Confidence is a funny thing. A hairsbreadth too much and it tumbles into arrogance and posturing. A touch too little and it's impossible to reach for the magic. In the kitchen, as with most of life, confidence is a very helpful, and also potentially dangerous, ingredient.
When we're confident, we trust in our abilities and decisions. We don't hesitate, we act and, often, we act boldly. This can lead to some very delicious and interesting results. A dash of brandy in the soup, a nail-biting extra 10 seconds to sear the tuna, the pairing of sweet melon, chili and fish sauce for an impromptu appetizer are a few acts of culinary confidence I've been lucky to observe lately. It can be very energizing and inspiring and even beautiful to watch a confident cook at work.
I've also seen confidence ruin an entire meal. As mentioned, it just takes a little too much and suddenly we're choking on the cook's ego rather than being nourished by their generosity. The difference between the aforementioned boldness and this bravado is a subtle and difficult line to navigate (see photo above.) It takes a fair amount of mettle to be a brilliant cook (or anything for that matter) but it also takes a few drops of humility, too.
The problem with confidence is that it can fool us into forgetting to be teachable. By that I mean we lose the capacity to be open to possibilities beyond the reach of our own ideas. Confidence can diminish rather than stretch our abilities when we assume that we know it all, that we've got it figured out. And it can lead to some dangerous situations when it overrides commonsense.
But basically a dose of confidence is a good thing, especially when won the hard way: though lots and lots of experience and constant practice. Add in a little generosity and a fair amount of curiosity and you've on your way to becoming a great cook.
And what about the sassy Mr. Bourdain? He may wobble along the fine line between confident and cocky, but in the end I don't think I'd kick him out of my kitchen for making a few messes. Something tells me in his case it would be totally worth it.
Related: Weekend Meditation: Angry Kitchen
(Image: Anthony Bourdain)
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Dana, thanks for another very good Weekend Meditation piece. Confidence, well earned, is the way out of the cycle slavishly following instructions with rigid expectations - most of the surprises along this path are disappointments.
Well, Tony Bourdain, I don't know. He seems like a striver after cool to me, not actually cool. I like him because he seems like a sweet doofus (on his show, anyway, he may be very different in the kitchen).
Whenever I start to slide my way toward arrogance, I tend to make stupid little mistakes that put me back in my place. Not enough to ruin everything, but enough to make me remember who I am. It happens in the rest of my life as well as in the kitchen, but usually the kitchen mistakes are the most obvious to me. Thanks, Fate, for keeping my ego in check. :-)
LitNerd, that observation struck a chord with me. Confidence seems to me to be that graceful balance of ease and attention, of knowledge and curiosity, and nowhere in my life is that as apparent as in the kitchen.
When I slide from confidence to unearned arrogance in the kitchen, the results are immediately, devastatingly obvious: it's messy, unappetizing, and sometimes heralded by smoke, splatting, or scorching. It's blatant and humbling and almost always ultimately harmless. If only the signs of dangerous arrogance could be so unambiguous and so undamaging in other arenas!
As someone who strives after that ever-elusive standard of perfection, (in spite of the fact that in cooking, perfection doesn't really exist), I can truly appreciate this article. Confidence in the kitchen doesn't come from knowing everything - it comes from doing your best with what you know. I'll try to remember those words the next time I throw a fit over another less-than-perfect meal.
I know this isn't the point, but that picture is hot!
@chillrepute, I agree completely.
Also, nice piece, Dana. I've been working on cooking things that scare me lately (so far: mussels and souffle) but I've also been observing my partner's adventures in the kitchen, most of which involve candy and/or pastry. It's been fun for me to watch him learn and gain confidence, too.
I've always kind of thought confidence paired with the ability to laugh at yourself is what keeps you in check. I think that's what Bourdain has. In can really help save you in those humbling situations where maybe a take out menu needs to be pulled out.
@Elsa: I'm glad I'm not the only one who does that. :-)
A successful person is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at him or her. I think Bourdain is confident and edgy, he has earned his confidence.
I have been reading the kitchn for months, but have been too caught up in life to actually comment. However, this post (along with most of the weekend meditations) struck a true chord with me.
I have been rapidly gaining confidence in my kitchen, and have been enjoying the deliciousness that I can create in spite of limitations (teeny kitchen, even teenier budget, limited utensils, etc). But tonight I cried over butternut squash gone awry. Actually cried.
Overconfidence, as mentioned, can be a limitation in itself. However, instead of throwing my poor half-roasted/half-burnt squash in the trash and calling it a night, I took a step back, recalculated, and then created one of the most amazing soups I have ever tasted.
Thank you for the reminder that in life, and in cooking, it is crucial to maintain balance and always be open to the opportunity for learning!
Nice one. Overconfidence can lead you to bite off more than you can chew. Top Chef provides wonderful examples of confidence gone awry. I agree with the posters who say that confidence should be balanced with humility. If you find yourself being overly confident, think about what could go wrong and what the repercussions would be. The one thing that I've picked up on from Bourdain's shows is that the very nature of the show keeps his bad boy image very balanced. He knows the humbling powers of culture and food and finds himself in the midst of them in most episodes. I remember one episode where he cooked an entire meal for the staff and guests and he had the gumption of a line cook who felt like his ass was on the line.
Another fantastic 'Weekend Meditation'. I love the line; 'The problem with confidence is that it can fool us into forgetting to be teachable.'
As true in the rest of life as it is in the kitchen!
I will always remember a cocky chef interviewing for the Sous position at a 5-star hotel I was working for at the time. After a respectful reminder from one of the pastry cooks about the difference between baking powder and baking soda, he responded curtly, 'I am a real chef, I know how to bake!'
I have to say that watching his cakes practically explode in the oven taught me this lesson forever!! Hopefully he learned as much as I did from that experience.
Thanks again for the great meditations!!
Confidence in cooking (and love) is a wonderful thing. As long as one backs it up with actual great results, then you can get away with it. Also, never tell your diners you made a mistake, they may never know if you keep quiet.
I love Anthony Bourdain (especially his show), but if you read some of his more recent books (as opposed to Kitchen Confidential), he humbly acknowledges his complete and total arrogance as a younger man.
That being said, my overconfidence usually leads me to do two things 1) forget to carefully read my recipe and forget an ingredient and/or 2) not taste what I'm seasoning. I did both last week in two separate dinners. Cornbread without the heavy cream turned out okay, but not stellar. Soup was oversalted and I had to add water. And then it was watery. Lol. But at least it tasted okay!
I've noticed that, almost more than confidence, being self-aware is an invaluable tool, in the kitchen, as in life. Having a decent knowledge of both your strengths and your shortcomings allows you to exploit the positives and ask for help to overcome and learn from the negatives.