Consistency Compounds
I love all the cutting tools we have with Pampered Chef. There is the Rapid Prep Mandolin which slices, dices, and juliennes. There is the Close & Cut the Quick Slice, the Simple Slicer, the Egg Slicer Plus, Garlic Peeler & Slicer, the Apple Peeler, Corer & Slicer, which make slicing various foods so easy and can save one so much time. Of course, there are our knives, the Color Coated and the Forged Cutlery, which make any kitchen job so easy.
Over the years I have found myself using all my tools, especially the Rapid Prep Mandolin, as a way to save time in the kitchen. There is nothing wrong with that and I am grateful to do that. At the same time, I realized I could do all those knife skills myself, well most of them, if I practiced my knife skills. I see chefs use mandolins to do very thin slices, so I know there is a time and purpose for everything.
It was the other day, however, when I was watching and listening to some of my favorite chefs, that I realized they were practicing something I teach all the time – consistency compounds. I would sit in amazement of their knife skills, but realized those skills developed over time and with consistent practice. I have not developed the knife skills I want, not because I do not have the right tools, but because I do not practice my knife skills consistently.
I also came to realize there is a reverence to how they each handle the food during the process. They handle the ingredients with reverence. There is a discipline and respect for each ingredient. I was struck by how they each held on to the root of the onion, for example, as they prepared it to be diced and chopped. It made me question whether we hold on to the roots of our spiritual beliefs when we are moving through our cooking practices. Do I hold on to my roots when I am cooking? Do I embrace the basics? Do I think about what I am cutting, how and why? Do I give thanks for the ingredients and all those who bought it to me? Do I honor the knives I have and those who prepared them so that I can slice, chop, dice, julienne and perform other skills with them?
Do I practice my skills with the discipline that I practice other spiritual disciplines? Or do I call upon other quicker methods to help me achieve my goals? There is a time and place for every tool. However, if we want to grow and evolve in our kitchen skills, then sometimes we need to take the time to practice our knife skills so we can become more efficient. Consistency does compound, so perhaps we need to become more consistent in practicing our knife skills.
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