In this issue

February is associated with love and passion the world over. While this month has turned into more of a commercial (money-making) season yet again, it never hurts to rise to the occasion and show people we love how special they are to us. Valentine’s Day is oftentimes linked to the passionate, fiery, steamy kind of love. Even in our previous February issues, our theme revolved around heat, spice and even foods with supposed aphrodisiac properties. This year, we’ve decided to look at the gentler, more subtle side of things.

Our theme for this month is “gentle heat”, both in the cooking and in the flavoring of food. Instead of the searing heat of say, grilling, frying and broiling, we look at cooking at a much lower temperature. The same goes for heat in the flavor sense of the word. Instead of hot, burning spices that attack the palate, we look at ingredients that bring warmth and subtle spice, like ginger. If the kitchen can be a playground, we’ve definitely played around with food this month and the results have been terrific. I can’t wait for you to try the recipes the Cook team has created for you in this issue.

On a personal note, I am in a celebratory mode because this month, I am getting married! At 40 years old, I am finally getting hitched. To friends and family who have known me all my life, they’d know that this is a monumental leap for someone who values his independence and enjoys the perks of “single blessedness”. But finding the right girl, the perfect girl for me, completely turned things upside down and inside out. Luckily, she’s a fellow chef and I’m marrying into their big foodie family so there’s no adjustments needed there. And since my soon-to-be in-laws are into cooking and baking, I am looking forward to learning from them as the months and years go by. In return you, our dear readers can expect even more from me and us at Cook – more of the easy, practical recipes you’ve come to love that are all kitchen-tested and guaranteed to please.

COOK MAGAZINE Magazine Description:

Being the oldest monthly culinary magazine in the Philippines, Cook Magazine continues to evolve and adapt to the interests and demands of our readers and supporters. We at Cook Magazine pride ourselves with providing our readers and advertisers practical, kitchen-tested recipes from our country’s top chefs and food experts, local and international dining destinations and food-related features and event partnerships. We look forward to leading the way in sharing our love of food for years to come.