JOIN USSeveral youngsters are taking to cooking like never before. Be it as a passion or profession, they are experimenting with cooking and learning new techniques thanks to the number of videos and blogs on cooking; social networking sites and TV programmes like ‘MasterChef’.
Even though most youngsters start cooking as a hobby, they soon start experimenting. Priyank, a student, was pursuing Bachelors in Hospitality Management for one-and-a-half years. But as soon as he realised that culinary arts was his true calling, he decided to change his stream and started pursuing culinary arts to learn everything about food and get a practical feel of the kitchen.
One would believe that most youngsters are turning to the internet for recipes. But Priyank feels that online forums can never replace the culinary experience that the mothers and grandparents have.
“Reading recipes online is convenient but not the most authentic way to learn. For example, cooking an authentic biryani is always through ‘dum’. But if you go online, you can find easier ways of cooking a ‘biryani’.
Though these may be easier to learn, the original essence of cooking is lost.” He feels that the best way to learn cooking is by seeing someone cook and learning the basics online.
While many youngsters like to cook western cuisines, baking seems to have become the favourite passion of some! Namratha, a student of Christ University, is one such youngster whose passion for baking started at a young age.
“I learnt baking from my mother and later, I started experimenting with flavours
and techniques. With shows like ‘MasterChef’, most youngsters are encouraged to learn modern and western dishes.”
She also finds the various Youtube channels helpful as these videos not only give the detailed procedure of preparing a dish, but also suggest alternate ingredients for those that are not available in the Indian market.
Even Prathusha, another youngster, started baking at the age of 15 and takes cutomised orders of cakes and chocolates from her friends and family.
They also like to flaunt their skills on platforms like Instagam, Pinterest and Facebook. Chaitali, a young professional, says, “When I upload photographs of my food on Instagram, I get more followers, which motivates me to cook even more. People from varied backgrounds share their culinary experiences on social networking sites which introduces one to diverse cuisines.”
She prefers to watch online videos to learn western dishes like pasta but when it comes traditional Indian food, she likes to fall back on her mother’s recipes.
Those who live away from home also prefer to cook on their own rather than depending on outside food.
Sreedevi, a student, moved to Bengaluru from Kerala and started to cook as she was living by herself and also because the options were limited.
“Cooking is not as difficult as I had thought. Initially, I was a little apprehensive but for the last one year, I have been cooking and now, I enjoy it. I rely on YouTube videos and Google for all the recipes and even try and experiment whenever I can.”