“You two need a cooking show,” is a common phrase Sarah Lenz and I hear when we lend helping hands in the kitchen before dinner parties or when we set out multiple dishes and slow cookers at potlucks.
While many would consider it extreme, food is our obsession. Both of us believe in the same food values. We roast batches of tomatoes on the weekends for eating and freezing, we cook together any chance we get between grading papers and student conferences, we call each other with restaurant reviews or for recipe advice, we journey to local farms for pawpaws, we share an intense love for kale, and we think Nigel Slater is the kettle’s whistle. If not for Sarah’s sweet tooth and my dairy cravings, we would have almost the exact same palate. Our friendship has blossomed and continues to grow because of our intense passion for food. It only makes sense that we should have a cooking show.
This summer an opportunity presented itself for us to co-host a cooking show, so we grabbed our aprons and began rolling film – right in my own kitchen.
“Spatula” offers two recipes for one ingredient. Sometimes Sarah and I have a playful competition between her more complex recipes and my unbelievably simple ones. Other times we demonstrate our mutual respect for a specific ingredient by sharing favorite recipes that include it. But always, we strive to show that home cooking is fun and doable for everyone from those intimidated by the kitchen to those who think of themselves as seasoned pros.
Personal essays, written by Sarah and I, as well as detailed recipes, accompany each episode of “Spatula.” Even though video is the preferred medium of the Internet, both of us enjoy toying around with words as much as we love geeking out in the kitchen. By blending multiple medias, we hope to showcase our admiration for each ingredient.
This coming Saturday, we’re honored to premiere our first episode dedicated to one of our all-time favorite comfort foods: the hamburger. Stop by “From Plate to Palate” at Connotation Press (connotationpress.com) to check how to grind your own beef and cook the juiciest burger ever. Then tune in the first of every month to catch a new episode of “Spatula:” One Ingredient, Two Ways.
Think differently? Give us your thoughts in the comments section below.
