7 Tips for Learning How to Cook: Don't Be Scared

From 5 ways to beef up vegetarian sauces, through finding ways to eat less meat, to learning how to use cheaper cuts of meat, Planet Green tries to focus not just on recipes, or simple instructions, but on really learning how to cook. And it's important.

The head of a renewable energy research center once described cooking to me as "the most important eco-art of all." I think he might be right. Beyond simply giving us more options than food-in-a-box ready meals, or trash intensive take out, cooking also reconnects us with the simple pleasures in life. It is, after all, an activity that we humans have been doing since, errrm, the invention of cooking. (I once heard an anthropologist argue that cooking actually helped make us human—providing access to vital nutrients that helped us develop our mental capacities.)

But how does one become a good cook? Many of my friends seem perplexed at the idea of cooking anything more complex than a grilled cheese. And many others seem tied to a few tried-and-tested, if bland, recipes. Yet they all seem to want to cook, and often ask me how I come up with ideas for meals.

Mostly, I'd say, it's about mindset. So here are a few ideas on how to become a cook.

WATCH VIDEO: Here's an easy but exciting recipe where Emeril cooks up some delicious Brussels Sprouts with Bacon.

1. Pay Attention:

This is important, not just when you are cooking, but when you are eating too. All too often we are in a hurry, and we scarf down whatever food is available. Try eating mindfully. Try savoring every bight. And try paying attention to the colors, the textures, the smells and the flavors on your plate. In fact, this is important elsewhere in life too. Nourish and encourage all your senses at all times. It's what life is about after all.

2. Detail Matters:

All too often, I find the difference between a great meal, and an OK meal, lies not in the recipe, but in the details of execution. Whether it's less-then fresh ingredients, a few minutes too long on the stove, or a lack of seasoning. A few minutes boiling is all that lies between delicious, fresh, bright green broccoli, and a weird, gray, slimy-looking mess. That's not to say you need to become a perfectionist. But pay attention to what happens when you cook, and adjust your timing, your temperatures, and your choices of ingredients accordingly.

3. Start Simple:

Why make things hard on yourself? Sometimes the best dishes are the easiest. A simple meal of zuchini sauteed in olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and herbs, and tossed with pasta and parmesan can be one of the most satisfying lunches out there. So find the things that work, and that you can make easily, and then branch out slowly from there.

4. Learn the Science:

I'm not talking about molecular physics here, but I find it helps to know a little bit about why food behaves the way it does. The fact that onions brown when their natural sugars caramelize helps me to understand why a slow, gentle saute will produce more flavor. The fact that meat tenses up when vigorously boiled reminds me of the need for a truly slow-cooked stew.

5. Get Equipped:

You don't need every fancy gadget under the sun, but a decently equipped kitchen will make cooking easier and more pleasant. Well sharpened knives; a few solid, durable pans; some not-too cheap stirring, flipping and spooning utensils, and you should be on your way. Other items worth investing in, I think, are a decent salad spinner, a vegetable peeler, an instant meat thermometer (if you eat meat), and a solid colander. (Nothing worse than watching your meticulously prepared meal flop into a dirty sink...)

6. Be OK With Failure:

Just as gardening will be easier if you accept that failures happen, so too with cooking. Sure, it's frustrating when you lovingly slave over a hot stove all day and the result is just OK, or worse. But it happens to all of us. Unless it's disgusting, I'd suggest you eat it anyway, and you pay attention to what went wrong, and what you'd do better next time. And remember, you are always your worst critic. Time and time again I'll apologetically serve up a dinner that I consider a failure, and folks will wolf it down anyway. It's not because I'm a genius, nor a case of false modesty, but because they don't know what the dish was supposed to be like.

7. Set the Mood:

Just like you wouldn't make love under glaring office lighting or in a messy closet, (OK, you would—but you get what I mean!) so too you should take the time to set the mood for a nice meal. Good lighting, music, attractive table layouts, they all go toward creating the ambiance for enjoying a meal. In the right setting, a simple plate of cheese, crackers and freshly cut raw veggies can be the perfect meal. And, to continue the analogy for a second here, there's nothing wrong with the occasional quickie either—sometimes a simple meal in a bowl infront of the TV is the perfect end to a busy day.

Salivating over sustainable eats? Learn how to make your own with help from Emeril Lagasse in Planet Green TV's organic cooking show, Emeril Green.