Three essentials are consciousness, cleanliness and timeliness:
CONSCIOUSNESS OF KRISHNA
A LOVING EXCHANGE
Cooking is a loving exchange with Krishna. We get to make something with our own hands to feed to the Lord, beg Him to eat it, and then accept whatever He gives to us in return as prasadam. Actually, our love is the most essential item. Prabhupada spoke in a lecture on 7/16/69 in LA:
"The Madana-mohana Deity—He was talking with Sanatana Gosvami. Sanatana Gosvami at that time had no temple; he was hanging his Deity on the tree. So Madana-mohana was talking with him: 'Sanatana, you are bringing all these dry chapatis. And it is stale, and you don’t give Me even little salt. How can I eat?'
"Sanatana Gosvami said, 'Sir, where shall I go? Whatever I get I offer You. You kindly accept. I cannot move; I am an old man.'
"You see. So Krishna had to eat that [chuckles]. Because the bhakta is offering, He cannot refuse. Ye mam bhaktya prayacchati: real thing is bhakti. What you can offer to Krishna? Everything belongs to Krishna. What you have got? What is your value? And what is the value of your things? It is nothing. Therefore real thing is bhaktya, real thing is your feeling. 'Krishna, kindly take it. I have no qualification. I am most rotten, fallen, but [begins to cry] I have brought this thing for you. Please take it.' This will be accepted. Don’t be puffed up. Always be careful. You are dealing with Krishna."
LITTLE THINGS COUNT
Cooking should be done, therefore, with as much care and attention as possible. For example, if a pot has a little spot on it from not having been cleaned properly, cleaning it before using it only takes a minute. For this reason and in case of other contamination in the meantime, it is also a good practice to rinse everything before using it. Also sifting through the bhoga like dahl and spices will ensure no foreign matter is mixed in. All the bhoga chosen for the offering should be as fresh and pure as possible.
Whether it's adding a pat of butter to Krishna's rice, creating simple garnishes, or perhaps sewing some soft comfortable asanas for the Lord and His associates to sit upon while eating, the little things done for creating a daily offering to Krishna will naturally increase as our consciousness and concern for Krishna does.
HEARING, CHANTING, REMEMBERING PASTIMES
It is said that a cook's "mood goes into the food". Praying and chanting mentally helps. Or keep a recording in the kitchen, playing devotional music and lectures.There are also inspiring pastimes to read and then remember that include expert devotional cooks like Mother Yasoda and Damayanti, the sister of Raghava Pandit (Adi Lila 10.20). Also a picture or two, kept in the kitchen, such as Krishna eating with His friends, stealing butter, the gopis churning butter, or Prabhupada cooking can all serve as further reminders to cook for Krishna's satisfaction.
CLEANLINESS
PERSONAL CLEANLINESS
It's best to take a bath, change into clean clothes and tie and cover one's hair before cooking. If you find it difficult to take a bath more than once a day, especially during the cold season, it's possible to train the body to pass number two first thing in the morning before the early morning bath. Then, for the rest of the day, simply washing your hands, mouth and feet after taking meals, and washing the same after passing urine and using a loda, along with a change of clothing before cooking again, are all that's needed. That way a full bath is not always necessary.
Another thing is while cooking, one must be careful not to engage in conversation. This is to ensure no saliva accidentally falls from one's mouth into a preparation. And it is much easier this way to focus on quality and meditate on making the offering pleasing for the Lord.
CLEANING WHILE COOKING
The kitchen should be clean before one cooks, while cooking and immediately after. A helpful rule is to "Clean while you cook". This may include rinsing after use everything that needs only rinsing, while leaving in the sink for washing afterwards (or as soon as possible) only the things that need to soak or are greasy.
BHOGA
All bhoga- such as unoffered fruits and vegetables and so on- should be rinsed well before using.
If bhoga falls on the floor, simply rinse it off, but if it touches someone’s feet it cannot be offered (It can be prepared separately and then included after the offering, however, so that nothing is wasted).
Prasadam must not be mixed with bhoga. In other words, the Lord doesn't like leftovers. This should include avoiding the deep frying of foods in ghee that contains remains from a previous offering. Straining it first is much better. For buttering chapatis, it is helpful to cut off from the stick enough butter to do the job. That way the remaining stick of butter isn't full of crumbs the next cooking session. If a little of the butter used is leftover afterwards, it can always be added to the rest of the offering such as in the rice or dahl.
