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The masterchef is at home!

Cooking with elders in the family can help you fine-tune your culinary skills

We all obsess over celebrity chefs, but we seem to have forgotten some of the best cooks who we grow up with: elders in the family. If you still have your parents, grandparents or other elderly relatives, you have one of your best kitchen resource right at home. They have established palates, know what the family likes, and many of them are actually fantastic cooks. Many of us separate from them as we find our place in the world. However, it is important to bridge the divide once we attain adulthood. Get back to cooking with them. Whether it is a multiple-round feast or just a sandwich, allow the older person to go as per his or her comfort level.
Apart from learning superb recipes or gleaning all the wisdom you can get from them, you will also be spending time with them and helping them learn to use new tools. For instance, show them how to use a Microplane zester and you will have the perfect gift for them. You will be communicating that you value their input and have a lot to learn from them.
If you are living with them, or are in close proximity, you have won the lottery. If not, you can start writing letters back and forth to share recipes and cooking tips. The elderly come from an era when people wrote letters. If writing letters is not feasible, consider emailing those who are tech-savvy. You can even do live chats on the screen in the kitchen. Or give them a call and invite them to share their ideas and tips and simply listen and ask questions. You have lots to learn and they have so much more to give.
Until next time, cook up a storm!
wknd@khaleejtimes.com