Mashed Burgers GRRRRRR

I usually don't get bugged over t.v. commercials, but there is one that always gets to me. I don't know if any of you have seen it so I will briefly describe it. The commercial starts with this young man (about in his early twenties) talking about how his girlfriend's family are awed by his wonderful grilled hamburgers. Then he goes on tell the audience his "secret" to his grilling success. The secret ( get ready to gasp dear readers) is mixing the hamburger meat with Worcestershire Sauce. What? No gasps of shock. Well, I can't say I blame you all, but wait it gets worse. Anyways, the "great chef" continues to blather on about the sauce and THEN HE DOES SOMETHING SHOCKING! HE TAKES HIS SPATULA AND SMASHES THE BURGER. Yes, he smashes the patty thus letting out all the flavorful juices (natural and added) and makes his whole cooking job worthless.

I don't mean to sound high and mighty about this, but it really gets to me. I am a single guy that lives alone, so I take it up on myself to learn to cook. This is skill I want to get good at and not just for survival. I want to be able to cook for a gal that I hopefully will be able to spend the rest of my life with.

I am a constant viewer of cooking shows on Food Network, and I find their shows informative and entertaining (well if I like the host's/chef's personality that is). I really tend to pay attention if the host is a real chef (some hosts are not chefs) and one thing I learned is that you do not smash the patty. Am I guilty of this culinary mistake? Yes, but the thing that separates me from "golden boy" in the ad is that I make the mistake alone. While I am broadening my culinary horizons, I am also making sure I don't forget the basics. One day, I might make homemade potstickers ( well I will eventually) and another day I might make a batch of macaroni and cheese (from scratch I might add).

So, as you can see I take cooking seriously. I don't feel confident in the many things I do (like writing blogs), but I get a little satisfied feeling when I cooking something on my own and especially when it tastes great. Besides, if I mess up a meal well no one has to know and I can make my famous recipe of calling in for pizza. To sum things up here, I really don't care for the commercial that I previously mentioned. The "cook" in the ad seems to insult us that want to learn to cook by his infamous "patty smashing." Oh and another thing, the ads sports an indoor charcoal grill built into the counter top. What is that? I mean, I can't think of one person that I know that has one of those in their kitchen. I really hope that you find something you are interested in and get good at. We all need some kinda of hobby or skill that gives us pleasure, and do not let any annoying person tell you differently.