Baking preferences

There are few things in life more sublime than a nice warm freshly baked biscuit. Sad to say, though, the readily-available Bisquik mix is lumpy. The recipe from Joy of Cooking or similar cookbooks is another doughy, dry lump. My husband and I had a discussion which ended with him declaring he would make a biscuit! He used a puff pastry recipe, which exemplified his ideal of a buscuit: buttery, layered, crispy. And it was good, although I got on his wrong side by asserting it was a puff pastry not a biscuit recipe. So the next weekend I turned to one of our newest cookbooks, Ratio, by Michael Ruhlman. I was not disappointed. It was a nice, chewy, layered biscuit, which exemplified my ideal.

It also made me realize the importance of testing recipes, and how much I appreciate cooks such as Michael Ruhlman, Alton Brown, and the guiding light behind Cook's Illustrated, Christopher Kimball. They take the time to throughly vet recipes, understand the science behind the techniques and ingredients used, and share it with the middling cook, such as myself. Also, as a scientist, I appreciate the scientific approach. I hear of people who eat out most nights of the week, or simply reheat prepared foods, and I shudder. Maybe I am too hard on myself, calling myself a "middling" cook, but even my mediocre (ok- outright failed) attempts usually taste better than the Olive Garden or frozen dinners. I know the kids in school have a lot to learn and would probably rebel at the thought of more classes in their curriculums. But would it kill them to take a semester or two of basic home cooking, accompanied perhaps by visits to restaurant kitchens of higher caliber? I probably would not have appreciated it at the time, too, myself, but that would've enhanced my life so much now. As well as other things that were self-taught such as balancing my check book, etc.