Cooking A Great Distraction

Well I'm back on track now. That pot roast was a great distraction though. And speaking of distractions, that is another of the great benefits of cooking for me. We all need regular distractions, things that distract our mind from the stress and strain of everyday living. It helps if you enjoy it too.

A good distraction helps your mind to rest, to take a break. Many times I find that issues or problems I've been trying to work through suddenly become clear or clearer after a good mental rest. Even though I wasn't thinking about it an inspiration, an analogy or illustration would come to me. Most of the time none of this happens but I do find my mind refreshed.

Take, for instance, yesterday and the challenge of cooking a pot roast for the first time. I was so absorbed in cooking when I came home for lunch, that the time passed without notice. Work is only 10 minutes away from my home and I made the trip back savoring the mental relief.

I had been working on my sermon for Sunday and was mentally strained. When I arrived back at my desk, I sat down and the words flowed. I'd needed that mental break more than I knew. It occurred to me that many times a recipe will say to let a piece of cooked beef rest for 10-20 minutes before slicing. This allows the muscle fibres that were tense to relax. As they do the juices reabsorb from the center and the heat from the edges cooks the center slightly. The meat is more tender and succulent because the juices and the flavor haven't been wasted. When you slice the beef all those wonderful juices and mouth watering flavor are released.

Resting the mind I think is a lot like this. It keeps the juices and flavor in, the thoughts and ideas are reabsorbed and not lost and allowed to cook a little more. Some of the tenseness begins to relax as the heat is removed. This allows for some juicy and flavorful ideas to be stored and released at the right time.