A further consideration is to not keep any offered foods in the refrigerator, since they might come in contact with the unoffered foods. Ideally the refrigerator should contain only bhoga for Krishna to eat; all prasadam is distributed after an offering is finished, and if a guest drops by, it's preferable to cook them something fresh anyway. There are many simple snacks that do not take long to prepare.
Of course, in America, this may be a very hard standard to follow, especially with the cost of living the way it is and how busy life proceeds. Some compensate by keeping a small refrigerator especially to store prasadam in or else a reserved section in the refrigerator for leftovers only, but the higher standard is worth thinking about nonetheless. Also healthier, since according to Ayurveda, leftover foods become heavier and therefore harder to digest when reheated afterwards.
READING LABELS
Reading labels on pre-prepared and packaged foods is a good idea. Increasingly, there have been problems such as hidden meat or other contamination labeled under "natural flavorings" on food packages. Even better is to purchase only foods that are free from additives and preservatives. Also keep in mind that all factory made foods are inevitably contaminated with insect parts and other debri in various degrees. In other words, if you want purity, make preparations from scratch as far as possible and produce your own ingredients.
TIMELINESS
Timeliness is yet another sign of love. Preparing offerings on time, as regularly as possible, means caring about the Lord and others who may be hungry. Here are some things that help with this:
GETTING ORGANIZED
An organized kitchen saves much time. Keeping all the cooking pots and pans together is a good idea. All spices should be similarly gathered together, easy to locate and use. Bhoga can be kept neatly on designated shelves and in the refrigerator.
A WELL STOCKED KITCHEN OR USING WHAT'S AVAILABLE
Kitchen supplies and bhoga should be restocked regularly. It's helpful to keep a written bhoga checklist to quickly spot what is needed before a shopping trip. Even better is to know how to use whatever is available. The only vegetables that are left in the fridge are some chopped off stubs of kale? That will not be a problem for an experienced cook!
MEMORY
With experience, many dishes and variations can be cooked spontaneously with less dependence on written recipes. Meanwhile, memorizing frequently used recipes while keeping all other favorites handy for quick reference is helpful. Many keep a box in the kitchen with filed recipe cards just for this purpose.
COOKING ORDER
Timeliness also involves knowing in what order preps need cooking, so that everything can be served hot and or fresh in the end and within a reasonable time limit. For example, cooking the rice would be done a little bit early on, because it takes at least 20 minutes to cook, which is about how much time for an experienced, well prepared cook to make an entire meal, and then it'll be piping hot instead of sitting around while everything else is still being cooked.
KEEPING FOODS WARM
On the other hand, if something like rice is already made and serving the prasada has been somehow delayed, there are little tricks like keeping the rice pot inside another pot of simmering water to keep the rice warm without ending up with the rice drying out (as in a warm oven).
COOKING AHEAD
While looking inside the kitchen fridge and cupboards in the morning, it is helpful to think about the upcoming offerings for the day: "Does fresh yogurt need to be made? Are there nuts that need shelling or toasting?" Also to save time while making chapati dough, for example, it is a good idea to make enough for at least a couple offerings and then refrigerating it in the meantime. Similarly, all the spices needed for the day can be ground early on to have easily available and very fresh whenever they are needed. Vegetables for can be picked out and cut up, ready to go for each meal. Then again, in the evening, a similar but usually simpler check can be made for the following day such as "Does any dahl (such as chickpeas or pinto beans) need soaking? Did the yogurt get made?"
PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE
Like anything else, cooking becomes easier to do, more creative and satisfying with continual practice. Everyday is a chance to expand one's experience and ability. There are so many recipes available in cookbooks, the Internet and from friends, and there are seemingly endless variations that can come from all these. In this regard, it is nice to think about Srimati Radharani. It is said that she never cooks for Krishna the same thing twice. Praying to Her and the Lord's other cooking associates for inspiration is recommended.
Yes, we still have a material body that sometimes feels very tired, or the weather may be very hot, but it is helpful to remember that while others may simply drive to a fast food joint for lunch, Krishna is especially pleased by all the effort and sacrifice made instead, to prepare something nice for Him. Feeding His devotees afterwards can serve as a pretty good indicator about how much this is true. And sure, this may all sound troublesome to some, but it is always voluntary; it is the way of love.
