I love cooking, but because my mom is too much of a bimbo and my dad too much of a “manly man” to ever step into the kitchen, I never had the chance to learn from them. I grew up on delivery, takeout, eating out, and the incredible food made by the amazing woman who cooks for our family. I became deeply interested in cooking at the start of my teenage years and taught myself through the internet, books, that same woman, and other relatives.
It is an ongoing process.
Learned the basics from parents, friends, and others when young. Nothing fancy, just how to cut things and apply heat when needed.
As a young adult learned more from the internet, expanded what I could make a bit. Kept it simple because undiagnosed ADHD made complicated cooking tedious. Baking was fine because it is a regimented process with exact measurements and steps!
As an adult learned from my wife, Good Eats, Youtube, and more. Learned how to cut properly, what ‘high, medium, and low’ on the stove actually means. Learned how to adjust cooking for different pans and stoves and whatnot.
Still not great with remembering which spice adds what flavor and frequently still guess wrong on temps and whatnot because I don’t cook often enough for it to stick, but still improving. Next month I will most likely be cooking almost daily and the increased frequency will be great practice that greatly improves my skills as well.