I have a friend that I have this ongoing debate with: he says he cooks, I say he reheats. And there’s a difference. There’s several components to this discussion but one area of contention is that if his food requires heat, his soul source is a microwave.
I don’t own a microwave nor have I in… well, I can’t actually remember the last time I had one at home. I come from the school of thought that they aren’t a healthy cooking method – everything from breaking down the plastic containers that food is heated in to just not completely trusting the technology.
But moreover, cooking is not only about the ingredients but also about the process. The care and time put into the food. The smell of sautéing onions, the searing of meat, the slow reduction of sauces that I taste and season along the way. It’s not about how fast I can get it to the table, but how well done. Maybe it’s that I actually enjoy cooking and don’t want to rush the experience.
When people ask why I don’t have this appliance of convenience, I say it’s because I believe that microwaves steal the food’s soul but maybe it’s actually my soul I’m afraid I’ll lose.