Chaos cooking: A culinary revolution or a fleeting fad?

What is chaos cooking all about? It's a culinary concept that blends different cuisines, cooking techniques, and ingredients in unconventional ways, creating new and surprising dishes. Mixing unexpected flavours, forms, and ingredients is also a hallmark of fusion cuisine. However, with chaos cooking, there is little that is planned or defined by recipes. In other words: open the fridge, take whatever you have on hand, and let your imagination guide you as you cook.

Chaos cooking aims for taste discoveries, surprises, and the joy of creating. However, it is governed by certain rules worth following in the kitchen to ensure the culinary experiment leads to a discovery, not a failure.

Base the dish on a proven foundation, starting with something we've made many times in various ways, like pasta, rice, or a favourite type of meat.

Ensure a variety of textures, a balance of flavours, and nutritious ingredients. Drizzle dry meat with an interesting sauce, enrich soft vegetables with crunchy toast, and decorate cream soup with celery stalks. Make sure to include protein, healthy fats, and fresh vitamins.

Add something to break the routine. Change a familiar flavour with an unexpected spice, use a sauce that seemingly doesn't fit, and play with combinations and cultural encounters that are normally unlikely.

Experiment wisely. Don't mix everything at once; avoid adding all ingredients simultaneously. Taste the dish as you go because even chaos is worth keeping under a bit of control.

A definite advantage of cooking in "chaos" mode is the practical approach to ingredients, using them as you go, in the spirit of a "low-waste" philosophy. The dish is made using available products on hand, rather than being dictated by a recipe's shopping list when the pantry is still full.

An advantage of chaos cooking is skill development. When we rediscover ingredients and flavours, we learn more about cooking than through traditional recipe-following. Allow yourself to try and experiment.

It's also a great idea for social integration. Imagine that thanks to chaos cooking, every dinner with friends tastes different, and everyone has a good time.

How do we present "chaos cooking" with examples when we forgo planning? It's worth starting by breaking down the most popular recipes.

Burger

Instead of a bun, place the patties in a sweet croissant because we happen to have a few. Add sriracha sauce to the ketchup that's almost finished. Maybe add a smoked sprat? Fish are, after all, a source of valuable omega-3 fatty acids. It may seem like fast food, but you'll immediately notice the difference, and your heart will thank you for the support.

Spaghetti Bolognese

What if we add a pinch of garam masala or curry powder to the cooking tomatoes? It will modify the sauce's flavour without overpowering it. If you like fresh cilantro, throw in a few sprigs at the end instead of basil. Can Bolognese become a variation on pineapple pizza? Let's find out by adding some chopped fruit.

Risotto à la chaos

We find yesterday's cooked rise in the fridge. We reach into the cupboard, and there are raisins, sunflower seeds, and a handful of nuts. Sauté the mushrooms, add the chopped meatball, sprinkle with chives, nuts, seeds, and raisins. Sauté with the rice and pour in some broth frozen for a rainy day. Allow the rice to absorb the liquid, season with salt and pepper, and it's ready.