Stop and Taste the Batter

It's a rite of passage, an honor and privilege, a gift from baker to protégé. During my childhood, when the revving of the mixer engine filled the house, it always produced the same words.

“Mom, can I lick the beaters, please?” 

These sweet moments, filled with brownie and cake batter, are baked into my memory. Yes, I am aware of the risks of consuming raw eggs, but decades of batter tasting have yet to turn on me. Sometimes - just sometimes - I like to live on the wild side.

With three girls in the house and only two beaters, the spatula or mixing bowl was often thrown into the mix. But we always got to enjoy whatever Mom was about to place in the oven. 

Nowadays, most mixers only have one beater, a paddle attachment. And it is definitely a coveted item in my house. 

So, while it brings me joy to now hear those words being asked of me when the mixing sounds reach the ears of my kids, sadly I often find myself rushing to rinse and clean everything. With the urgency to move on to the next item on the list, am I depriving my children of those kitchen memories, those special moments of togetherness?

What else is getting lost in the mixture of too many ingredients and fast-paced spinning as we whisk through our day? 

Perhaps we should be taking our cues from a different kitchen appliance. The oven, with its slow steady baking, may be on to something.

Well, either way, I know it’s important that every once in a while we slow down and leave the faucet turned off. Because while the oven works its magic, magic is taking place at the counter as well. Sometimes we need to stop and taste the batter so we don’t miss it.

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