10 Powerful Reasons Why Everyone Should Learn to Cook

Posted on Feb 6th, 2026

by Monisha

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‘ONE OF THE MAJOR LIFE SKILL REQUIRED FOR SURVIVAL IS COOKING’

Is there a way to replace cooking for a person in such a way that they can eat healthy, eat homemade, eat it quick, and eat it self-cooked? These days hiring a cook has become like visiting the grocery market every now and then. They are inconsistent; they cook out of a bad mood, bringing all of their world problems into our kitchen, which will eventually reflect in the food they prepare. Food preparation, buying groceries and vegetables, and preparing them to be tasty and healthy are very tedious necessities for human survival. People with different cultures spend varying amounts of time depending upon the preparation and availability of materials. As a result, cooking is not merely a survival job but a way of approach that you gift yourself.

“COOK WELL
EAT WELL
REST WELL.”

Busy people’s lives are even more stressful without someone helping them to cover up cooking. Cooking is one such thing that is not one particular task that is like pressing a single button, isn’t it? It starts from the heart, with what you wish to prepare and feed yourself or your family or your loved ones. For some it could be passion or a job, but either way it requires a willingness. Buying groceries and vegetables; making a chart on what to be prepared, considering the availability of food and its expiration; packing nutritious foods; adjusting the taste according to every member in the family; and choosing the right utensils for Indian cooking, like I personally prefer using carefully chosen utensils for my kitchen, as different shapes of utensils also matter a lot, such as (click the word to check the utensil link) high-quality clay pots, cast iron vessels, stoneware cooking utensils, steamer pots, etc.,

These all contribute to healthy cooking, considering their choice and age; patience in cooking stagewise; packing/storage of the food prepared for timely consumption, etc., etc., goes into a 10-minute job. Yeah, by 10 minutes I mean the eating part, where we spend a whole day or a couple of hours preparing it, and we just finish eating in or under 10 minutes, right? Yet this is the most important part of life for each and everyone who strives.

But how long can someone depend on cooking for anyone? Being self-dependent on cooking and learning how to make cooking easy and de-stressing is what I am trying to crack every day. I am a working woman and manage my kid 24/7 along with her homeschooling to this date, who also consciously stresses about overall health, both physically and mentally, and living side by side.

“IRRESPECT TO THE GENDER
BE IT A ‘SHE’ OR ‘HE’
ONE MUST LEARN TO
NOURISH THEMSELVES
AND THEIR CHILDREN”

How can cooking be helpful to us in many ways and
not only just as a means of survival?

Now you may wonder how silly it is to compare cooking with this. Trust me, some things in life are built through habits and practicing those habits on a daily basis. Now if I assure this, then you can definitely consider it. I never cooked much at home while I was with my parents. But I always had this passion for cooking. Due to time constraints, I was never really able to spend much time on cooking. Even if I cooked, I was keen on exploring Pan-Asian and continental food only. I was never able to make chapatis or prepare idli/dosa until I started taking things into my own hands. It’s after my childbirth that I started exploring ways to prepare food and feed it to my daughter in a way that she would enjoy flavors.

I love to travel alot so do my daughter and husband, who is also equally excited as me to explore different cuisines and has developed her taste buds a lot. Food made her understand the diverse culture across the globe.

Food has made her more curious and willing to know why Japanese people like to eat rice rolled with veggies. Why is there no pumpkin pizza? Why do the doughnut and vada have same shape

So let’s look into this:

1. COOKING BUILDS DECISION-MAKING MUSCLES

The kitchen is a place that involves hundreds of micro-decisions, like “What to cook?” and “How spicy?” Which oil? What method? What quantity? etc., and so on. Even to make a simple cup of tea, we really need to have the understanding of measurements, flavours and temperature.

Over time, cooking quietly strengthens your decision-making confidence, which spills into other areas of life—parenting, work, finances, boundaries, travel, exposure and so on.

With time you have unknowingly trained your brain to stay calm and steady even in the toughest situation.

2. COOKING RECLAIMS CONTROL IN AN UNCERTAIN WORLD

You see, many parts of life today are unpredictable, for example, the day-to-day traffic, workload on various aspects, people from different cultures and places, and the systems of our society and workplace, etc.

Cooking is one space where you regain full control of what you create. You choose the ingredients, hygiene, timing, intentions and what to put on the table. be it for yourself or for whoever. It gives you a sense of celebration through simple, effortless cooking of magnificent luxury meals.

This sense of control reduces anxiety on a subconscious level, allowing you to transform into a way of expressing personal freedom.

3. COOKING CREATES DAILY RITUAL, NOT ROUTINE

Routine makes you feel forced, whereas ritual makes sense. From lighting the stove to cleaning the vegetables carefully, heating certain oils like mustard oil, sesame seed oil, or clarified butter, and smelling spices, these repeated actions on a daily basis create a sense of grounding ritual that strengthens your nervous system.

