Cooking: Is it an art or a science? Here's the best way to learn how to cook

Cooking is a great example of a melting pot between art and science. The science process starts when you collect ingredients, identifying which works well, blends into amazing flavors to come up with your dish. One could say cooking is like a chemical equation - you add all the ingredients, apply heat and you get a chemical reaction. So the equation would look like this: ingredient A + ingredient B ... + ingredient N = product A + product B ... + product N.

On the other hand, cooking is also an art. It is symphony of taste, aroma and colors that tickles the senses. The cooked product appeals to the senses - eyes, if you like how a dish looks like; nose, if you like the smell; touch, if you like it hot or cold; and especially the tongue, for tasting whether the dish tastes good.

Want to learn how to cook?

There are several ways to learn how to cook. You can start with reading cookbooks and try to imagine how the dish comes out. That will inspire you to cook. You don't need to cook everything in the cookbook. Just get a fell of the ways of cook. Then identify dishes you are interested in cooking. These can be your goal later on. This was how I learned how to cook. Reading cookbooks then later trying them out step by step.

However, if you are a beginner, you can begin with frying an egg sunny side up. One you've mastered this, you can try other variations such as poached, scrambled or boiled. Next you can start with sauteeing some garlic and onion then add vegetables. You can go on to the next complicated cooking method or make variations of a particular dish you like.

You can also learn from your family or friends who cooks well. This is another great way to learn. People who are passionate about cooking are also passionate about sharing their cooking. Talk to them, watch them cook, check out their style. You may also enroll in a cooking class. In this way, the teacher will help you cook some dishes and at the same time you can meet fellow cooking enthusiasts.

Once you are confident with your cooking, you can diversify by learning a new cooking technique or combine different ingredients. Let your imagination run wild.

You can learn how to cook A scientist in the kitchen.