As we come out of the food- and drink-filled annual limbo that is the week-long stretch between Christmas and New Years, it’s hard to believe the first week of 2024 is already behind us. And if your holiday break involved reading our Dec. 26 edition, you may know I enjoy the perspective refresh a New Year always brings.
I’m coming into 2024 with a passion for spending more time in the kitchen. Don’t get me wrong — I’m no expert chef; I don’t have an impeccably precise palate, nor a drive for culinary perfection like some of my close family members do.
But what I do possess is a hunger for learning, and I especially seem to like learning the hard way. There is no amount of carefully considered advice, or clear-cut, fool-proof instructions, that can replace first-hand experience, and that goes doubly-so for cooking.
One tool that has taught me more in a year than all the cooking shows on Netflix ever could is my 12-inch MasterChef cast-iron pan. For months, I stressed about the seasoning being less than perfect; I tried in vain to find resources that would allow me to bypass the learning curve.
But my favourite, and most universal, lesson my cast iron pan has taught me is showing up is half the battle. Perfection is the enemy of progress, and consistency over time can create excellence. So as you head into 2024, keep that in mind: good things are worth the time; small investments can yield great results; and mistakes aren’t permanent — they just build our seasoning.
