Food is a famous subject. From cooking competitions on the Food Network to the tedious task of buying groceries, food is a necessary part of life. It’s a tool for survival and a way of living. However, the ability to cook is not a natural skill for all, instead it’s something that must be learned. For some people, like me, making food is an endless challenge. For others, cooking is an innate capability. Below are five reasons why cooking truly isn’t for everyone:
1. Directions lie.
A huge pet peeve regarding cooking is that the directions are ambiguous and can’t be trusted. Most meals have a list of instructions that will vary in interpretation based who you’re asking or where you’re accessing the information from. While these directions act as a great guideline, that’s the only potential they hold. Other factors in cooking are rarely mentioned in instructions, such as that a food item may appear the right color but may not have been cooked enough or that the times given don’t fully represent the actual time needed for a food item to be cooked. Additionally, the amount of certain ingredients is a mystery. While a recipe may call for a tablespoon of sugar, it may actually require more or less. This distrust negatively influences the entire cooking experience and can be avoided by simply never entering the kitchen other than to use the microwave.
2. Ingredients are not cheap.
While there are items you can buy in bulk that will be worth the cost, such as sugar and flour, other speciality ingredients cost more and may expire faster. Therefore, financially, making meals can be a risky expenditure that may result in disaster, from the distaste of the meal to the disturbing lack of funds you now have.
3. Patience is a virtue.
This old adage applies to all tasks that can be considered tedious. Cooking is one of the activities where you are required to be as virtuous as possible. Certain tasks needed to complete a meal, such as whisking ingredients, may take a little longer than you’d expect. Additionally, after all the menial tasks associated with forming the meal, cooking it in an oven or over a stove top may take another hour or so to perfect the taste and quality of the food. All these things warrant time, something that doesn’t exist for some college students.
4. Kitchen equipment…
Just as ingredients are expensive, so are cooking machinery and tools. Measuring cups, an oven and more are important components to the cooking experience. However, each item contains different functions that can either aid you or inhibit you. Some ovens, for example, will overheat and begin to smoke the second something is placed onto the tray. Blenders are also difficult, some older models unable to blend properly and others needing a secure lid fastening otherwise food will end up on every visible surface.
5. Murphy’s Law.
When cooking, the opportunities for danger and disaster are endless. Cooking blunders are easy to do and harder to live down. Overcooking is one of the more mild mistakes you can make, many a cookies have been lost to the war against my judgement and the oven. Burning through pots and pans and thus producing an inedible meal is worse, as you have not only wasted ingredients, but may need to purchase new cooking materials. Personally, countless miseries have occurred in my kitchenette, causing me to be banned from cooking for months at a time. The only consolation I have received is the knowledge that I’m not alone in this.
Everyone is capable of learning a skill. Some talents come naturally and others must be practiced. While cooking is essential for the future, it’s one of these areas that, for some, cannot be mastered. Perfection is an impossibility that most strive for, and while not cooking may appear to be detrimental, there are other imperative skills that you may be more apt at than others. The important thing to remember is anything can be achieved, even the ability to flawlessly microwave a meal, and that’s really what matters most.