We tend to believe that cooking has to do with taste and technique and this is only what is needed to be a good cook... Not at all!
Cooking, like most if not all of our daily activities, involves and creates demands for our brain. Our cognitive abilities play an important role.
For example, when hosting some guests at home for dinner, you need to plan well in advance to make sure you have purchased the right quantities or that you prepare yourself sufficiently in advance for the food to be ready on time. Panning is a cognitive skill that we can define as the ability to "think ahead". This skill, like many other, can be trained.
You also need to have a good short-term memory. If you are preparing a meal for many people, you need to remember if one is allergic to a certain ingredient or if another doesn't eat a certain plate. Therefore, a good memory is vital for ensuring a proper meal.
You also need a good divided attention so you can prepare two dishes at the same time or perform two actions simultaneously. Divided attention is a skill that can be defined as the ability to execute more than one action at a time.
Many other skills are involved. We often discuss about the need for a proper nutrition to keep a healthy body and brain. However, now we understand that to prepare a healthy meal, you also need to take care of your brain before even starting to cook!
