With chicken, it’s better to be done than good

“Because I Said So” column for The Commercial Appeal

May 13, 2010

My cooking philosophy, and the title of my proposed cookbook, is “Burn Until Raw.”

When I was 13 years old, my aunt put a match to charcoal and taught me how to make the perfect barbecue chicken. For a while I cooked it pretty well, too, but it’s a skill I’ve lost over time. My chicken comes off the rack black and crispy as though pulled from deep inside the grill. When I cut into it, the kids are horrified by the sight. Poultry was never meant for medium rare.

In the time I’ve been a father, and the shorter time I’ve worked from home, I’ve become a pretty fair housewife. I get the kids up and dressed for school in the morning, do the bulk of the laundry and most of the dishes. I try to keep things tidy.

And, despite pleas for the opposite, I’ve been trying to cook more. Cook more, mind you, for one kid who eats nothing but cheese pizza and another who would eat his own weight in macaroni and cheese every night if allowed … (read more)