How to Cook

If you can learn how to cook, you can learn how to do anything. How do you learn? Just like anything else, by doing it over and over, all the time.

To cook you will need just a few things, but you will need all of them, all the time. You will never reach the end, you will always be learning more. Pace yourself, turn down the heat, embrace the process. Stock up your first aid kit. Use the best ingredients you can afford. If you are learning, use recipes, and read the directions; they were written by someone with much more experience than you. Unless you are a master like Mark Vetri you will not make the best pasta you ever had, keep your expectations just a little above your skills. Put on some music, sing and dance.

Use your head, and keep it. It is important to pay attention to what you are doing. Attention and intention will increase your ability to succeed. There will be decisions and judgments to make. There will be danger, knives can cut you, and fall on your foot. Fire and extreme heat are involved. Keep your knives sharp. Often you’ll face distractions and interruptions.  If you have used your head and prepared well, if you stay focused you are on the right track.

Use your hands. Things can get messy, especially your hands, but they will guide you. Touch is critical to every step. You need to know what things feel like and what you want them to feel like when you’re done with them. Your touch will inform you as you go. Never underestimate what your hands can accomplish, they are the faithful servants of your brain, all they need is practice.

Use your heart. Don’t do it if you’re going to resent it. Cooking should be joyful at best, and pleasant at worst, so you must bring your heart. If you hate it don’t do it. If you can’t bring at least some love to the task, get a rotisserie chicken and some pre-made salad, and enjoy your meal. If anyone judges you tell them they are welcome to cook, or clean, but it is more important for you to be happy than to cook with resentment or contempt. I release you!

Finally, you will need patience. No one is good at anything until they have done it again and again. You will need to be patient with yourself, you will need to make mistakes, and not get upset. You will need to start over, and over, and cut yourself, and have three eggs roll off the counter before you remember to lay them on a towel or put them in a bowl. Things will burn, pasta will be gummy, chicken skin may not be golden and crispy.

By the time you are comfortable with failures you will stop having them, though you will keep on learning. Perhaps you’ll find yourself teaching others, or offering advice. You will get really good at the things you like best, those things will seem effortless, they will make you happy. Make those things for your friends, even if those things are grilled cheese and potato salad. When you invite company over to eat what you have made, you have learned how to cook.