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The Octogenarian in the Kitchen
Notes from a do-it-yourselfer
Sheltering in place (a strange term — where else would you shelter?) has been a boon to me. Even before the pandemic made it toxic to share space with other humans, I liked staying home. I also like to cook and bake, a passion that pleases my wife. Since I retired, I had pretty much taken over the kitchen. I find cooking is like painting — you combine the right things to make something memorable.
I like to do things myself. When I tired of herbs and spices losing their color and flavor, I grew my own. Our toaster oven has a dehydrate cycle that we never used. Now it produces — among other things — paprika, Italian parsley, celery, cilantro flakes, garlic and onion powder for cooking, and ginger and turmeric powder for teas.
Most of my projects have two motivations: curiosity and economics. Can I make it better and can I make it cheaper? Retired life means more free time but also means less “disposable” income. When you are over 80, as I am, you have no disposable income — and everything is too expensive.
Take good dark chocolate. It’s ridiculously overpriced. So I make it from organic unrefined cacao and coconut oil, organic honey, pure natural vanilla and fine sea salt. I researched a dozen or so how-to recipes online and decided each had something good and…
