Non-Cook of the Month
January, 2012
Mac & Cheese Non-Cook Kristin Corwin with her family.
Interview with Non-Cook of the Month
Kristin Corwin
Kristin Corwin grew up in Madison, Wisconsin and is a graduate of Colorado State University. She is a former bond trader at JP Morgan and a current full time mom. She loves to travel, drink wine, listen to good music, spend time with friends, and hike with her family.
Kristin answered PGN-C questions via email as 2011 drew to a close...
Kristin answered PGN-C questions via email as 2011 drew to a close...
Picky Grouchy Non-Cook: Do you come from a non-cook background, or is being a non-cook something you developed on your own?
Kristin Corwin: I do NOT come from a non-cook background. My mom is a fabulous cook, amazing entertainer, and has hosted thanksgiving dinners (flawlessly) for twenty eight people where everything comes out perfect and hot at the precise time. She routinely hosts parties and events where she is asked for all the recipes of the dishes she has cooked. In addition, my sister started a recipe sharing website (www.sharecipe.com) which is a social networking site for cooks. Admittedly, she's pretty much a non-cook too, but she made an effort for a while, for posterity’s sake. I generally had no interest in cooking growing up. My mom would always tell me that once I got married I would start cooking more. That didn't happen. My husband and I happily lived in New York City for twelve years, non-cooking away. We had a menu binder with menus from all the restaurants in our area for delivery. Then we even stepped up the non-cooking a notch and got on "seamless web". This is a website where we would place our take-out order, and then 30-40 minutes later our dinner would show up at our door. Talk about non-cooking!!! We had one of those refrigerators with only beverages and condiments. I called my kitchen aid mixer my guacamole machine because that's all I ever used it for. Those were the days. Then we had kids and I had to start actually grocery shopping and "cooking".
PGN-C: Just for fun, could you describe you worst kitchen disaster?
Kristin Corwin: Not the worst, but close. Last fall I decided to make homemade butternut squash soup. I found a lovely recipe from my sister's website that was very involved and WAY above my ability level ("butternut squash and apple soup"). I was not afraid. I was ambitious. I was in a cooking spurt. I purchased all the spices to make this "toasted spice rub" for the soup, and actually made said "toasted spice rub,” where I had to toast spices in a skillet and then grind them in my coffee grinder. Imagine?! Anyway, I got all of that done, cubed the butternut squash and apples, then sautéed, then pureed, and then got to the part where I was supposed to add the “toasted spice rub” and could not figure out how much to put in. My brain had gone into screen saver mode. I had pushed myself way beyond my skill level and the brain was not happy. I searched and searched the recipe for the quantity, and could not for the life of me figure it out. SO, I guessed. Wrong! I thought 2 TBS would be just about right, when in fact, the quantity was 2 tsp (which I discovered in the proper location, later, after the whole mess was behind me). The soup was SO STRONG. So I tried to dilute it by buying more butternut squash and more apples and going through the process again to make more soup. It didn't help. I think the saying is: I bit off more than I could chew?
PGN-C: How do you feel about Mac & Cheese?
Kristin Corwin: Interesting question. I have a love/hate relationship with Mac & Cheese. For some reason, even with a mom who loved to cook I had a childhood obsession with macaroni and cheese. I loved it then, and I still love it today. I add two slices of American cheese, which I call the "cheese floaters.” The hate part is the fact that it's so unhealthy and I shouldn't be eating it, and I shouldn't be feeding it to my kids. This is where my non-cooking really stresses me out. I want to cook healthy meals for my three kids, I want to experiment and expose them to a wide variety of foods, but when it comes down to it, I never find the time to plan the menu, and grocery shop, and actually cook. I have bursts of energy where I make new and interesting things, and then I revert back to Mac & Cheese and chicken nuggets. It is my hope that when my twins start going to school more, I will have more time to really cook for them. But chances are I will be making some kind of pasta and some sort of chicken nugget or hot dog at the last minute as per usual.
PGN-C: Any words of wisdom to young non-cooks?
Kristin Corwin: Don't be afraid to be a non-cook. Don't be pressured into cooking when you have wonderful take-out options and restaurants to try! There are so many different ways to non-cook -- be strong and persevere. There will be a time for cooking, but enjoy life without while you can!
PGN-C: Is there anything you'd give up if it meant you'd never have to cook again? Is freedom from cooking something you think about?
Kristin Corwin: That is a very profound question. I'd say I would give up wine, but then how could I fully enjoy my non-cooking? The thing you didn’t cook is best served with a nice glass of wine. I will have to ponder that one. Freedom from cooking is something I think of often.
