As a society, it seems as though we're fairly obsessed with food. The two top selling categories of Christmas books were cookery books followed by healthy eating/dieting books (or vice versa). Food is a major issue, whether we're obsessing about eating too much of it or worrying that we're not consuming enough of the right things or debating whether we can afford the weekly food bills or fretting about whether the cheese in the fridge is safe to eat now it's half an hour past its sell by date.
As to the last little food problem, the answer is probably yes. Most food scientists I know take a robust approach to date stamped food. Their recommendation is to use your common sense. Look at, smell, feel the food; if it seems OK, it probably is. Cook thoroughly, eat immediately, you'll be fine.
Masterchef and the Way Ahead for Food
I love food as much as the next person (maybe more.) I watch Masterchef on television whenever I can, I experiment with recipes, I visit markets at home and abroad, I've even overcome my dislike of beetroot in my determination to have as full a food experience as possible.
Fine dining and the whole Michelin star thing has left me fairly cold though. Maybe I was adversely affected by excessive exposure to nouvelle cuisine in the 90s when work commitments saw me spending a ridiculous amount of time in up-market hotels. Whatever the reason, "foodiness" has always struck me as being quite pretentious; I've been more of a Two Fat Ladies cook than a fan of Michel Roux jr.
But then I saw this year's Masterchef – The Professionals. My heart fell as the food critics lauded plain ingredients in a very over the top way, but how I loved the winner, Ash Mair, who explained that his food philosophy involved cooking food which people might like to eat. Oh, well done!
The Michelin Star Experience
New Year saw me heading north to a conference. Most of the delegates stayed at the Mallory Court Hotel just outside Leamington Spa. This beautiful hotel has one Michelin star and the conference dinner made me re-think my views on fine dining.
The menu offered a traditional Fish, Meat, Dessert menu, plus vegetarian and cheese board options. I ate a trio of fish, followed by a simple chicken dish and finished my meal with a chocolate dessert. The food was well cooked, unfussy and (most importantly) you could taste all the ingredients. There were no heavy sauces, intricate presentations or complicated dressings. In effect, the ingredients spoke for themselves. It was indeed food that people might like to eat.
If the way ahead for food is simplicity, seasonality and superb cooking technique, then bring it on! Recognisable dishes which are relatively easy to cook and could be replicated (to an extent) at home might succeed in taking much of the mystique out of food preparation.
Reclaiming food planning, preparation and cooking as a fun family activity would be an intrigung food trend for 2012, and whilst fine dining would still be a treat and a pinnacle of excellence, a trend towards tasty simplicity could be a wonderful thing. It certainly looks like being an interesting food year ahead for chefs, critics and (hopefully) food lovers in the home.
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