How the Science of Cooking Helps Me Destress

In this series of posts, professionals reveal their best antidotes to work stress. Read the posts here, and then write your own (use #OutsideWork in the piece).

My life outside work involves cooking. I consider it my hobby and, fortunately, it is a hobby that my wife completely supports.

I learned to cook at an early age. On many Friday nights, my parents would host a dinner party with several other couples. After the meal, they would play bridge. Games would range from an ordinary game with another couple to several tables of duplicate bridge competition. Both of my parents were avid bridge players, earning the Gold Life Master Certificate. I was often involved in the preparation for those dinner parties. So I come by my love for cooking naturally.

Sacred Saturday

In the '90s, my cooking skills began to improve dramatically because of the pastor for our church. For him, Sunday was a workday. He felt it was important to be well rested for Sunday. To do this, he started preparing Saturday night.

Dale and Anne would seldom accept invitations to go out on Saturday nights. Instead, he would cook a nice meal for Anne. Enjoying a meal at home allowed them to enjoy time together and get to bed early. This became known in our household as Sacred Saturday night.

We did not have much money in the '90s, so going out on a dinner date was often difficult to justify. I liked the idea of “Sacred Saturday,” so I began planning and cooking a nice meal for Karen. 

We did not allow our kids to watch television during the week, so for them, Saturday night became the night they could eat their dinner in front of the TV watching "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman" or "Walker, Texas Ranger."

It was a treat for them and gave the Karen and I time to enjoy a nice dinner and glass (or 2?) of wine together. Dale (my pastor) and I would often compare the meals we made on Saturday night. At times, it turned into a (mostly) friendly competition. We occasionally had meals together as we both knew it would be an early evening.

For us, those Saturday nights became a touch point where we could catch up and carve out time for ourselves.

Fast forward to today, and Karen and I still make it a practice to carve out time for ourselves. These times most often revolve around a meal I have prepared.

Why I enjoy cooking

There are ar least five reasons why I enjoy cooking:

Cooking is Relaxing

Cooking is relaxing for me — at least most of the time! I travel a lot. Which means I eat out a lot. This means I often eat at some excellent restaurants in whatever city I am visiting. However, coming home, even after a long and exhausting trip, I look forward to being able to cook in my kitchen. This is something Karen just does not understand. “Are you not too tired?” is the question she will ask. My response almost always is, "No, I need to relax."

For a long time, I did not think I was a very creative person. I have come to realize that designing, planning, cooking, plating, and serving a desirable meal takes a lot of creativity.

There are times when cooking is stressful. The largest dinner party I hosted was for 21 people all sitting at a table in our dining room. Managing multiple courses for that many people was stressful!

Cooking is my creative outlet

Nashville is a very creative city. People appropriately associate Nashville with music. There are many talented musicians, songwriters, producers, and a whole host of others who make excellent music. Nashville is also home to many talented authors and writers.

It can be intimidating!

For a long time, I did not think I was a very creative person. I have come to realize that designing, planning, cooking, plating, and serving a desirable meal is a creative endeavor.

Cooking is a Science

I spend my work hours researching and talking about how technology can improve the insurance industry. Applying my interest in technology into my cooking is easy. I love to learn about and experiment with different cooking techniques. I will often cook a recipe just for myself to master a new type of cooking or technique.

Sous Vide is by far the best way to cook any cut of steak.

Here are a few examples:

Sous Vide Technique — Sous Vide Cooking is perhaps one of my favorite cooking techniques. Slow cooking under precisely controlled temperature conditions allows me to create an incredible range of food and textures. It is by far the best way to cook a steak. My first sous vide emersion heater was the Nomiku (originally a Kickstarter project).

Convection Steam Oven — we live in an 110-year-old house and recently remodeled our kitchen. Deciding what ovens to install was a major question. We were not able to change the size of the original kitchen, so space was certainly an issue. We settled on a Wolf Convection Steam Oven. Yes, my oven has a water reservoir that allows me to do full steam to full convection. There are many things it does well, but it excels at baking bread, pastries, and cakes.

Convection microwave oven — in a similar vein, we decided to install a GE Advantium Oven (microwave convection). This microwave/oven does an excellent job combining the speed of microwave cooking with the benefits of heat. 

The world’s best ice cream is made using liquid nitrogen.

Liquid Nitrogen — thanks to my son-in-law (who is a medical physicist and also likes to cook) I now know how to make the world’s best ice cream using liquid nitrogen. If you want to try using liquid nitrogen, be very careful, it is very cold (-321 F). 

Below is a short 34-second video showing what's it is like making ice cream with liquid nitrogen. 

Molecular gastronomy — I was given a molecular gastronomy kit and am excited about experimenting with this cooking technique. There is a lot of chemistry and technique involved. 

Cooking builds relationships

I do not believe there is any better way to get to know someone than sitting around a dinner table to share a good meal. Laughing, discussing current topics, and arguing a particular point of view helps everyone to get to know the heart and soul of a person much better. Think about the meals you have shared with other and the way it makes you feel.

Cooking builds intimacy

During the SCORRE training I took to improve my public speaking skills (highly recommended), one of the five-minute speeches I gave was “Every Guy Should Learn to Cook Three Menus.”

One of my points was that cooking leads to intimacy. I emphasize the point that I did not say cooking leads to sex. Preparing and sharing a meal at the table together is a sacred time. I learned that “Sacred Saturday” helped Karen, and I build a level of intimacy that we would not have otherwise.

Cooking is sacred

I am a person of faith. I believe there is great theology when people share a meal together. The Bible describes multiple times when Jesus invited people to a meal. There are many descriptions of banquets and feasts with the ultimate meal (at least for Christians) being the Last Supper. There is something sacred that happens around the table during a meal. 

Over the years, I have read and used lots of cooking magazines and websites as resources for recipes and cooking techniques. Here are my current favorite cooking resources:

• Cooks Illustrated: They test every recipe and tell you why it works.
• Fine Cooking: nice layout and photographs help understand what to do.
• Chef Steps: A new site that shows you how to do some new and interesting stuff. Great Sous Vide primer and course. 
• Serious Eats: Lots of recipe testing and detailed information on what works and why. 

Even though cooking is part of my “life outside of work,” the benefits inevitably help me with my job. I always keep a notepad (electronic, of course) close by when I am cooking. There is much thinking time available while cooking. One of the best ways to come up with creative ideas is to do something entirely different.

What does the “life” part of work-life balance look like for you? How do you unwind, reboot, and refocus? What are the creative outlets and passion projects that make you better at work?

_______________________________________________

Steve Anderson is a trusted authority on insurance technology. He is a prolific writer and frequent speaker known for his knack for translating “geek speak” into easily understood concepts. Check out his free weekly productivity newsletter “TechTips” and other resources on his website.