I find it appalling that there are adults who are unable to prepare food for themselves.
I'm a college student. I cook every day by choice, not for financial reasons (though it is less expensive). For me, cooking has manifold appeal. Through cooking it is possible to:
* Cook meals that taste better than those that come from a restaurant or out of a box. This takes quality ingredients and some skill. Those just getting started with cooking may not make anything that rivals food from a fine restaurant, but with practice it's possible. I can adjust recipes to my own tastes, or invent my own recipes by combining ingredients in ways that I think will work well. Recipes are simply lists of instructions that consistently yield good food, and are not unlike programs. The ingredients are the parameters, and recipe steps are functions. Execute the program correctly, and quality food will be returned. Functions are modular, and learned techniques can be adapted to new foods. It's about "understanding" ingredients and styles of cooking. Think of a cookbook as lessons on culinary design patterns.
* Eat healty fare. By cooking, I can prepare meals with balanced levels of nutrients. For me, that means hitting the major food groups, with reduced levels of refined carbohydrates and salt. Unlike packaged food, what I cook for myself has low levels of preservatives, no synthetic flavors, and no artificial colorants. Once you start to cook for yourself, food from chain restaurants and prepackaged food begin to taste like cardboard. I also have anaphylactic allergy to certain foods, so for me it is also a way to ensure that meals are safe.
* Save time. Cooking can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few days, depending on the meal. I can prepare food in bulk, and either eat for the week or freeze food for the future. I regularly have homemade chicken stock on hand and frozen in the freezer. It has less salt and more flavor than store bought stock, and costs nearly nothing to produce.
* Relax and enjoy myself. I have other hobbies, but I cook for leisure. For me, spending an hour or two to prepare food is better sitting in front of a video game or television. I can move around a kitchen, experience a variety of smells, sights, and sounds--without leaving the house. It gives me great pleasure to cook with others, and to share good food with friends. Unlike alcohol or other staples of revelry, food is life-sustaining--we have to eat.
* Be a responsible consumer. Sustainability has become a buzzword these days, but cooking is one surefire way to reduce our environmental impact. Food I prepare myself does not depend on a factory system for production, packaging, or marketing. Where I live, in Rochester, NY, we are fortunate to have a fantastic farmer's market. I go to the market each Saturday and buy enough food for a week for less than the cost of a single meal at a mid-range independent restaurant. I don't usually go with specific recipes in mind. I typically buy vegetables that are in season, or those that look particularly fresh. I can talk to the men and women who grow the food. In an economy dominated by corporations, monetary voting is one of the most important actions we can take. I cast my ballot for local food. It supports the regional economy, and local food does not need to be trucked in. Local food it is allowed to truly ripen, and it does not lose nutrients on cross-country journeys.
* Experience aspects of other cultures. I have roommates of European, Hispanic, Russian, and Indian heritage, and we each approach food differently. The cabinets in my house are stocked with all kinds of spices, for different kinds of traditional meals. I've experienced new flavors, and truly learned which ones I enjoy. I've come to revelations that some recipes from my German grandmother may, just maybe, taste better with a little dhal or mole.
I consider myself fortunate to have parents who, while modest cooks, instilled in me the importance of knowing how to cook. Cooking is traditionally something passed down within families. By forgetting to cook, we lose that part of our heritage.
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Cooking is a perfect hacker activity, in my opinion. It is systematic, affords many of the same challenges as a chemical experiment, and has countless variations.
When I cook, I think about how salt, temperature, pressure, and humidity can each help me in the kitchen. Knowing about vapor pressure, osmotic balance, chemistry, and biology can only contribute toward good meals.
I enjoy knowing what happens when I deglaze a pan with wine, sear meat, use a pressure cooker, and I enjoy when I sneak a vacuum pump into the kitchen to help with marinades or sauce reduction.
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So you want to cook, you say? What gear do you need? I’m sure others here would be able to offer better advice, but I'd suggest a heavy sauce pan (I prefer cast iron or stainless steel, though I use a non-stick pan for omlets), an 8-10" chef knife (with something to sharpen it, like a sharpening steel or an upside-down ceramic coffee mug), a large stock pot (with cover), a large cutting board, wooden spatulas, a whisk, a roasting pan, mixing bowls, measuring spoons and cups (and/or a scale), tongs, and a strainer. There are countless other implements, but the aforementioned will get you 80% there. A thermometer can be handy if you're cautious or curious.
