日報

It often happens that a dish I made on a whim turns out to be incredibly delicious.

Then, when I try to recreate it based on that memory, it often feels like the previous one was better.

In my experience, there's quite a difference in the quality of the food between the first and second times, and I believe the second time should be more delicious. The first time is always a first, so you stumble in various places and make it through trial and error, leading to many failures and points for reflection. In that respect, the second time is made with those lessons in mind, so the second time is bound to be more delicious.

However, when it comes to those times I was truly moved by the first attempt, I feel like the second attempt rarely surpasses it.

It might be a little different, but it's like when you come home tired and happen to watch a movie on TV, and it resonates with your current situation, making you cry with emotion. I think something like that, a confluence of coincidences that really struck me, happened with the first meal.

Similarly, I feel that a strong sense of emotion often arises when "something discovered by chance" like a meal eaten at a restaurant you stumbled upon while out, or a seasoning bought at a souvenir shop you randomly entered while traveling, combines with "your current circumstances."

"Discovered by chance" seems to be quite important. I want to make a dish the second time that surpasses the first!

I think I'm quite conscious of time.
When I was a salaryman, I'd play a game with myself:
"I bet I can finish this amount of work in X hours."
If I was spot on, I won; if I missed it, I lost.
If I was about to finish early, I sometimes felt tempted to slow down
to match my initial estimate, which I always told myself was bad.

I think I'm quite conscious of efficiency.
No matter what I'm doing,
before I start, I think about how to make it easier,
and how to finish it in a short amount of time.
Sometimes I'd get to a point where I'd think, "Who cares about quality if it means being efficient!"
so I always had to be careful not to let that happen.

When I'm cooking,
neither time nor efficiency ever go as planned.

I'll be making three dishes at once, so
I want to chop all the vegetables first, but then I think, "Where am I going to put all these chopped vegetables?"
or "Oh! I forgot to chop that one!"
Or a timer will mercilessly go off while I'm in the middle of chopping something,
and I'll overthink which task to do first,
and end up neglecting both.
Or I'll realize, "Ah, no mirin! What do I do? Can I substitute it with sugar and sake? Hmm."
Or the recipe screen on my phone will close,
and I want to open it, but my hands are covered in ground meat from mixing,
so I try to open my phone with my elbow and it falls over—darn it!

When I'm cooking, wrestling with all these things,
two hours can pass in a flash, and I make no progress on efficiency.
It rarely goes as I expect, but I find myself concentrating on cooking without even realizing it,
and that feeling of time flying by quickly is what I love about cooking.

Since we went by car for the outdoor shoot, I couldn't drink alcohol. That's why I looked for non-alcoholic sparkling wine.

I was surprised to find a non-alcoholic version of my favorite sparkling wine, and I realized then that non-alcoholic sparkling wine actually exists.

I figured other types of non-alcoholic drinks must exist too, so I did some research and it turns out there really is everything.

I know non-alcoholic plum wine and non-alcoholic cocktails are common in supermarkets, and I guess non-alcoholic shochu probably exists. There's non-alcoholic whisky and non-alcoholic highballs too. Non-alcoholic sake! What even is non-alcoholic sake?

As for non-alcoholic wine, surely that's just grape juice! But when I looked it up, non-alcoholic wine is made by suppressing or removing alcohol during the fermentation of grapes, whereas grape juice is just squeezed grapes. I really want to do a taste test of these.

It seems there's also non-alcoholic tequila. I'm not that familiar with tequila itself, so it gets a bit confusing at this point.

Wow, the efforts of alcohol manufacturers are amazing. The non-alcoholic sparkling wine I had this time was delicious, and I've become a bit interested in non-alcoholic beverages. But still, when it comes to alcohol, I prefer the alcoholic kind!

For a YouTube shoot, I tried filming on location for the first time.
I decided to try something different, so I ventured outside and cooked outdoors, and it was incredibly fun.

First, it felt amazing. Excuse me for stating the obvious, but I was so comfortable being blown by the refreshing autumn breeze that I felt like I could stay there forever. Early spring and early autumn are the best.

I cooked on a small table with a portable gas stove, sitting on a small chair. I've never cooked in such a low position before. The light was so dazzling that I couldn't see the flame at all, and when the wind blew, the flame would turn sideways and not hit the pot, making it hard to adjust the heat. This was a new experience for me, and it was challenging and so much fun.