PGN-C: Would you say being a non-cook is something about yourself you'd like to change or something you'd like to accept?
Kristin Corwin: I would like to accept it. I go through spurts of trying to cook, and do make a few good things, but I do not enjoy it. At all. I would happily non-cook for the rest of my life, and chances are, I will!
Kristin Corwin: I do NOT come from a non-cook background. My mom is a fabulous cook, amazing entertainer, and has hosted thanksgiving dinners (flawlessly) for twenty eight people where everything comes out perfect and hot at the precise time. She routinely hosts parties and events where she is asked for all the recipes of the dishes she has cooked. In addition, my sister started a recipe sharing website (www.sharecipe.com) which is a social networking site for cooks. Admittedly, she's pretty much a non-cook too, but she made an effort for a while, for posterity’s sake. I generally had no interest in cooking growing up. My mom would always tell me that once I got married I would start cooking more. That didn't happen. My husband and I happily lived in New York City for twelve years, non-cooking away. We had a menu binder with menus from all the restaurants in our area for delivery. Then we even stepped up the non-cooking a notch and got on "seamless web". This is a website where we would place our take-out order, and then 30-40 minutes later our dinner would show up at our door. Talk about non-cooking!!! We had one of those refrigerators with only beverages and condiments. I called my kitchen aid mixer my guacamole machine because that's all I ever used it for. Those were the days. Then we had kids and I had to start actually grocery shopping and "cooking".
PGN-C: Just for fun, could you describe you worst kitchen disaster?
Kristin Corwin: Not the worst, but close. Last fall I decided to make homemade butternut squash soup. I found a lovely recipe from my sister's website that was very involved and WAY above my ability level ("butternut squash and apple soup"). I was not afraid. I was ambitious. I was in a cooking spurt. I purchased all the spices to make this "toasted spice rub" for the soup, and actually made said "toasted spice rub,” where I had to toast spices in a skillet and then grind them in my coffee grinder. Imagine?! Anyway, I got all of that done, cubed the butternut squash and apples, then sautéed, then pureed, and then got to the part where I was supposed to add the “toasted spice rub” and could not figure out how much to put in. My brain had gone into screen saver mode. I had pushed myself way beyond my skill level and the brain was not happy. I searched and searched the recipe for the quantity, and could not for the life of me figure it out. SO, I guessed. Wrong! I thought 2 TBS would be just about right, when in fact, the quantity was 2 tsp (which I discovered in the proper location, later, after the whole mess was behind me). The soup was SO STRONG. So I tried to dilute it by buying more butternut squash and more apples and going through the process again to make more soup. It didn't help. I think the saying is: I bit off more than I could chew?
PGN-C: How do you feel about Mac & Cheese?
Kristin Corwin: Interesting question. I have a love/hate relationship with Mac & Cheese. For some reason, even with a mom who loved to cook I had a childhood obsession with macaroni and cheese. I loved it then, and I still love it today. I add two slices of American cheese, which I call the "cheese floaters.” The hate part is the fact that it's so unhealthy and I shouldn't be eating it, and I shouldn't be feeding it to my kids. This is where my non-cooking really stresses me out. I want to cook healthy meals for my three kids, I want to experiment and expose them to a wide variety of foods, but when it comes down to it, I never find the time to plan the menu, and grocery shop, and actually cook. I have bursts of energy where I make new and interesting things, and then I revert back to Mac & Cheese and chicken nuggets. It is my hope that when my twins start going to school more, I will have more time to really cook for them. But chances are I will be making some kind of pasta and some sort of chicken nugget or hot dog at the last minute as per usual.
PGN-C: Any words of wisdom to young non-cooks?
Kristin Corwin: Don't be afraid to be a non-cook. Don't be pressured into cooking when you have wonderful take-out options and restaurants to try! There are so many different ways to non-cook -- be strong and persevere. There will be a time for cooking, but enjoy life without while you can!
PGN-C: Is there anything you'd give up if it meant you'd never have to cook again? Is freedom from cooking something you think about?
Kristin Corwin: That is a very profound question. I'd say I would give up wine, but then how could I fully enjoy my non-cooking? The thing you didn’t cook is best served with a nice glass of wine. I will have to ponder that one. Freedom from cooking is something I think of often.
PGN-C: Would you say being a non-cook is something about yourself you'd like to change or something you'd like to accept?
Kristin Corwin: I would like to accept it. I go through spurts of trying to cook, and do make a few good things, but I do not enjoy it. At all. I would happily non-cook for the rest of my life, and chances are, I will!