CONSCIOUSNESS OF KRISHNA
A LOVING EXCHANGE
Cooking is a loving exchange with Krishna. We get to make something with our own hands to feed to the Lord, beg Him to eat it, and then accept whatever He gives to us in return as prasadam. Actually, our love is the most essential item. Prabhupada spoke in a lecture on 7/16/69 in LA:
"The Madana-mohana Deity—He was talking with Sanatana Gosvami. Sanatana Gosvami at that time had no temple; he was hanging his Deity on the tree. So Madana-mohana was talking with him: 'Sanatana, you are bringing all these dry chapatis. And it is stale, and you don’t give Me even little salt. How can I eat?'
"Sanatana Gosvami said, 'Sir, where shall I go? Whatever I get I offer You. You kindly accept. I cannot move; I am an old man.'
"You see. So Krishna had to eat that [chuckles]. Because the bhakta is offering, He cannot refuse. Ye mam bhaktya prayacchati: real thing is bhakti. What you can offer to Krishna? Everything belongs to Krishna. What you have got? What is your value? And what is the value of your things? It is nothing. Therefore real thing is bhaktya, real thing is your feeling. 'Krishna, kindly take it. I have no qualification. I am most rotten, fallen, but [begins to cry] I have brought this thing for you. Please take it.' This will be accepted. Don’t be puffed up. Always be careful. You are dealing with Krishna."
LITTLE THINGS COUNT
Cooking should be done, therefore, with as much care and attention as possible. For example, if a pot has a little spot on it from not having been cleaned properly, cleaning it before using it only takes a minute. For this reason and in case of other contamination in the meantime, it is also a good practice to rinse everything before using it. Also sifting through the bhoga like dahl and spices will ensure no foreign matter is mixed in. All the bhoga chosen for the offering should be as fresh and pure as possible.
Whether it's adding a pat of butter to Krishna's rice, creating simple garnishes, or perhaps sewing some soft comfortable asanas for the Lord and His associates to sit upon while eating, the little things done for creating a daily offering to Krishna will naturally increase as our consciousness and concern for Krishna does.
HEARING, CHANTING, REMEMBERING PASTIMES
It is said that a cook's "mood goes into the food". Praying and chanting mentally helps. Or keep a recording in the kitchen, playing devotional music and lectures.There are also inspiring pastimes to read and then remember that include expert devotional cooks like Mother Yasoda and Damayanti, the sister of Raghava Pandit (Adi Lila 10.20). Also a picture or two, kept in the kitchen, such as Krishna eating with His friends, stealing butter, the gopis churning butter, or Prabhupada cooking can all serve as further reminders to cook for Krishna's satisfaction.
CLEANLINESS
PERSONAL CLEANLINESS
It's best to take a bath, change into clean clothes and tie and cover one's hair before cooking. If you find it difficult to take a bath more than once a day, especially during the cold season, it's possible to train the body to pass number two first thing in the morning before the early morning bath. Then, for the rest of the day, simply washing your hands, mouth and feet after taking meals, and washing the same after passing urine and using a loda, along with a change of clothing before cooking again, are all that's needed. That way a full bath is not always necessary.
Another thing is while cooking, one must be careful not to engage in conversation. This is to ensure no saliva accidentally falls from one's mouth into a preparation. And it is much easier this way to focus on quality and meditate on making the offering pleasing for the Lord.
CLEANING WHILE COOKING
The kitchen should be clean before one cooks, while cooking and immediately after. A helpful rule is to "Clean while you cook". This may include rinsing after use everything that needs only rinsing, while leaving in the sink for washing afterwards (or as soon as possible) only the things that need to soak or are greasy.
BHOGA
All bhoga- such as unoffered fruits and vegetables and so on- should be rinsed well before using.
If bhoga falls on the floor, simply rinse it off, but if it touches someone’s feet it cannot be offered (It can be prepared separately and then included after the offering, however, so that nothing is wasted).
Prasadam must not be mixed with bhoga. In other words, the Lord doesn't like leftovers. This should include avoiding the deep frying of foods in ghee that contains remains from a previous offering. Straining it first is much better. For buttering chapatis, it is helpful to cut off from the stick enough butter to do the job. That way the remaining stick of butter isn't full of crumbs the next cooking session. If a little of the butter used is leftover afterwards, it can always be added to the rest of the offering such as in the rice or dahl.