And since I only brought salt, pepper, and olive oil, the limited range of seasonings actually worked out well. It's a secret that I forgot to bring soy sauce.

Cooking in a situation where the seasonings, cooking utensils, and environment are not ideal, and having to be resourceful, really gets your brain working at full capacity, and it can be tiring. But it was very fulfilling and enjoyable, and it looks like I'll be able to create a video with a different atmosphere than before.

My cameraman, Konegi, also seemed to have a tough time, but he seemed to enjoy the new angles and the green-filled atmosphere.

The location video will be released soon, so I hope you'll look forward to it.

Yesterday, at 8 PM on the 29th, the resale of OTTINETTI's 14cm mini saucepan and the new release of the 12cm model began simultaneously.

These popular items often sell out quickly, but I'd like to take this opportunity to convey the merits of OTTINETTI products. First, their appearance is truly adorable. "Love at first sight" is a phrase that perfectly describes OTTINETTI.

The power of the silver aluminum body with the gold brass handles is amazing. The ceramic pot's white is glossy, so the contrast between the rough exterior and the shiny interior is also wonderful.

The overall color palette is subdued, allowing the food inside to stand out. It looks great in both photos and videos, and as kikkake, we feel that encountering this cookware has broadened our culinary and photographic horizons.

Another appeal is that the ceramic pot and the pan are separate. When I first saw it, I just thought, "What an interesting pot." However, when I started using it, I found it to be more versatile than I expected. First, the pan alone can be used for direct heat cooking, so it functions as a small pot.

The ceramic pot can be used in the oven to make dishes like stewed hamburg steak and gratin. Putting these dishes in the pan adds an extra touch of cuteness, which is fantastic. It's also subtly pleasing that you only need to wash the ceramic pot after eating.

Its adorable appearance makes it function wonderfully as a serving dish. Not only cooked food, but also store-bought side dishes or sweets look great when served in it.

The 14cm size is perfect for sharing dishes like ajillo or tomato stew placed in the center of the table. However, what I really recommend is making gratin with the 12cm size. You might need a few, but serving individual portions at the table creates a lovely, chic restaurant-like atmosphere.

OTTINETTI's mini saucepan is a unique product that serves as both a cooking tool and a dish. I hope to continue using it, discovering various ways to incorporate it, and sharing those findings with you.

Neapolitan spaghetti.
It's like Japan's quintessential Western-style pasta, and if there were a competition for pasta that best suits chopsticks, I'd spontaneously nominate Neapolitan spaghetti or tarako pasta.

I hadn't made it all that often, but the Neapolitan spaghetti featured in the manga "Fermat's Cuisine" looked incredibly delicious. I was curious to see if there was a difference between making it using the exact recipe and process from the manga versus making it the usual way, so I made both and compared them.

Here are my thoughts after trying it:
"Neapolitan spaghetti is delicious!"
It's a simple pasta, just vegetables and sausage stir-fried with ketchup, but it was far tastier than I expected.

Since my cooking skills are nowhere near those of the manga's protagonist, there wasn't much difference between the two Neapolitan spaghettis I made. Both were equally good and perfectly delicious. That was the outcome.

The "Fermat's Cuisine" version involved some unconventional steps, which was fun to do. But even including the simply made Neapolitan spaghetti, my impression was, "The person who invented this dish is amazing!"

In my opinion, the beauty of Neapolitan spaghetti lies in "removing the core from the noodles." While I usually find pasta tastier with a slight bite, with Neapolitan spaghetti, it feels just right to cook it until the core is completely gone, almost to the point where you think you might have overcooked it a little.

Since it seems to be a pasta dish that developed uniquely in Japan, perhaps the texture when swallowing is important after all. I feel like it tastes better if you think of it as a dish somewhere between pasta and soba when you make it.

Wow, it's such a common dish, and with its strong image of being popular with kids, I hadn't eaten it recently, but Neapolitan spaghetti was great!

I love the pasta dish "Italian" at the famous Jimbocho cafe "Sabouru," which seems to be Neapolitan spaghetti without the ketchup, so maybe I'll try making that next time.