I love walking into a kitchen, when the cook is just about to serve a meal and the aromas wash over you with great pleasure. It is pure sensory overload. The smells linger and may even become a part of us. We all have memories associated with aromas, returning us to a favorite dish or an exceptional meal shared with a special someone, because the sense of smell imprints deeply and shapes us forever.
Recently, I realized that I also have favorite aromas in the kitchen that are related to a particular activity I undertake as a cook. I think this is one reason cooking is so enjoyable for me despite the work involved. Cooking produces something tangible, nourishing, and satisfying. Cooking produces something best shared slowly and accompanied by conversation. Cooking allows the cook to engage in creative, sensory awakening activity. Cooking feeds us body and soul.
Read the following list and share in the aromas that welcome me to the kitchen. If you are even remotely enticed, run to the kitchen and join in. Everyone is welcome.
Favorite Aromas in the Kitchen
Sauteing Onions
Brewing Coffee
Browning Butter
Proofing Yeast
Roasting Beets
Broiling Cheese
Caramelizing Sugar
Peeling Oranges
Toasting Pecans
Basting Turkey
Snipping Rosemary
Mincing Garlic
Baking Shortbread
Frying Fish
Kneading Pizza Dough
Measuring Vanilla Extract
Slicing Peaches
Pureeing Applesauce
Simmering Marinara Sauce
Zesting Lemon
Braising Chicken
Beating Cake Batter
Slicing Smoked Sausage
Steeping Earl Grey Tea
Melting Chocolate
Ghirardelli Square, San Francisco
