I think people underestimate the wonders of cooking. It’s become today primarily a burden for many people (and with due reason: I know when my mom came home from eight hours of work in the operating room, the last thing she wanted to do was joyfully cook up a scrumptious, home-made meal for the fam.) But despite its bad reputation, really, it can, I kid you not, be fun! I swear. The key to making it leisurely instead of homework is to view it more of an art than a science.

When you stop viewing cooking as the outcome of strict recipes, and instead as the outcome of creativity and spontaneity, it ceases to be a stressful burden. It takes loosening up a bit and welcoming risks. Reasonable risks: for example, maybe testing how almonds would taste instead of walnuts in brownies, not how aluminum foil would fare in the microwave. But the point is, you don’t have to follow recipes to a T. Okay, I shoud probably put a disclaimer with this suggestion. Because there are circumstances where following a recipe is smart. Like when cooking chicken. You probably don’t want to cut that roasting time in half because you want to see what an undercooked drumstick tastes like. No, that would lead to the possibility of salmonella. Which explains why researching a bit of the science of cooking can actually be good. Enjoy the artistic aspect, but be smart. No matter how amazingly unique and delicious that pie is, if you burnt the oven down in the process, it probably won’t remain a positive memory in your mind.

Instead of strictly following a recipe, try altering a few things. If really you don’t care about anything but the chocolate chips in chocolate chip cookies, then why only put a cup in? Dump those puppies in! Two cups instead of one, that’s right. The pesto chicken recipe calls for three cups of basil and you only have two? Well, what else might make a good pesto- something dark green as well, like… spinach! Spinach-basil pesto, there you have it.

If your excuse for not cooking is you’re devoid of ingredients, take a closer look at your pantry. What’s that little can of dried mushrooms in your cabinet? And that package of Uncle Ben’s Rice from last year? Hey, rice doesn’t go bad that easily, does it? Great, so it’s probably usable. I see the possibility of a nice mushroom risotto simmering in the near future. Or at least you could call it risotto, even if all you did was throw the mushrooms into the rice, add some Parmesan cheese, and a large dash of salt. When in doubt, season. But not too much.

Okay, this might not sound too glamorous or gourmet. But if you just take the leap and mix up how you’d normally cook, combine ingredients you normally wouldn’t, and spice things up a bit (cheesy I know. Sorry. Shoot, there’s another pun. Okay, gotta stop.), then at least you won’t be bored. You might encounter some wretched dishes in your attempts, but just be patient. And by all means, cook outside of the lines.

My style of cooking (and, like everything I’ve been saying, this comes with a disclaimer, and possibly requires a bit of natural cooking talent) is not: look at recipe, write list of ingredients, go to store, buy ingredients. It’s: I really want to use up all this random food around the house, so I’m going to rummage through the cupboards. This looks like it might taste good with that? Perfect. There’s my recipe. Now I’m not ruling out the possibility of disaster, or some very bizarre-tasting foods. But another, and much more exciting possibility is good food cooked by, created by, and unique to you! If you’re very fearful of the first possibility, then learn to avoid disaster and get yourself some real experience and learning. Make a point to learn kitchen skills, develop a taste for good flavor combinations, and find that inner passion for cooking! (Maybe, not passion for everyone, but capability?)

I won’t leave you hanging: if you seriously are interested then I might just have the perfect option. Go to Hipcooks!. You’ll love it. They offer totally unique cooking classes, where recipes are banned, and the emphasis is on enjoying the pleasures of food, not the science or the rules of it.

Here are the details, from their website.

• Each class has a set price of $55, which includes healthy, fresh & organic (wherever possible) ingredients, supplies, beverages & wine with dinner
• Small classes, hands-on instruction
• All levels welcome (no minors, please)
• Recipes provided after each session

Oh, and you get to eat the food after!

YES!

There are two locations, one on Robertson Blvd. (Hipcooks “west”) and “near the Brewery Artist’s Lofts near downtown LA.” (Since I’d be useless describing to you where this is, go to the website for extremely detailed directions on accessing it. Doesn’t sound simple to get too, but must be worth it!

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