The 4 stages to becoming a good cook

New York Times food columnist Mark Bittman has a fun article over at Salon in which he states the four stages of teaching yourself to cook:

• First you follow recipes slavishly (learning how to follow a recipe first).
• In stage two, you learn your preferences and start to compare and synthesize some of the recipes you've learned. If you're dedicated, he says, you consult two or more cookbooks before starting anything.
• Stage three is when you start to seek out new things: new cookbook authors, new ingredients, or similar flavor profiles that match what's become your style. Some people start to bring cookbooks to bed for inspiration at this stage, relying less on recipes.
• Finally, in stage four, you're a mature cook with a fully developed repertoire and who can start cooking without knowing what the final dish will look like.

I love to cook and have been post stage four for many years (see the dish below). I think his description is exactly how I would explain it to my non-cooking friends.

Found via Lifehacker

JOY OF COOKING