Celebrate Your Inner Chef!

Have you met your inner chef? Are you ready to celebrate that chef? The first step toward celebrating your inner chef is identifying your cooking style. After all, when you know what makes you happy in the kitchen, cooking will become much more fun. So what are you waiting for? Take this quick quiz today!What is your favorite part of your kitchen?

1. I couldn’t possibly pick a favorite! I love every part of my kitchen.
2. I like the space that’s closest to the dining area, so that I can hear the music and conversation from guests.
3. The decor. I love the paint color and art that I’ve added to the space.
4. The fruit bowl and any other spaces that collect and display fresh foods.
5. My gadget drawer. I’ve got some fun cooking tools to play with.
6. The clear, clean countertops.

What makes cooking fun for you?

1. The challenge of exploring a new technique or ingredient.
2. I enjoy singing and dancing while I cook.
3. I love the look of the finished dish, all laid out and ready to go.
4. I get a kick out of interesting, fresh, and local ingredients.
5. I love using fun new tools to get the job done.
6. I like it when I can throw all the ingredients in a pot and call it dinner.

How do you approach a new recipe?

1. With gusto!
2. I try to match the type of food and the the region the flavors are from with some of my favorite music. That way, I can really set the stage for fun in the kitchen.
3. I look carefully at how the recipe treats the ingredients and how that will impact the final presentation of the dish.
4. I generally grab what I want from the farmer’s market or CSA box, then look for a recipe that uses it all.
5. If I’ve just gotten a new kitchen tool, like a potato ricer or CrockPot, I scour the internet for recipes that will put it to use.
6. I look at how many steps there are and how much ingredient preparation is required. If it’s too involved, I skip it.

Aside from time and money, what prevents you from cooking?

1. Lack of challenge.
2. Lack of inspiration.
3. I don’t like making dishes that turn out looking blah.
4. Lack of fresh ingredients.
5. Boring preparation.
6. An overcomplicated recipe.

If you could splurge on one item in your kitchen, what would it be?

1. A sharp knife.
2. An iPod dock with speakers.
3. A colorful serving bowl.
4. Fresh herbs.
5. A garlic press.
6. A personal chef.

Answer KeyNow let’s figure out what cooking style most closely matches your cooking experience. Tally up the number of times you chose each number.If you got...

• Mostly 1s: You’re a Master Chef
• Mostly 2s: You’re a Musician
• Mostly 3s: You’re an Artist
• Mostly 4s: You’re a Gardener
• Mostly 5s: You’re an Engineer
• Mostly 6s: You’re a Minimalist

Remember, this is just an entertaining quiz to help you find a fun way into your kitchen. If you scored right on the edge of two categories, just try a few strategies from each and see what works best for you!There's a lot more that you can do to celebrate your inner chef. This was just the first step! To keep that celebration going, check out our Celebrate Your Inner Chef Workshop. The program includes a PowerPoint show, tons of helpful handouts, and a guide to making your kitchen welcoming for any chef. The workshop is full of creative things that you can do to make cooking easy, healthful, and fun!