What’s the first food item you ever learned to prepare?
Mine was toast.
Don’t get me wrong, my parents had a classic two-slice toaster. It was likely received as a gift for “opening a bank account” when banks actually cared about gaining and retaining customers much more than they do now, and likely when they first came to this country. That would make it about 20 years old by the time I was old enough to even eat toast. By the time I was requesting toast, this toaster – which grew so hot to the touch when it was on that it was a fire hazard, especially with its cloth-covered cord (remember those?) – only had two settings: warm bread, and burn it black.
Perhaps because of this, I don’t recall much toast eating in my younger days. I was aware, however, of the delight of the smell of freshly toasted bread; I don’t know if it makes me a strange person for recalling such simple pleasures as opening a freshly purchased loaf of store brand sandwich bread, and opening it up… inhaling that beautiful sweet scent of white sandwich bread… then stuffing the entire first (non-end) piece in my face before making myself a sandwich with the next two non-end pieces… Ahem, excuse me.
In any case, there came a day when I really wanted toast. The toaster scared me, or perhaps had finally given up the ghost; I just remember whining to my father that I wanted toast and what was I supposed to do, why didn’t he buy a new toaster, how do people live without a toaster?!
My father, perhaps frustrated at his youngest child, perhaps fully aware of what lesson this would teach me, perhaps just trying to keep me entertained (or go back to reading the book from which I’d disturbed him), told me to toast bread.
“How?” I exclaimed, a child with zero ability to think outside the box.
“How do you think people used to toast bread before toasters were invented?” he said, and pointed me in the direction of the kitchen. I must’ve looked at him like he were nutso, because I do recall distinctly him telling me that a piece of bread in a dry pan – the small 7″ skillet – were my friends.
“But how long do I do it for?” I am sure I whined.
“Until it’s toasted,” he likely responded, exasperated, eager to return to his book. (My father loved reading… as do I.)
So I went into the kitchen. I am pretty sure I burned the hell out of that first piece of bread; flame too high, me not watching carefully. The next piece likely went too briefly, and became slightly toasty, warm bread, but not quite toast.
Eventually, I became a toast master; I began to quite enjoy toasting bread in a dry skillet, watching carefully for the color change, sniffing carefully for that moment the sugars in the bread start to caramelize; the sense of accomplishment that one feels over something so small, so minute, yet so significant a change to a simple piece of bread.
When my parents finally replaced the toaster, I no longer toasted bread in a dry pan quite as often. In fact, I forgot about this little skill until a few years ago, cooking breakfast at a friend’s new apartment, I suddenly realized he hadn’t a toaster. No matter – I pulled out a small skillet and flexed those toast-making skills.
Still got it.
Try it sometime. See if you can do it properly on the first try. It’s harder – and easier – than you think.
I like to think that my dad knew exactly the many lessons he was teaching me with that simple instruction: go toast some bread using a pan.
1- patience (which I’ve still yet to master)
2- basics are important
3- learn to cook by feel/smell/look, as opposed to “put bread in pan for 6 minutes, then flip”
Funny side note: when I first moved into my current apartment, alone, I was gifted a brand new convection toaster oven, and did not have a slice toaster. The first time I tried to toast bread in the convection toaster oven, I burned it. The second time? Burned to a crisp. Third, fourth, fifth times – same story. Either the instructions were confusing or I failed to fully comprehend them (the knobs need to be adjusted more than the instructions seem to imply); it took me a long time before I felt comfortable walking away while toasting bread in there.
I should have gone back to toasting bread in a dry skillet…
What was the first thing you learned to make?
CheeeeEEEEse says
In home-economics in middle school we learned to make omelettes. By now I bet that whole program has been canceled due to budgetary cuts and the fact that there are too many parents who are too afraid to have their little Timmy or Suzy too close to a stove.
Feisty Foodie says
I’m so jealous you had home ec, and in middle school, too! Despite a fairly large budget for my high school, our shop classes were things like woodworking, jewelry class, photography (which I should have taken!- we had a darkroom!), ceramics, etc. Home ec would have been awesome – and useful, as lots of people don’t know how to prepare simple meals or even sew a button (that’s part of home ec, right?).
Connie says
I have some fond memories of toasting bread as a kid. I liked peanut butter and jelly on my toast. Toast was probably the first thing I learned to make, followed by eggs. You’re right, a lot of cooking is based on how it looks, smells, feels rather than a set amount of time. Maybe that is why I have so much success when it comes to baking. A lot of friends who’ve tried baking cakes will go by the amount of time listed on the cake mix box or the recipe not taking into consideration the type of pan they used, and how hot (or cold) their oven runs. These things, you can only learn by experience.