A further consideration is to not keep any offered foods in the refrigerator, since they might come in contact with the unoffered foods. Ideally the refrigerator should contain only bhoga for Krishna to eat; all prasadam is distributed after an offering is finished, and if a guest drops by, it's preferable to cook them something fresh anyway. There are many simple snacks that do not take long to prepare.
Of course, in America, this may be a very hard standard to follow, especially with the cost of living the way it is and how busy life proceeds. Some compensate by keeping a small refrigerator especially to store prasadam in or else a reserved section in the refrigerator for leftovers only, but the higher standard is worth thinking about nonetheless. Also healthier, since according to Ayurveda, leftover foods become heavier and therefore harder to digest when reheated afterwards.
READING LABELS
Reading labels on pre-prepared and packaged foods is a good idea. Increasingly, there have been problems such as hidden meat or other contamination labeled under "natural flavorings" on food packages. Even better is to purchase only foods that are free from additives and preservatives. Also keep in mind that all factory made foods are inevitably contaminated with insect parts and other debri in various degrees. In other words, if you want purity, make preparations from scratch as far as possible and produce your own ingredients.
TIMELINESS
Timeliness is yet another sign of love. Preparing offerings on time, as regularly as possible, means caring about the Lord and others who may be hungry. Here are some things that help with this:
GETTING ORGANIZED
An organized kitchen saves much time. Keeping all the cooking pots and pans together is a good idea. All spices should be similarly gathered together, easy to locate and use. Bhoga can be kept neatly on designated shelves and in the refrigerator.
A WELL STOCKED KITCHEN OR USING WHAT'S AVAILABLE
Kitchen supplies and bhoga should be restocked regularly. It's helpful to keep a written bhoga checklist to quickly spot what is needed before a shopping trip. Even better is to know how to use whatever is available. The only vegetables that are left in the fridge are some chopped off stubs of kale? That will not be a problem for an experienced cook!
MEMORY
With experience, many dishes and variations can be cooked spontaneously with less dependence on written recipes. Meanwhile, memorizing frequently used recipes while keeping all other favorites handy for quick reference is helpful. Many keep a box in the kitchen with filed recipe cards just for this purpose.
COOKING ORDER
Timeliness also involves knowing in what order preps need cooking, so that everything can be served hot and or fresh in the end and within a reasonable time limit. For example, cooking the rice would be done a little bit early on, because it takes at least 20 minutes to cook, which is about how much time for an experienced, well prepared cook to make an entire meal, and then it'll be piping hot instead of sitting around while everything else is still being cooked.
KEEPING FOODS WARM
On the other hand, if something like rice is already made and serving the prasada has been somehow delayed, there are little tricks like keeping the rice pot inside another pot of simmering water to keep the rice warm without ending up with the rice drying out (as in a warm oven).
COOKING AHEAD
While looking inside the kitchen fridge and cupboards in the morning, it is helpful to think about the upcoming offerings for the day: "Does fresh yogurt need to be made? Are there nuts that need shelling or toasting?" Also to save time while making chapati dough, for example, it is a good idea to make enough for at least a couple offerings and then refrigerating it in the meantime. Similarly, all the spices needed for the day can be ground early on to have easily available and very fresh whenever they are needed. Vegetables for can be picked out and cut up, ready to go for each meal. Then again, in the evening, a similar but usually simpler check can be made for the following day such as "Does any dahl (such as chickpeas or pinto beans) need soaking? Did the yogurt get made?"
PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE
Like anything else, cooking becomes easier to do, more creative and satisfying with continual practice. Everyday is a chance to expand one's experience and ability. There are so many recipes available in cookbooks, the Internet and from friends, and there are seemingly endless variations that can come from all these. In this regard, it is nice to think about Srimati Radharani. It is said that she never cooks for Krishna the same thing twice. Praying to Her and the Lord's other cooking associates for inspiration is recommended.
Yes, we still have a material body that sometimes feels very tired, or the weather may be very hot, but it is helpful to remember that while others may simply drive to a fast food joint for lunch, Krishna is especially pleased by all the effort and sacrifice made instead, to prepare something nice for Him. Feeding His devotees afterwards can serve as a pretty good indicator about how much this is true. And sure, this may all sound troublesome to some, but it is always voluntary; it is the way of love.