Those who know me best know that I love cooking. I cook multiple times a week for several reasons — including the financial benefits, the sense of control and the ability to avoid using dairy as an ingredient (as my body simply can’t handle it). But the main reason I cook is because I love it.
In fact, I remain mystified by cooking, even after all these years — although it hasn’t always been this way. In fact, the idea of preparing a meal initially terrified me. Cooking is equal parts art and science — and I’m equally bad at both. Add in a childhood fear of fire, and I kept my distance from the kitchen as much as I could.
However, once I started cooking, I discovered that it was much less complicated than I’d imagined it to be. Ultimately, you’ll find that cooking is dominated by three factors:
- Seasoning
- Heat
- Time
Mastering the intersections of those three elements is the key to successful cooking. If you mess up one of these elements, your dish will pay the price. Then again, if you take the time and attention to ensure they’re all properly accounted for, you’ll likely be happy with the results.
Of course, the right ingredients, cookware and appliances are also crucial — but those who don’t farm, hunt or fish for the food they eat (or forge their own cast-iron skillets) don’t have full control over this part of the process. It’s up to us to make sure we get fresh chicken breasts or an adequate fry pan, but it’s also up to the supermarket or home goods store to ensure the right items are in stock. And raw ingredients don’t become a delicious meal until we evoke the magic of cooking, which comes back to seasoning, heat and time.
Still, there’s more to cooking than just the main elements involved.
- Cooking is expression. Whether it’s a dish from a five-star restaurant or mama’s cookin’, you can bet that whoever prepared the meal put his or her own touches on it. This is where the art of cooking takes over. A cook can play around with the elements of seasoning, heat and time — while tinkering with the ingredients they use — to make a dish unique and memorable. Expression in cooking provides variety, making a meal both palatable and exciting.
- Cooking is adversity. You can’t be afraid to try new things in the kitchen, and you can’t be afraid to fail. Recently, I spent two hours trying a new recipe for the first time — and I failed miserably. My reward was an hour spent cleaning up the mess I caused in my kitchen, and then two days of eating the edible remnants of my culinary disaster for dinner. It sucks, but you own it, and you learn from it.
- Cooking is commitment. It doesn’t matter if you’re preparing a Thanksgiving feast or warming up a can of beans — cooking takes some degree of effort. Taking ownership of that responsibility meal after meal shows devotion and can help define character.
- Cooking is love. When you prepare a dish, you care about how it comes out. On some level, there’s empathy at play each time you turn the dial on the stove or preheat the oven. Whether you’re making dinner for others or simply preparing a meal to the standards of your taste buds, you’re passionately devoted to making your culinary creation worthwhile.
Success. Failure. Art. Science. Expression. Uniqueness. Excitement. Adversity. Responsibility. Character. Commitment. Devotion. Empathy. Love. Empathy. Passion. These are all concepts that are key in cooking, but they transcend our daily lives as well. With that in mind, one thing is clear.
Cooking is life. Go on and get the most out of it.