Cooking is all about people. Food is maybe the only universal thing that really has the power to bring everyone together. No matter what culture, everywhere around the world, people eat together.

The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking, you’ve got to have a what-the-hell attitude.

Good food and a warm kitchen are what makes a house a home.

Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all.

The kitchen is where we deal with the elements of the universe. It is where we come to understand our past and ourselves.

You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces- just good food from fresh ingredients.

Cooking is at once child’s play and adult joy. And cooking done with care is an act of love.

The way you make an omelet reveals your character.

Cooking is like painting or writing a song. Just as there are only so many notes or colors, there are only so many flavors—it’s how you combine them that sets you apart.

Cooking is about passion, so it may look slightly temperamental in a way that it’s too assertive to the naked eye.

I cook with wine. Sometimes I even add it to the food.

Cooking is like snow skiing: If you don’t fall at least 10 times, then you’re not skiing hard enough.

The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook.

Cooking requires confident guesswork and improvisation—experimentation and substitution, dealing with failure and uncertainty in a creative way.

Cooking is an art, but all art requires knowing something about the techniques and materials.

Cooking is about creating something delicious for someone else.

The best way to execute French cooking is to get good and loaded and whack the hell out of a chicken.

Great cooking is about being inspired by the simple things around you—fresh markets, various spices. It doesn’t necessarily have to look fancy.

Cooking is not difficult. Everyone has taste, even if they don’t realize it. Even if you’re not a great chef, there’s nothing to stop you understanding the difference between what tastes good and what doesn’t.

Cooking is an observation-based process that you can’t do if you’re so completely focused on a recipe.

In cooking, as in all the arts, simplicity is the sign of perfection.

People who love to eat are always the best people.

A recipe has no soul. You, as the cook, must bring soul to the recipe.

Real cooking is more about following your heart than following recipes.

Simple ingredients prepared in a simple way – that’s the best way to take your everyday cooking to a higher level.

Cooking well doesn’t mean cooking fancy.

Cooking is love made visible.

Cooking with love provides food for the soul.

The most indispensable ingredient of all good home cooking: love for those you are cooking for.

Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first.

Cooking may be as much a means of self-expression as any of the arts.

Cooking for six people every day is like having a cafe.

One of the most meditative times of my day is when I’m cooking.

Balance is key in cooking – you want a little acid, a little sweet, a little savory – the flavors should be harmonious.

To barbecue is a way of life rather than a desirable method of cooking.

My doctor told me I had to stop throwing intimate dinners for four unless there are three other people.

My weaknesses have always been food and men—in that order.

You don’t need a silver fork to eat good food.

Life is a combination of magic and pasta.

Age and glasses of wine should never be counted.