THE DRY SIDE OF Cooking

Somehow in the midst of all contemporary developments in the artistic side of the world cooking forged its way into the elite class of fine arts -- culinary arts, as it is called.

This particular phenomenon stemmed from the volcanic passion people possess to create edibles in glorious, creative ways.

Similar to any other genre of expressions, there are many intricacies involved in the form of culinary arts; the multitudes of dishes that can be whipped up, the endless ingredients that can be put in, the numerous appliances and settings that can be used to produce a fantastic dish. With there being so many facets to this art-form we shall only take on the prerogative to discuss one of them -- a dry kitchen.

So what is a dry kitchen, you would ask? A dry kitchen, as opposed to a wet kitchen, is where you carry out activities of boiling, steaming and baking food items. Usually, activities which do not produce much oil or spice vapor are all conducted here.

Dry kitchen being a relatively new concept here, a lot of you may not be in on the new trend of having it. It is by no means a necessity but when you feel the amount of deep rooted zeal for baking as our recipe columnist, Samina Quasem does, and share a partial dislike for the messiness and strong scent of Bengali cooking, this would be the easiest route taken.

Sam Q herself admits that even today, after so many years of baking, when she discovers a new and intriguing recipe, she gets all tingly inside to try it out. The Herculean effort she puts into making each dish into perfection is staggering to us at times, a fact that can be deduced from the presence of both an extensively elaborate and pleasantly cosy dry and wet kitchen at her home.

As per the lady herself, “Getting a dry kitchen is not that much of an earth shattering task as it might seem. An oven is probably the only big investment apart from the mixing bowls, measuring cups, can opener, mixing spoons, hot pads and an electronic whisk coupled with probably a chopper, cutting board and a small food processor if you're into minced beef or chicken pies.”

Kitchens are almost as personalised as your wardrobes. Each person has different tastes, priorities and requirements. It is always best to assess the kind of cooking you are going to be doing to aptly decorate the place.

“My dry kitchen is somewhere I like to spend a lot of my time, to sit and at times read with a hot cup of coffee. It is my place to unwind. I like to bake whenever I am happy or in high spirits” adds Quasem.

So she goes into the kitchen, whipping up cupcakes, a place which is like her very own sunshine corner.

Photo: Sazzad Ibne Sayed
Special thanks to Samina Quasem