You’re probably wondering what neuroscience has to do with cooking. Don’t worry…I’m not a zombie (mmm, brains!).
Well, do you like to cook? Ask yourself why or why not. If you do, it’s probably a habit you’ve formed over time and repetition, until it’s something that feels familiar to you. If not, it can still feel uncomfortable and scary. That’s pretty normal of any new habit, whether it’s starting to meditate, learning to cook, or picking up an old running routine again. And throughout all this research on habits, there is one truth that can’t be overlooked: it takes a lot of practice!
Look, no one picks up a violin and becomes a virtuoso overnight. Similarly, no one is going to pick up a knife and instinctively know how to supréme an orange or spatchcock a chicken. That’s okay. If you’re worried about feeling silly, well, for starters…you’re at home, right? No one is watching.
Yet, sometimes our brains tell us messages that keep us from ever getting started with a new, daunting activity we want to make into a habit. That’s pretty normal; it’s our brain’s way of trying to protect us from dangerous threats…but while you are using flames and sharp knives in the kitchen, it’s not that dangerous. You’re home, you’re safe, you should be able to relax!
Every life and career coach these days is into mindfulness, and so am I; it’s helpful for stress reduction and focus, which supports brain health. And I truly believe that cooking is a great way to practice your mindfulness. Here’s how I like to do it: engage your senses. That’s pretty much it!
Taste your food. Does it need salt? Does it need more spices?
Smell your food. Is it starting to burn? Are the flavors beginning to meld together?
Look at your food. Is it caramelizing properly? Rising enough?
Listen to your food. Do you hear sizzling or is the pot boiling so rapidly it’s about to spill over?
Touch your food. (Really! I give you permission to use your CLEAN hands.) When steak is done, for example, it should be firm to the touch with a bit of give - the best way to compare this is to press the fleshy part of your palm (just below your thumb) with your other thumb.
I begin each of my live online cooking classes with 5 deep breaths, one for every sense. This is to ensure that you also take the time for yourself to enjoy this process and allow yourself to become fully present in the moment. If you’re focused on something that happened yesterday at work, or worried about an upcoming event, you can lose sight of your task and risk burning or overcooking your food — not to mention, you could make dangerous mistakes (remember what I said about hot surfaces and sharp knives!).
These 5 breaths are just for you: just to pause, breathe, and arrive in the class, ready to learn!
Once you are focused and can immerse yourself in the practice, it becomes more enjoyable, and hopefully, something you do enough that it becomes a habit.
Neuroplasticity is the scientific term for retraining one’s brain to form new habits. It used to be thought that the brain stopped growing once a human was out of childhood, but it’s since been discovered that your brain can learn, grow, and adapt even well into adulthood! There’s a famous study of cab drivers in England who had larger hippocampus regions in their brain, based on how long they had been driving those roads and had memorized the pathways. They literally changed parts of their brains just by absorbing new information gained through habit!
So, in order to build up your brainpower and form new healthy habits…what do you want to cook up first?
Further reading: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/neuroplasticity
Atomic Habits by James Clear (highly recommended — a fairly short read with easy, actionable advice!)
Further listening: https://www.npr.org/2020/02/25/809256398/tiny-habits-are-the-key-to-behavioral-change
