Alice & Alice
Having just snapped closed the covers of Alice Waters' autobiography Coming to my Senses, I'm feeling veritably vindicated!
I've always thought we'd have a bit in common, because 'Alice', and food, and Edible Education, but this book has really been an eye-opener.
Alice Waters is a saucy minx.
I love her stories of Berkeley and beyond, the 60s counterculture that she was deep in the thick of, the people she'd meet (always beautiful and bright), the adventures she'd find herself on (I mean - who visits the Soviet Union for the food??). Of course she fell in love with Georgia, which she discovered as the last bastion of cuisine in the Caucasus, holding fast against the perfunctory starch of Soviet cooking (the description of her travels there alone is worth reading CTMS for).
Alice is a Francophile, a film buff and, above all, loves beauty in all its forms, especially the beauty of fresh produce.
So much of her book resonates for me, but one bit in particular sticks out, because it's something I've wanted to write about for ages.
"Cooking," she says, "is 90 percent Shopping".
Amen, sister.
Like Alice, I'll happily potter at the shops, sniffing tomatoes and comparing creams, for hours on end.
But here's where this Alice gets off the #twinning train... I'M SUCH AN IMPATIENT COOK.
I take shortcuts, crank dials that aren't supposed to be cranked, grab gadgets if they'll save me a minute.
I take ages to shop, because I know that having the right weaponry saves shiitake-loads of time on the other end.
I've built up the sort of arsenal Raymond Reddington would be proud of and, just like Red, I'm ready to spill the beans (both proverbially and literally).
Now, trying to tell you where to buy fresh stuff is nigh-on-impossible. It varies so much from week to week. It's why the menus at produce-centric restaurants like Chez Panisse change daily. Also, you're subscribing from all over the place, and I don't want to leave anybody out!
But what I can do, is use the next month or so of WC to help you stock up on the pantry goods and staples that are tried and tested treasures in my shortcuts to glory.
In honour of our guest gif last week, Salt Bae, Let's start with something simple, that makes a big difference...
SALT!
Murray River Pink Salt Flakes:
If I had to have only one type of salt in my pantry, it would be this one. The flavour is mild enough for salads, and the texture is robust enough to hold up as steak crust. Plus, it's pink... People love pink!
Olsson's Salt Flakes:
If you're serious about meat, using a saltier flake than the pink ones will really bring out your steak's sweetness and creaminess. I prefer Olsson's over Maldon, because it's Australian, but if Maldon's all you can find, I'll allow it. I like chucking some chunky flakes onto my pan as it's heating up, and waiting until they start popping - that's when I know it's hot enough to get a champion crust on my steak.
Smoked Salt:
If we're talking Shortcut Salt, this is the one I'd recommend investing in. I won't, however, suggest a brand, because I haven't found one I'd swear by yet (but will report back if I do). I love the way it makes anything I add it to taste like it's been cooked over coals, or with at least some level of effort, with just the flick of a wrist. When shopping for smoked salt, sniff the packet. If you can smell the smoke without even cracking it open, you're onto a winner. You can also try your hand at making your own!
Truffle Salt:
There are some pretty fancy salts out there: herb salts and flower salts and coloured salts and, if you're in the habit of hoarding condiments, who I am to stop you? But, as far as I'm concerned, the only fancy salt you should be troubling yourself with is truffle salt. Unlike truffle oil, which synthesises a single compound of the 50-odd in the flavour of real truffles (and makes most food writers shrivel), truffle salt contains actual chunks of the stuff, meaning its taste is much closer to a couple of strategically placed shavings. Salt helps to preserve this fungus' funk for much longer than a truffle tub in the fridge, and sprinkling it on dishes after cooking will mean you don't kill the delicate flavour with heat.
Now that you've picked your salt of choice, it's important to know how to get the most out of it. Obviously, taste is an entirely personal preference, which is why most recipes just say "season to taste". That means taste your food! In my experience, one of the quickest shortcuts a cook can then take to creating restaurant-quality food at home is to season slightly more than they think they should.
Here's a video about salt from the Don of Kitchen Science, Harold McGee: 
I hope this helps make tonight's dinner worth its salt.
Cheerio!
A — Z.
p.s. If you haven't seen Julie & Julia with Meryl Streep as Julia Child, I insist you do so immediately! Stop everything!
Watch the trailer here and then buy it on iTunes for $7.99 because Meryl is a goddess.com
