My experience as a self-taught chef has taught me that understanding the fundamentals of cooking, the why and not just the how, is crucial in learning how to become a better cook. My research has led me to techniques, habits, ingredients, concepts, and context (THICCs) being the foundations of any dish. Learning cooking through the THICC framework will enable you to invent your own dishes, creatively problem solve in the kitchen, and unleash your cooking potential.
The THICC Cooking Framework
Techniques are specific things you do to food. Some examples include placing food on the top rack of your oven under a high heat source to rapidly cook the food (broiling), and crushing garlic with the side of your knife to peel a garlic clove and make the garlic easier to mince. Sometimes you need tools to carry out techniques, those will be included in the technique.
Habits are also things you do, and serve to make you more effective as a cook. Some examples include washing your hands to practice food safety and hygiene, washing vegetables to rinse off any dirt or pesticides, and sharpening your knife to make your cuts easier and more precise.
Ingredients are the building blocks of your dishes. Each ingredient has unique properties; understanding those properties can help you make decisions about which techniques to apply to those ingredients to create delicious food.
Concepts are characteristics you can use to describe a dish. We can achieve balance, a tender texture, proper seasoning, and other concepts through applying techniques, habits, and our understanding of ingredients. Concepts can provide a framework to make decisions and achieve certain goals. For example, If you want your salmon to be moist and tender, you should understand the cooking temperatures of salmon1, texture/tenderness, and which techniques can help us achieve those goals.
Context provides framing and history behind dishes and deepens our understanding of our food. Our food is deeply intertwined in our stories as humans: “Phylogenetic analysis suggests that human ancestors may have invented cooking as far back as 1.8 million to 2.3 million years ago.” Understanding the context of food can enrich our cooking and eating experience, and our connection to food. There are no rules with food, but there is a lot to learn, so I try to listen and understand why and how a dish was created traditionally before I go off and experiment with my own ideas. Many moments where I ignored tradition resulted in a silly mistake I could have avoided by listening and understanding context.
When presenting the THICCs in a dish, I'll split them up into levels of detail, so people who are more advanced can gloss over concepts they already feel comfortable with and focus on deeper, more detailed THICCs, while beginners can focus on grasping the more basic THICCs. I'll also include an idea for an extension of the recipe, and for those who have their own ideas, please share them! This is a space to experiment without judgement.
Now, let’s apply those THICCs! I’d suggest starting with broiled salmon and asparagus. It’s simple, quick, and really, really good.