Cooking thus becomes a spiritual practice no matter what you put on the plate. be it a simply plucked fruit from a tree or an overnight-soaked kanji (porridge).

4. COOKING IS ONE OF THE FEW ACTS WHERE FOOD BECOMES NOURISHMENT

Mostly you see in reality any work we do or the effort we put in gives an output, and someone else benefits from that.

But cooking is something in which the effort you put in transforms into nourishment for you and your family that is simply a benefit you enjoy immediately. Not only that, but the feedback from someone whom you have fed also creates a deep satisfaction.

Certain sayings like ‘ a family who eats together stays together’ make sense as you see the effort of caring has resulted in a timely bond.

5. COOKING TEACHES SYSTEMS THINKING

There are things that cooking naturally teaches us like planning, understanding the timing, sequencing, multitasking and backup options like when you are running short of something or covering up some work between two things. For example, while rice is cooking, get the vegetables cut, or while the curry is simmering, get the counter cleaned. All these habits with dedicated practice make you evolve as a systems manager.

Cooking is no less than project management in its coolest form.

6. COOKING SHAPES IDENTITY OVER TIME

People slowly start seeing themselves as “I am someone who can cook,” “I am someone who feeds my family well,” or “I am someone who can manage meals in no time”—this identity builds quiet self-respect.

It becomes a part of who you are and not just what you do.

7. COOKING SLOWS THE INNER CLOCK

Clocks move fast, but simmering does not. Here cooking forces patience within you. where you realize you can neither rush the fermentation process nor can you force the butter to soften immediately. This inculcates the acceptance of natural timing within us, which benefits us in many aspects of life.

Cooking encourages us to break free from the culture of wanting everything instantly. Over time we learn to be patient with what we want to see on our plate.

8. COOKING CREATES MENTAL SILENCE

We must be aware of the most trending topic called ASMR cooking. The popularity of ASMR stems from its ability to provide free and easy stress relief, helping those with anxiety, insomnia, and depression by inducing relaxation and calm through certain triggers like soft sounds or gentle visuals that engage pleasurable brain regions, potentially releasing oxytocin and stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system.

Chopping, stirring, tasting, tempering, crushing, and splattering are all the actions that gently push intrusive thoughts away. A simple 20 minutes of effortless cooking provides you with a meditational moment and understanding of the value of just being present at the moment.

Cooking accidentally becomes a therapy here. I have felt it many times in my South Indian cooking to assure that our style of cooking does really help you attain this level.

9. COOKING IS A DAILY ACT OF FUTURE CARE TO SELF AND FOR PEOPLE AROUND YOU

You are not cooking for the present moment alone. Remember your grandma saying add lots of turmeric to your diet, your mom saying don’t take too many cold foods, etc. This is because we are also building health for tomorrow’s energy, long-term health, disease prevention and a calm mind. Inner self matters alot as you become the one you are from inside out.

Preparing meals is a way to ensure the body is ready for the future.

10. COOKING CONVERTS STRESS INTO SOMETHING USEFUL

Generally stress is present in every moment irrespective of age. Everyone reacts differently to stress, and that doesn’t mean that someone’s stress is more painful than the other’s. It often leads to irritation, disappointment and sometimes overthinking.

So cooking is something that de-stresses your mind and body by the action we perform, and the physical workout brings the mind to a balanced state. Simply chopping some vegetables, breaking mushrooms by hand, and kneading dough for pizza and when you have finished preparing the meals that energy, effort, and time you put into it becomes a creation. Food prepared by your own hands satisfies your soul in two ways: one, that you have created it, and the other, that the taste soothed your hunger.

Cooking preserves cultural memory

Recipes are history. They have been passed down to us from our ancestors. One day the books may disappear, and the elders would have left, but the recipes will keep continuing to carry the story of our upcoming generation.

Cooking is a magical way to turn stress into something positive.

Cooking is a Silent Love Language

No speeches. No declaration.
Just an
“I have made this for you.”
or
“Are you hungry? Let me get you something.”

Sometimes person’s love language could be their cooking, what they put on your plate. how tasty it is. how well they have cooked it for you. these are certain communications where caring meets long health.

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But in this modern era, I would surely admit that cooking is just not as easy as it sounds. Demanding work roles, lack of extended support, and lack of material availability can definitely bring panic and anxiety within us. Cooking is not everyone’s cup of tea. But as the saying goes, “Wake up an hour early to earn an hour extra,” so one can definitely find time to make meals.

There are still regions in our world where women are treated as victims of domestic violence for their cooking and are regarded as slaves in the kitchen. They perform their duties with relentless dedication, and we owe them a great deal of respect.

We should instill in our children and the younger generation the importance of cooking with love for themselves first, and once they find joy in it, they can share that love by cooking for loved ones.
‘May cooking not be a burden but an art for living.’