Evan Metcalf cooks during quarantine
Prep. Cook. Taste. Can you smell what Evan Metcalf is cooking? While under quarantine, Evan Metcalf, senior, has been working toward becoming a better chef.
“I make all of the above. I try to make at least one thing per day,” Metcalf said. Everything he has cooked or baked has been shared with his friends via an iMessage group chat.
“I decided “Hey, I wanna make some cookies” and then the results made me realize that I’m god awful at this, so I decided that maybe because I have so much time, I should try and learn to cook,” Metcalf said. Metcalf had little to no experience in cooking or baking prior to the school closure, but that didn’t stop him from trying something new.
“First I want to follow a recipe correctly so I actually get what I want. Second, I want to be able to put my own spin on it and make something original that’s still good,” Metcalf said. So far he has made a variety of dishes including protein pancakes, homemade donuts, an açaí bowl, cookies, and an omelette with unique ingredients.
“(For the omelette) I decided to put in some beef, I found some carrots, some kale, some collard greens, olive oil, some wine, a little bit of onion and garlic powder. I mixed it all together and poured it on the scrambled egg and it cooked pretty good,” Metcalf said. He used eggs he acquired from Brianna Harris, science teacher at NPHS, who owns chickens.
“I watched this video called 2 minute cookie vs 2 hour cookie vs 2 day cookie,” Metcalf said. The Tasty YouTube channel gave him inspiration for his latest baking endeavor, the two day brown butter cookie.
Through becoming a better cook, Metcalf intends to “learn some tips on how to make food better (and) be able to fix an issue if I run into it.” He also strives to make food for his family during this time to lighten the mood. “My goal is to make stuff that my mom can also eat. She can only eat certain things, so I try and meet her dietary restrictions” Metcalf said.
