The ‘Al Dente’ Philosophy — Why Everyone Should Cook

Fire! Knives! What’s not to love? Aside from the obvious necessity, cooking is hospitality, it’s providing for yourself and your significant others, and done properly it connects you more to the natural world, slows down the manic pace of life in a capitalist western culture.

So why do so many people not have a fucking clue how it works?

When I was at university, I lived with a fantastic half Japanese, half Welsh man named Yoshihiro (yep, you can bet he heard the whole ‘oh like the green dinosaur from Mario!’ joke plenty) who was by all accounts a real gent. He was strong, considerate, had a deep, sonorous voice and in keeping with the meaning of his name (Justice River, basically) he was a stand up guy.

So consider my chagrin when I walked from my room onto the landing overlooking our little kitchen and found Yoshi — far from his native Japan and their internet-connected ovens (that will read out recipes) — watching over a giant casserole dish filled to the brim with water, barely even simmering, and a single can of unopened soup floating in the middle of it all.

Of course my first instinct was to die laughing, but somehow restraining myself I gently guided him to a quicker soup-dinner, and took him under my wing from there. It’s an extreme example but it illustrates just how out of touch modern wo/man can be, surrounded by gadgets and technology, unable to move beyond the most basic sustenance.

It’s just not cool. It seems faintly ridiculous to spend all day in the office pursuing your professional ambitions or the gym pursuing your six-pack (a dogged, Sisyphean task) and then eating out every night or running home to a protein shake filled with whey that cost you as much as the gym membership. And though many people in our current gym-obsessive culture are thinking more about what they’re putting into their bodies, they’re still often in thrall to a fad diet (be it Paleo, no gluten, etc) and focusing purely on matching calories to an arbitrary plan and sucking all the creativity and joy from it.

Put it another way — there is food, and then there is cooking. One is something to be consumed as a means to an end (saving time, energy, swelling up your muscles with spongy liquid) whereas the other is a craft, a joy, and an essential part of becoming a well-rounded person.

So I’ve turned the essential first principle of cooking pasta into a philosophy and watch-phrase. Al dente literally means ‘to the tooth’ in Italian and describes the point at which pasta is perfectly cooked; not too soft, with a little firmness and bite to it. And that is what I consider cooking to be: not fancy recipes or fussy presentation; not expensive Whole Foods ingredients; but simple rules, simple finesse.

The benefits of this idea, and of learning however slowly to cook more/better, are myriad. It’s time spent enjoyably that you might otherwise have rushed through, you’ll feel more content and satisfied after a meal, if you plan properly for left-overs and tomorrow’s lunch it still works out as a time and money saver — and you’ll have more friends. Or at least your existing friends will like you more.

You can apply the concept of al dente to many walks of life actually, though first let’s confine it to the kitchen.

Pick a dish, be it a simple but hearty penne arrabbiata (the coarser the penne the better, with a spicy tomato, garlic and chilli sauce) or a vegan Thai green curry cooked entirely from scratch. Invest (very affordably if you shop around) in one decent knife, chopping board and multi-purpose pan (a low, broad saucepan or deep skillet/frying pan) and just practice. Have fun. Get a few friends over, ply them with wine so they can’t tell it’s your third recipe after shakes and peanut butter and banana on toast, and attend to the task. Consider as you do so that cooking means warmth and comfort, it mean survival, it means expanding your horizons and being cognisant of the world you’re living on and from.

And make sure to do it with a snazzy apron worn in an easy manner of nonchalance.

Outside of the kitchen, remember al dente can encompass a number of distinct philosophical ideas and essential life lessons. ‘To the tooth’ — you need to test things (get your teeth on it!) to know whether it’s ready. Balance in all things — not too hard, not too soft. Things take the time they take — once the pasta is on the boil, it will take as long as it needs to reach the perfect consistency and bite, you stirring it or meddling with the temperature is only going to throw off your sense of when it’s ready, potentially make you miss the mark.

Granted, some people’s natures will prevent them from truly loving to cook. However, life is such that for most of us, becoming more skilled in something we’re not that keen on doing is necessary. So whatever you’re doing in life, make sure you don’t rely too much on technology or other people — when it comes down to it, your teeth will need to be able to tell.