cook·tude

cook·tude (noun): A showy manner of cooking that expresses a (typically cocky) disposition or state of mind.

A frozen meal review published on the food industry website FoodProcessing.com noted:

"The package tears open to reveal five individual packages: chicken, sesame seeds, veggies, pasta and the sauce (which needed a scissors). . . . the consumer can add different packages at different times to better reflect the texture and flavors they want. The sesame seeds provide the garnish at the end, and sprinkling them on top provides an element of fun or 'cooktude' as well as a slight crunch."

Food writer Amanda Hesser critiqued celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse's cooktude in a 1998 New York Times article:

"'Bam,' he yells when he slams chilies into a sizzling pan. 'Bam,' he cries as he hurls herbs irreverently onto a slab of grilled steak. 'Bam,' he says when he has nothing else to say about a dish. He gives cooking an athletic quality, even if you wince every time you know a 'Bam' is coming. . . . But by bamming everything from crispy-fried redfish to beef tenderloin with chopped garlic and Essence [Lagasse's signature spice mix], he conveys a message that simple, well-prepared food is not good enough."

 
Posted by Josh Friedland on May 1, 2009 in Chefs, Dictionary of Modern Gastronomy, Technique | Link | | Print this page | Share This



 

Comments

May 3, 2009 9:29:54 AM
Posted By: Barry Popik

I'm not sold on "cooktude" just yet. The "-tude" suffix is ubiquitous; "cooktude" has just a few web hits.

Then again, Rachael Ray could be reading The Food Section and use "cooktude" tomorrow on her show, so you never know.

 

May 4, 2009 8:50:13 AM
Posted By: Josh

You're a stickler.

On the other hand, as you note, it could be the next "e.v.o.o." . . .

 

Apr 17, 2011 11:51:31 AM
Posted By: temporary internet miami

ha ha hilarious a COOK.TUDE awesome idea, I think is brilliant because is original, is like the Bam chef Emeril use

 

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