cutting vegetables (excellent for fine motor skills) etc.

One thing to remember when cooking with kids is to try only simple recipes, otherwise they get bored and distracted too quickly.  Also, it is a good habbit to check beforehand you have all ingredients:  it has happened to me more than once that I had to leave them with the unfinished dish to run over to the grocery store and get whatever was missing.

What you do have to learn when cooking with kids is to let go – don’t be a control freak.  They won’t do everything exactly as you would.  The vegetables certainly won’t be cut the way you would.  The measures won’t be exactly what they are supposed too.  And of course the kitchen will get dirty.