Why I love cooking

Why I love cooking

Cooking has always interested me. For me it is an all engrossing activity that engages all of my senses and provides a great outlet for my creativity. I have always found that my mind is more settled when I am cooking. It relaxes me completely and allows me to simply enjoy something as mundane as kneading dough or stirring a pot. I particularly enjoy watching a dish with lots of complicated components come together and take shape.

Creating & Adapting

For me cooking is often about creating something new. Sometimes I find myself inspired by a recipe but when I try to recreate it, I will always put my own twist on it. However I find that more often I am inspired by dishes that I have seen or tasted rather than recipes. Then I will use these dishes as inspiration to create something of my own that is loosely based on the original dish.

Back to Basics

I also like to be self sufficient. Often I find myself thinking, ‘I could make that’ when eating something. This has led me to making my own bread, pasta, olives, with aspirations to try and make jam one day. I take a lot of pride in my cooking, and enjoy being able to create an entire meal from scratch. This is not to say that all of my attempts work. Often they flop, however this just sparks a fierce determination that eventually I will get it right.

 

Eating

Lastly the reason I love cooking, has a lot to do with the fact that I love eating! For me eating is part of cooking. Often I will taste something spectacular and try and ascertain how it was created. There is something special about seeing a dish and appreciating how much work has gone into creating it.

Engaging

Cooking is a way for me to create something that engages people completely. Food is something that touches all senses, whether it’s hearing the crack of a Crème Brule, smelling the tantalizing aroma’s from the kitchen, appreciating the beauty of a well presented dish or simply experiencing the layers of flavors and textures in a tiramisu. So for me food is something that we should take the time to enjoy and experience. For this reason I love cooking as it gives me a way to share a part of me with others.