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Ronnie Fein
interviewed by Emma Taylor on December 7, 1995
"Think of [cooking] as a people skill rather than a learning skill."
Ronnie Fein is the author of "The Complete Idiot's Guide To Cooking Basics." She gave up her career as a Wall Street attorney to write about food and cooking, and now runs her own cooking school in Connecticut.
Tripod: What is the most common mistake people make in the kitchen?RF: I would say the most common mistake is not understanding that you don't need to be totally skilled. There's a mistake in the confidence that people have when they get into the kitchen. People, especially newcomers to the kitchen, always feel that they have to be great cooks, just because they're born as people, and that's a mistake. It's something that we can learn, like anything else.
Tripod: What's your background in cooking?
RF: Well, actually, I was an attorney. I never had any formal training as a cook or a chef, but I like to cook, I like to eat. When I was a kid, of course, my mom always let me help in the kitchen. That's important too -- I think that cooking with family and friends is a very nurturing experience. I think it gets people to feel more at home in the kitchen, and therefore more confident. Then they don't feel like it's a test -- when we're in college, we take tests. But cooking isn't a test -- just think of it as something good to eat.
Tripod: What's the biggest catastrophe you've ever had in the kitchen?
RF: [laughs] I've had a few fat fires that were pretty bad. And I like to experiment a lot with food, and sometimes it comes out great, sometimes it comes out okay, most of the time it's pretty good -- and sometimes it's utterly awful! I made something called a veal and ham pie once, and it was probably the worst thing -- we trashed it and my husband and I went out for fried chicken! We're still laughing about it ... but that's okay, I don't mind. When you have disasters, but you try a lot, you can laugh at them when you're finished.
Tripod: What kind of menu would you suggest for someone giving their first dinner party?
RF: Something very simple. Usually, for a dinner party, roasts are really very very easy. Like a roast chicken, or a roast turkey or a roast beef or a roast leg of lamb. Some large piece of meat or poultry, or even a whole baked fish. That's probably the simplest, because when you're talking about a roast, you're not talking about something that requires cutting and delicate sauces and that kind of thing. I would also suggest with that roast that the person make ahead vegetables. Mashed potatoes, or rice pilaf, or pureed carrots -- something that you can make ahead of time, and taste, so that you can add whatever it is that you may need. Then you can pop it into the oven just before you serve it.
So something you can make ahead, something that's simple, something that doesn't require a lot of intricate methodology in the kitchen. And of course I would suggest making things that you're familiar with. I always encourage people to make one new thing. I know the rule generally is, "don't make anything different." But I feel if you're familiar with most of the food that you're making, if you make one new thing -- even if it doesn't turn out well, everybody's going to give you a hand just for trying!
Tripod: What about dinner party recipes that are quick? Last night I had to make a dessert for ten people in less than an hour. What would you suggest?
RF: There are lots of desserts that you can make in a hurry. For example, you can whip cream, and mash fruit -- then just whip them together and that's a fool. There are lots of things you can do with ice cream, for example. You can get ice cream, and then melt some preserve, say raspberry, and then put whipped cream on top of that, add some peaches, then some almonds and a cherry -- and you have peach melba. There are lots of things you can put together at the last minute.
Sometimes I suggest, for a dinner party, serving fruit and cheese. Lots of people, especially young people, don't think of it, because it's a little more sophisticated. You don't have to cook, it's always appropriate, and you can always buy fresh fruit and cheese. It's very simple, and people can take as much or as little as they want. If you want something a little more involved, but you have absolutely no time, you can buy some mascarpone cheese, which is available in most supermarkets or cheese stores. If you mix it with a little sugar and cinnamon and put it on top of fresh fruit, it's a lovely dessert.
Tripod: What equipment should everyone have in the kitchen? Let's say I just have a few pots and pans and a couple of spoons.
RF: You know, you don't need a lot. I think the first thing that a young person should buy -- other than a coffee maker and a toaster oven, of course -- is a food processor. I know that years ago, people used to buy a blender first, but most people don't make mixed drinks in a blender, and a food processor does the other blending tasks so much better. You can really cut a lot of the tasking jobs in fractions of time, just by having a good processor. If I were starting out, that's the first thing I would want. It makes your job so much easier.
"A lot of young people make the mistake of thinking that only rich people or older people can go to a wine store and talk to the wine merchant."
Tripod: Besides cost, what are the advantages to learning how to be a good cook?
RF: Well, you get a lot people who like you! I think food draws people together. It's a very nurturing experience to cook with someone, and if you're living with somebody, to share the tasks of working in the kitchen, so that it doesn't become a job to cook up something fun. So, being a good cook involves being with other people, it involves tasting something wonderful and sharing the experience with other people, so that you can have a good time talking over the food. I think that sitting down to a meal makes way for good conversation, especially if you don't turn the TV on. I have found that people just like to talk about food, even if you go off on a tangent. Sometimes the conversation leads from food to other, more meaningful conversation.
Tripod: Some people really hate to cook -- how can they make it more fun?
RF: Well, one, it's more fun if you're more confident, and understand that this is not torture, this is not a test. Make things that you enjoy, make simple things, make easy things. Make good-tasting things that you like. Number two, if you realize you're going to fill your stomach with something good, the looking forward to what it is that you're going to be making can be fun. Number three, the process of sharing these dinners with somebody is such a nice thing. Either cooking with that person, or feeding that person, and hearing the "oohs" and the "ahhs." It's a bonding experience. Food bonds people together, and if you think of it as a people skill rather than a cooking skill or a learning skill, then it will be a lot more fun.
Tripod: What steps can somebody take to be a more health-conscious cook?
RF: Certainly cutting down on all of the animal fats, like butter. ... Use a lot of olive oil, for example -- if you want to saute food, for a little richness, then instead of using butter, or Crisco, or lard, use olive oil instead. Adding more vegetables to the diet is an improvement, and adding grains to the diet, so that you are filling up more on starches and grains, rather than on meat products. I think that other than that -- the trendy kind of things like oatbran -- you've got to take those with a grain of salt. One year they say it's good, then the next year they say it's bad. You never know -- I think that if we eat most things in moderation, and don't overstuff ourselves, and stop eating when we're not hungry -- we'll be healthier.
Tripod: What's the best way to find the right wine to go with a meal?
RF: My best advice -- go to your local wine store. A lot of young people make the mistake of thinking that only rich people or older people can go to a wine store and talk to the wine merchant. And that's exactly who doesn't need the wine merchant. The people who need it are the ones who don't know anything. You go into the wine store, and you say, "I'm making a roast chicken with dill for dinner, and I'm having mashed potatoes and spinach with it -- what wine do you suggest?" Listen to the wine merchant make three of four suggestions, and make a decision on one of them. Later write down the name of the wine and how it tasted with that dish -- that's how you get to know what tastes good with what.
Tripod: What's a good late-night snack to cook?
RF: Guacamole! It's the kind of thing you can eat any time of the day. I'm not sure it's the least fattening recipe that there is in the world, but it certainly is good.
Tripod: What's your ideal meal?
RF: Well, I think I would like a springtime meal. I would start with some room-temperature asparagus with a vinaigrette dressing, followed by sauteed soft-shell crab, and rice, and then some apple torte for dessert. That's some of my favorite things to eat.
Has this interview got your mouth watering? Visit Epicurious for some great recipes.
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