I am not a chef.

MANILA, Philippines - During the 80’s there was a cooking show on TV that showed a very wacky Chinese chef who was always smiling and starts his program every time with “Heeerooo”. The show’s title was “Wok with Yan”. I never knew the chef’s first name (I always believed that it was Yan) but what I remembered was the way I wanted to cook like him. It was always a delight to see him cook because it was not only entertaining but it also made you want to go try out every single dish yourself.

Today’s breed of cooking show icons is of a different mix. There’s the “Naked Chef” Jaime Oliver who doesn’t care about teaspoons and tablespoons. He lets go of the measurements and feel the flavor - a dash here and a pinch there. There’s Rachel Ray who’s the bubbliest cook I’ve seen on TV. She whips up meals fast without compromising on taste. Watching her work her magic in the kitchen, you’d want to sit beside her and make small talk while waiting for her to serve you a delicious meal. But…

It didn’t work for me when I tried “letting go” of measurements. It didn’t go well when I tried talking to my friends while cooking (more talk, less attention on ingredients is not good). I must admit that I’m a disaster in the kitchen and I know I’m not alone. Someone out there must be rushing a dessert she forgot to do. Someone must be panicking at a dish that’s not as creamy as it’s supposed to be. Some klutz out there must be trying to make a surprise pasta dinner for her boyfriend and doesn’t know where to start.

I’m not a chef but I love cooking. I love cooking creamy pesto pasta for my friends, I love making ref cakes for my family, and I love serving dark chocolate milkshakes topped with cream made from leftover ice cream. One ingredient that’s not to be out of stock in my kitchen is all-purpose cream. This is my secret ingredient when cooking. Everything just crumbles when there’s no cream in sight. It is not possible for a basil cream dip to be creamy without all-purpose cream. It’s horrific to cook Pomodoro pasta without it and you really can’t make milkshakes without the help of cream. That’s why I always have Alaska Crema all-purpose cream ready. Dishes are easier to cook and my choice of ingredients goes well with it.

I guess every chef has a secret ingredient. It comes with the flair they have when working in the kitchen. Me, I go crazy without Alaska Crema all-purpose cream. Period. If Rachel Ray is reading this, she can use my secret ingredient – no charge at all. And maybe we can cook together in her show for real this time.