The Joy of Cooking - Why We Love to Cook

The joy of cooking lies in every individual. It doesn’t matter if you love to cook or you love to eat, it is still considered one and the same with each playing a vital part in the Culinary Arts. In order for cooking to become enjoyable, someone has to love eating its finished results; otherwise what would be the purpose of cooking?

Since cooking is considered an art form this would mean that someone has to appreciate it. Whether you love to cook or love to eat, it can still be considered as a joy of cooking. Man either loves to cook or loves to eat, therefore it can be concluded that every man enjoys cooking.

When fire was discovered, the joy of cooking started to spark among the hearts of men. Many tried to experiment cooking different foods directly over the fire since pottery wasn’t available then. They either cooked the food directly over the fire or they wrapped and steamed them over embers.

If you think that was creative, just imagine how creative man got upon the arrival of pottery. The joy of cooking became even more sophisticated. Different pots were made to cater to different types of cooking. Man also discovered that food cooked in several different ways, tasted differently too.

The history of cooking can be traced back between the time humans discovered fire and the Neolithic period, otherwise known as the Stone Age. Before they learned to make fire, and use it to prepare food, they ate their food fresh. They also consumed fruits and vegetables, fish, and insects.

To date, there have been five identified forms of cooking, all established with the use of heat. The first form is cooking through the use of liquids. This includes poaching, stewing, and boiling. Another form is cooking with the use of fats and oil or more commonly called frying. Next is cooking through exposure to vapor such as braising and steaming. Last is cooking by exposing to dry heat such as roasting, broiling, and baking.

The Culinary Arts has identified two types of cooking and five forms of cooking food with the use of heat. All these were studied for the love of cooking and for the goal of improving and perfecting the art.

It is no wonder that many can’t resist food. Cooking is perhaps one of the oldest studied and perfected art form. The joy of cooking lies in every single person which can either be the love for cooking or the love of appreciating the result of cooking.