Throwback Thursday: Recipe Use Suggestions

I was working on my 14th notebook when I wrote this article in May 2005. Since that time, my use of journals has risen sharply from one or two each year to four or five. No. 47 carried me through the end of summer camp season in August. Today, I'm 83 pages into journal no. 48. 

Chefs use cookbooks for a variety of reasons. Most of my professional acquaintances use cookbooks to garner fresh ideas for their kitchens. They don’t view the recipe as a hard-fast formula. Instead, chefs use them as a starting point for their next creation.

These recipes are written to my tastes. They're here to give you an idea of how I cook in camp. It's up to you to try the recipes and to adapt them to your likes and dislikes. There's plenty of room for change.

Use the recipes as a guide. Experiment and try different approaches. Alter a few ingredients if some are not to your liking. For example: I can’t stand celery. The stuff gags me. I can’t get past its stringiness and rough texture. But there are recipes that benefit from its nutty flavor. Unless I can strain it out of the dish out of the dish, I add whole stalks and fish them out later.

Here are a few tips to get you started:

• Before your camping trip, select several recipes and test them at home first. Unless you’re already an experienced camp cook, it’s wise to try each recipe in a familiar kitchen. Once you've figured out each recipe’s idiosyncrasies, you’ll be better equipped to prepare it in camp.
• Read each recipe twice. With a little practice, you’ll soon visualize the finished product in your mind. This is valuable to see if it’s the dish that you want. It’ll also aid in preparing your grub list and set the instructions in your mind so you don’t have to keep referring back to cookbook while you’re cooking.
• Gather all ingredients and cookware before starting. A bowl full of flour, salt and spices is useless when an empty can reminds you that you used the last of the baking powder last week. Sometimes, you can make a quick substitution. You can, for example, substitute baking soda with an acid for baking powder in most recipes. But you’re stuck if you discover that you didn't pack the baking soda.
• Take notes. I keep a camping journal. And since food has been my professional life, you might expect to find more notes about our camp meals than other topics. Even if you just use the journal to chronicle you cooking adventures, it’s a valuable tool. Use a journal to record: what works and what doesn't; what you liked and didn't like about a dish; ideas to improve a dish’s flavor; and creative menus for future meals. And, if you decide to write a cookbook, you’ll already have a notebook (I’m on number 14) bristling with recipes and stories of your culinary adventures.

The camp menu

I used a two-week cycle menu last summer at Oakland Feather River Camp. Even though I felt a one-week menu would've worked, the extra week doubled the meals for campers and staff. The added week was a selling point for the cooks and camp staff. It gave the cooks more variety to work with and helped alleviate staff menu burnout. (I often read that summer camp staff quickly tire of eating that same things week and week.)

By the time the camp hired me in early-April, my notebook was filled with ideas for the salad bar, vegetarian meals and the main menu. I quickly sketched the menu out after I arrived at camp in May. Once the cooks arrived (a week after my report date), I trained them how to execute each the menu item. Two weekend sessions in May gave the cooks the opportunity to present the full menu to camps of large numbers.

Menu rotation began in early June with staff training week. The second week was used for the first session of the summer, Adult Art Camp and the first of five week-long family camps. I revised the menu to include kid-approved favorites for Camp Kidd and Camp Sierra, held in late June. The two weeks rotated until the end of camp in mid-August.

This year I plan to begin staff training with the second menu week. Since many families come to the same session each year, flipping the menu will let them experience the other side of the menu when they come to camp.



An early menu draft for the 2014 summer season. I plan to recycle unpopular and high-cost menu items, find ways to add more interest to breakfast and rework some of the side dishes. Kid-friendly dishes will compliment meals, such as the fish dinner on Saturday, that weren't popular with children.

Notebook advise from Twitter today

During my lunch today I participated on a discussion about culinary degree programs on Twitter, co-hosted by @chef2chef and @nella22. After brief introductions (Twitter posts are limited to 140 characters), @chef2chef asked, "How many of you out there are considering a culinary program and which one?"

I'm not looking to enroll in culinary school this late in my career. I'd concider one if I could set the clock back a decade or two. When I was looking for work two years ago, I found many companies require a culinary degree. "All of my clients who pay high high salaries list culinary degrees a must have," added @RACulinaryJobs, a "chef, culinary and restaurant recruiter."

About 20 minutes into the chat, @chef2chef asked, "For those of you already culinary trained, what advise would you give to a culinary student in their first year?" Search out and accept every opportunity to learn you craft, replied @nella22. Her comment included cooking demonstrations and culinary tours.

I added my input: "Be ready to learn. Self study & constant reading have helped me grow beyond institutional food. Be curious & carry a notebook." @chef2chef echoed my advise to carry a notebook. "My friend studied journalism, and I caught to his notebook habits!" added @chef2chef.

I have advised my readers to keep a culinary notebook since beginning 'Round the Chuckbox in 2005. I find that the 200-page school composition notebook is best suited for use in kitchens, where spills stain and dirty hands leave grease spots. Save leather-bound books for other pursuits. (See an article titled "Recipe use suggestions" for my thoughts on notebooks.)

"Notepads are a must, love that advice!," said @nella22. "If you don't write it down or doodle it, it's gone!" "Exactly!" responded @chef2chef. "My notebooks were always roughed up from being carried everywhere!"