We can talk about nature and nurture for as long as we want to, and see whether one or the other is more important. Most people agree that nurture is more important and that inherent talents mean little if the person who has them is not aware of them or practices using them.
A talented person who works little will always be beat by a hard and smart working person who has no talent in whichever field.
What about cooking? Does cooking require talent or can one become a cook simply through trial and error? Like with most cases, talent helps, but it does not define a cook.
Following a Recipe – The Basic Principles of Cooking
Like most things in life, we need to start somewhere and learn in order to become better. Cooking is relatively simple. Most of your effort and time go into preparing the ingredients. Once they are done, it is time to arrange and place them in the right order. Well, there is no such thing as a single right order, but some work better than others.
With that in mind, stick to the recipes until you realize what you are doing and why every ingredient is added, and why some are not. After you make about two dozen meals, you can move to more complex meals, or start creating your own recipes. The easiest path forward is to modify already existing recipes.
Practice Makes Perfect
A talent for cooking is basically a talent for seeing what people enjoy and creating it. However, not all people like the same stuff, so a good cook will know when to change their meal to adapt it to other people’s tastes. A good cook will also know not to mind if their meals are not loved by everyone.
With enough practice, a beginner cook will become proficient in all areas of cooking, from choosing the right ingredients to preparing them, to actually making a great meal. Be careful of how you practice, though, because the things you do reinforce them, and they might not be the best things to reinforce. It is important to practice with experienced people around you, so as not to reinforce bad habits. This is true for any discipline, sports, art, cooking or IT.
Talent Might Help – Slightly
While talent does not really help in cooking if one doesn’t have the right practice and the right skills, it could help in the long run. Talent is something that can take a great cook and turn them into an amazing cook.
However, if unused, talent can make a lazy cook a lazy and talented cook, which is not that better.
Talents are great as long as they are being backed up by effort. Cooking is not different in this regard. Effort must be taken in order for a talent to be turned into greatness.
Learn to Learn – A Skill in Itself
The process of learning is a difficult process to master, or rather, one that many people look over. The very process of learning is about as important as the thing being learned. There is such a thing as better learning, faster learning and a more optimal approach.
Cooking can benefit from the learner knowing how to approach a new hobby or passion.
Cooking, like many other things in life, does not require talent, and even though it can help, hard work would help more.
