I cannot cook without putting on an apron first. It is almost like my hands don’t work unless I do. I don’t understand how someone can cook a whole meal just wearing their regular clothes without protection. My apron has the same effect on me as my glasses, it helps me to focus and get the job done and get it done in a more professional fashion. I am messier without an apron.
But there are many aprons out there and I am very particular. When I need to look skinny on tv (yes tv really does add 10 pounds to you) I wear aprons from a company called “Crooked Brook.” They are tailored specifically to me and supposedly are “slimming.” I love those aprons and the cleverly designed chef jackets Crooked Brook makes for me. But at home, I just want a big apron that covers everything and wraps around the back. You never know when you are going to be impulsive and just pat those flour coated hands on the sides/back of your apron, leaving two floured hand prints. If there is no back of your apron, those prints will be on the back of your pants.
A company called Bragard makes my favorite aprons for cooking at home. They are navy blue, rather long and cover everything. The navy blue color does not reflect all the food that gets on your apron the way white does so they look clean much longer. They are the kind of aprons apprentices wear in fine restaurant kitchens in France. Julia Child used to love those aprons too. I think that is how I first became acquainted with them. I did not actually have them at home for the longest time but when Gourmet shut down last October my chef de cuisine, Jenn, suggested I ask my boss if I could take the two we kept in the Gourmet dining room kitchen. I did and they are now in my pantry closet. Not only do they inspire me to cook better, they also are a nice reminder of my happy times in the Gourmet kitchen.
