Is Cooking or Baking Easier For Beginners?

Cooking
Photo by Or Hakim on Unsplash

When you’re first starting out in the culinary world, it’s not always easy to know which path to take. Perhaps the biggest dilemma that many culinary enthusiasts ponder is whether or not they should specialize in cooking or baking. Obviously the legendary chefs do both, but oftentimes it’s good to pick one or the other when you’re starting out. So which of the two paths is an easier path to start off with?

Why Cooking Might Be Easier

As frustrating as it might be for you to hear, the truth is that it depends. In some ways, cooking is a lot easier than baking when you’re first starting out, and the reason is because it’s very flexible. You don’t always have to follow recipes exactly as they’re written. To compare it to music, it’s like jazz. You can put your heart and soul into it a little bit more and see where things go.

Why Baking Might Be Easier

However, on the other side of the coin, some people find that the rigidity of baking is precisely the thing that makes it easier! While yes, baking leaves a lot less breathing room as far as making mistakes, there’s a bit of comfort in that. Some people find a certain comfort in following rules exactly as they’re written. And if you’re one of those people—if you prefer “classical music”, as it were—then baking might be the right path for you instead.