Jessica Schein

Moving to Seattle meant the end of one of my favorite NYC perks—ordering in—a dinner option I’d relied on for most of my life. In my new city I faced either endless suppers of scrambled eggs or Dominoes—neither of which were all that appealing or healthy. So at the age of 30, in my new apartment, I decided to put the big kitchen I finally had to use.

Learning to cook hasn’t been easy. I assume it’s sort of like learning another language at an early age. You’re always going to have better grasp of the nuances of French if you started speaking it at 3 instead of 33. Therefore if food preparation was a big part of mealtimes when you were a kid, you’ll know what a tablespoon means, have different measuring cups for solid food and liquids, and understand that pasta goes into the pot after the water starts boiling.

One of my earliest cooking frustrations was that so many of the recipes I found, especially some of the supposed basic and healthier ones, assumed knowledge I just did not have. Seriously, what does “a dash” mean? It was all very overwhelming!

So to help others who are just beginning to get their bearings in the kitchen I’ve teamed up with my lovely friend—and amazing chef—Julie C. to bring you an every-other-week column called “Late to the Plate” on her delectable blog.

Happy cooking and eating!