I'm Scared to Cook in Someone Else's Kitchen
But I conquered my fear with these six strategic tips
I'd rather sleep in a strange bed than cook in a kitchen that isn't mine. You don't need to lord over a particularly great one at home to say this. In fact, ours is small and dated compared to the faboo New Orleans version of my sister Kat and her fiancé Thierry, whom I just got back from visiting for a week.
The point is that cooking in summer rentals, beach cottages, and the homes of family and friends is utterly unfamiliar and often stressful, especially if you're cooking for others. Fish out of water don't shine.
On this recent visit, I wheeled with these thoughts through Costco as I loaded up the cart for several meals a day, including something for a July 4th pool party. Most folks go to NOLA to eat in restaurants, but for this trip we planned to chill (literally) mostly at home. It hit me that I needed a strategy—a set of rules to eat well and keep things simple and fun, without trying to feel like I’m at my house cooking and shopping as usual.
By the end of the week, I had come up with six tips and a handful of basic, flexible recipes to help us all find pleasure amid the perils of cooking in a strange place. I’ll bet you've got more to share in the comments below, too. So let's get started.
Tip #1: Do some research.
Even a teeny bit will make a huge difference. Start by getting as much detail as you can from your rental host. (In my case, Thierry not only directed me to the best shrimp I've ever had, but helped clean it!) Many post photos of inside the kitchen cabinets and drawers, and I also find it easy enough to ask in your usual DM conversations to establish the visit. Ask where they shop and eat. While you're doing restaurant recon online, layer in all the grocery stores, not just the closest. Again, add this to your questions for the host.
And most important—for many of us, I'm guessing—find out before you go about local farmers markets, produce stands, specialty butchers, agro-tourism. After all, if cooking is going to be part of your vacation, why not make shopping a priority, too? Fold it into a day of other activities (bring a cooler!) and suddenly stocking the cabin becomes a teaching moment for kids, too. Simple keyword searches and map apps work surprisingly well for advance reconnaissance.
Tip #2: Bring one thing you can’t cook without.
Even the best-stocked kitchens will be missing the comforts of home. Packing (or buying) just one thing works miracles to put you in control. A sharp knife is the most obvious, but a long blade is not always practical for travel; consider a paring knife instead. On my last trip, I randomly longed for a microplane. On a recent cabin stay I brought a good oyster knife, guessing (correctly) that the one at the rental was dull. What about your favorite silicone spatula or tongs? Maybe a perfectly proportioned whisk? Or that wine opener—the only one in the drawer back home with a deep, narrow corkscrew?
A friend told me her friend's family rents houses frequently and always buys a big, cheap skillet. They like to plan their day together over eggs and toast, and this way they never fret about the condition of the pots and pans. The skillet becomes part of the vacation memory; then they leave it for the next family of egg eaters.
Tip #3: Be judgy while taking inventory.
How old is that soy sauce in the pantry? Is the olive oil rancid? It's not pretty, but you'll never know unless you open bottles, sniff, and taste. Do like me and make your first shopping list with a pen in one hand and a teaspoon in the other. Correct: I'm suggesting you drive directly to your vacation kitchen without stopping for groceries, unless you've got to pick up coffee, milk, and cereal for the morning. The payoff is that you'll avoid frequent trips to the store.
When you're staying with friends or family, the judgment call changes: Is making pancakes with old flour—or as I did, clafoutis, which was perfectly delicious—better than not making it at all or offending your hosts? Probably so. And if it isn't, steer the menu toward frittata or pudding.
Mark’s Any-Kind-of-Fruit-Clafoutis
Makes: 4 to 8 servings
Time: About 45 minutes
This rustic dessert—essentially a large, sweet, eggy pancake baked over fruit—is incredibly simple and one of the fastest ways to make a fancy dessert. Use pretty much any fruit: blueberries or blackberries; cherries; sliced plums, peaches, or pears; and in winter try clementine segments or dried apricots. With fresh or frozen berries, it helps control juiciness if you toss them first in 1 tablespoon cornstarch.
Ingredients:
Butter for greasing
1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for greasing
2 cups fresh fruit (or 1 1/2 cup dried)
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups cream, milk, or a mixture
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup flour
Confectioners’ sugar for garnish
Instructions:
1. Heat the oven to 375°F. Butter a baking dish that’s big enough to hold the fruit in one layer and sprinkle it evenly with the tablespoon of sugar. Spread the fruit into the dish.
2. Beat the eggs, then add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and continue to beat until foamy and fairly thick. Stir in the cream, vanilla, and salt, then beat in the flour until just combined. (If you like, you can make this in a blender instead.)
3. Pour the batter over the fruit and bake for about 30 minutes or until the clafoutis is nicely browned on top and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Sift some confectioners’ sugar over it and serve warm or at room temperature.
— Recipe adapted from How to Cook Everything: Completely Revised 20th Anniversary Edition
Tip #4: Buy local food and then do virtually nothing to it.