January 1, 2020

by Shelby Watson

Hi! Welcome to Trial and Eggs! I’m Shelby Watson, a native Atlantan, and home cook. I have always really enjoyed cooking as it is the number one thing that brings people together. Cooking is also my family’s love language, the way we spend time together, and stay in touch weekly (sharing recipes).

While cooking is something a lot of people enjoy, there are also a lot of people who do not enjoy cooking. AND I get not enjoying the practice of cooking or baking. It can be so deflating. You find a recipe you are really excited to try. It’s a beautiful image of a bear cake that Martha Stewart made, and you think, my boyfriend would love this for his birthday. You see a step by step guide in pictures, and see the recipe isn’t too complicated. You think, I can do this! And then you are at the end of the cake baking and icing and it looks NOTHING like Martha Stewart’s bear cake. Immediately you see yourself as a failure. This is actually one of my many #kitchenfail stories. Yet, I still love trying to make something new almost every day of the week. While cooking is something a lot of people enjoy, there are also a lot of people who do not enjoy cooking. AND I get not enjoying the practice of cooking or baking. It can be so deflating. You find a recipe you are really excited to try. It’s a beautiful image of a bear cake that Martha Stewart made, and you think, my boyfriend would love this for his birthday. You see a step by step guide in pictures, and see the recipe isn’t too complicated. You think, I can do this! And then you are at the end of the cake baking and icing and it looks NOTHING like Martha Stewart’s bear cake. Immediately you see yourself as a failure. This is actually one of my many #kitchenfail stories. Yet, I still love trying to make something new almost every day of the week.

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I hope this blog can be an honest representation of how failing in the kitchen is actually succeeding. If you are in the kitchen again the next day, trying something new, or the same recipe, it’s a success. You’ve probably learned what you did wrong, or what the recipe did wrong. Most recipes are designed for people who have been cooking for decades (a level between novice and expert). BUT most people are at the beginner stage. A recipe that says to use salt doesn’t clarify that almost all recipe creators/chefs are using a VERY specific salt and if you use any other brand of salt, your recipe is already going to be different. Failing is learning, and I hope my experience will inspire you to fail more in the kitchen.

Thank you for reading,

Shelby x