Feisty Foodie says
It’s funny you say that – part of why I can’t bake is because I don’t feel comfortable/confident in doing it by instinct, but that’s exactly how I cook. I’ve learned to try to be a little more flexible in baking – or at least, to recognize which steps can be flexible (baking time, moisture content [ie, if it looks dry and I think it might need a splash more wet ingredient, then do it instead of thinking everything has to be super duper exact, because weather affects the outcome, too!]) and go with that instead of being petrified of tweaking things a little.
hungry says
I can’t even remember but I do have very fond memories of the electric sandwich maker that I used to make ham and egg sandwiches. It even cut it into triangles and pinched the ends. They were like sandwich pockets. I loved those.
Feisty Foodie says
Oh, I know someone who had those – still used it even up to a few years ago. They made very good grilled cheese sandwiches without butter!
Corinne Flax says
It is called a cinnamon snail
1 slice bread, with crust removed
cream cheese, leave it out of the refrigerator til smooth
3 tablespoons of melted butter
sugar, mixed with a bit of
cinnamon
Directions:
1 Preheat the toaster or oven at 350 degrees.
2 Flatten the bread with rolling pin.
3 Spread a thin layer of cream cheese over the flatten bread.
4 roll up the bread with more cream cheese.
5 Slice the roll into three pieces.
6 Dip each piece into melted butter and the cinnamon and sugar.
7 Put them on a cookie sheet covered with aluminum foil.
8 Let it cook for about 6 minutes.
9 Let your snail cool a bit before eating it.
Feisty Foodie says
That sounds pretty tasty. There’s a food truck called Cinnamon Snail… I don’t think the two are related at all (the truck is vegan I believe), but that’s what you made me think of.
You also reminded me of the first time I tried to bake entirely from scratch and what a horrible mess that was. Maybe I should share that story next.
hungry says
Oh, I also remember wrapping dumplings as a very young child…maybe 7 years old. But my mom didn’t allow me to cook them until much later using an electric skillet.
Feisty Foodie says
Hmm, I also wrapped dumplings. I was telling someone who commented on Facebook about this post – I may have helped mix dough or cake batter before making toast, but it didn’t feel like cooking or my memory doesn’t perceive it as ‘learning to make’ something, possibly because I didn’t actually have a hand in the final product, if that makes sense.
Chewthefat says
This post has really made me think about my progression through cooking, in terms of foods. I don’t remember the first time I made toast. I think I recall making cookies from a mix first, then cake from a mix with tinned frosting, biscuits, pigs in a blanket, toaster waffles, pre-mixed spaghetti sauce (pouring the seasoning packet in some tomato paste), pudding pie, Popsicles from o.j., lemonade mix, Jiffy Pop, TV dinners, grilled cheese…gee, can you tell I grew up in the processed food graveyard of the late 70s and early 80s?
Feisty Foodie says
Ha, I grew up at that time as well… I definitely remember some of those items! I’m glad my post took you on a trip down memory lane – I love hearing about other people’s experiences and memories, because even if we grew up in the same area at the same time, our experiences always vary so greatly.
Ttrockwood says
For me the smell of toast makes me see my father at the breakfast table. Every day he has toast for breakfast. Seriously. Every. Day. There is a jar he keeps of premixed cinnamon sugar, although he often chooses jam and nut butter instead.
The first dish i remember “cooking” was this breakfast dish where we took premade pillsbury biscuits from the exploding can, cut them in 4pcs with a butter knife, dipped in cinnamon sugar and layered in the bunt cake pan with way too much margarine. (It was the early 80s. Butter was still evil).
Feisty Foodie says
That sounds like a lovely thought brought on by the smell of toast! 🙂
I think I’ve done that… well, slightly different. Mmm, biscuits… from an exploding can. I used to be scared of the can 🙂
Janine [SkippyMom] says
I know I am late to the party on this – but I have to say toast is so yummy delicious and you describe it perfectly. And eating that first piece of squishy, processed white bread out of the bag before making your sandwich or toast? Been there, don’t that a frajillion times. LOVE.
Since we just moved and I can’t not unearth my most beloved 4 slice toaster [best purchase EVAH] I have become an expert at broiling toast. Yep. Broiler on high [in the regular oven part] rack in the middle, door slightly ajar – watch, wait. . .lightly golden -remove, FLIP – place inside and watch wait – PERFECT TOAST.
I may never find my toaster this is so freakin’ easy.
Now ask me about Mom toast? This is the way to make that stuff. I can toast eight pieces at once and everyone eats at the same time. YAY! [Mom toast is basically cinnamon toast w/butter i make when someone is sick and then inevitably everyone else in the fam develops the *sniffles* and must partake too.]
Only YOU could make toast entertaining. Love ya!
Feisty Foodie says
Perfect toast is the best feeling. Mom toast sounds great too!
I know, right? I have the most bizarre food memories…