Embrace the chaos: How a new cooking trend is reshaping kitchens

What is chaos cooking all about? It's a culinary concept that combines 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, little is planned or defined by recipes. In other words, open the fridge, take whatever you have on hand, and cook as your imagination guides you.

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

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

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

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

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

A definite advantage of cooking in “chaos” mode is a practical approach to using ingredients in the spirit of a “low-waste” philosophy. The dish is made using available products on hand and not dictated by a recipe's shopping list when the pantry is still full.

Another benefit of chaos cooking is skill development. Rediscovering ingredients and flavours allows you to learn more about cooking than traditional recipe-following. Allow yourself to try and experiment.

It's also a fun way to integrate socially. Imagine that chaos cooking ensures every dinner with friends is different, and everyone has a great time.

How do we present "chaos cooking" with examples when we forgo planning? It's worth starting by breaking the house of traditional recipes.

Burger

Instead of a bun, use a sweet croissant you happen to have. Add sriracha sauce to the nearly finished ketchup. Perhaps 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 you add a pinch of garam masala or curry powder to the cooking tomatoes? It will alter the sauce's flavour without overpowering it. If you like fresh coriander, add 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.