1. Humorously Uncooperative Southern Grandma Kitchen Slang
Strutting in the kitchen, Southern cooks have mastered the art of creating dishes like their grandmas did—instinctively flinging together ingredients with an innate understanding and skills that can't be taught from a cookbook. These culinary geniuses remember recipes by heart or through the occasionally confusing, passed-down recipe cards, imparting their wisdom through a one-of-a-kind language.
For these Southern cooks, teaching is more about letting your heart and soul lead the dance than meticulously measuring every ingredient. They believe that no cookbook can impart the secrets of adding the perfect amount of buttermilk or knowing when the fried chicken is done to a T like a seasoned grandmother.
Here are some amusing phrases you'll hear around a Southern kitchen:
Measuring with your Heart, not Teaspoons
Exact measurements are mere suggestions when they appear on those old-school recipes, often leaving newbies feeling a bit anxious. "Just keep adding more until it looks right" will be the battle cry of many a seasoned cook, carrying a sixth sense that seems to elude the rest of us.
The Art of Underseasoning vs. Overspicing
There's nothing worse than under-seasoned food in a Southern kitchen, and under no circumstances will grandma let her progeny dish out such a culinary faux pas. "It's not seasoned until you're sneezing!" she'll proclaim, ensuring that each dish will have a flavor explosion. On the other hand, some ingredients just can't seem to get enough seasoning—like a "dollop" of salt that's crucial for making the perfect biscuits or baked goods.
SMIDGE, dollop, and all things buttery
The reasoning behind adding more butter to a recipe might seem questionable to some, but not to Southern cooks — "You can always add a smidge more butter" is a golden rule. The question of the hour, however, is what exactly is a smidge? Similarly, the phrase "Don't get stingy with the oil," resonates with the belief that oil, butter, cheese, garlic, and more shouldn't be hoarded in minute quantities.
Brand Loyalty
Picking the right brand of ingredients is essential in Southern cooking. The thought of pulling out a measuring spoon to exact measurements of spices is preposterous and an unwanted distraction for our beloved grandmothers. They prefer to stick with what they know and trust, making their kitchens a treasure trove of timeless ingredients.
Knowing When It's Done
Countless recipe cards dole out the unhelpful tip of "bake until it's done" or "mix it until it looks right." What do "done" or "right" even mean, experts may ask? However, the well-seasoned cook will simply wink, knowing their kitchen sorcery and inimitable ability to create culinary magic, always resulting in a perfect dish.
From a Southern perspective, there's nothing quite like serving dishes with an ample amount of butter. Even if it seems like an unnecessary addition, that extra pat of butter is the cherry on top of a masterfully crafted dish.
The kitchen assistant, following Southern living recipes, might hear the instruction, "Just keep adding more until it looks right," which can be a confusing suggestion for novice cooks learning from the traditional, improvisational methods of their elders. In a Southern kitchen, the art of underseasoning is replaced with the intention to make food burst with flavor, and a sneeze-worthy seasoning is often high praise for a well-seasoned dish. The phrase, "You can always add a smidge more butter," is a common kitchen mantra, and the question of what exactly constitutes a "smidge" might leave outsiders guessing. Brand loyalty in Southern cooking runs deep, with cooks preferring to use the trusted brands that they've learned to rely on throughout their rich culinary journeys. Lastly, the well-honed skill of knowing when a dish is done is a secret art, passed down through the generations and resulting in the exquisite, perfectly crafted dishes that Southerners are renowned for.
