Behold, the 15 ways learning how to cook will make your life even better:
1 You’ll have the advantage of knowing exactly what’s in your food
2 You won’t have to decide between cheap Chinese or pizza delivery for dinner ever AGAIN

Flickr: femme run
Unless you want to. But it will be a choice, not a punishment.
3 You can bake people cakes for their birthday, and make them infinitely happy
4 You’ll be eating healthier without even trying

Flickr: tarale
Or you can go the other direction and drown everything in butter. Up to you. (But even then, chances are it’ll be better for you than what you can get at a restaurant.)
5 Your friends and family will be SO impressed

James Ransom/Food52
Even when you just roast vegetables. (BTW, this takes about zero skill to make.)
6 Everyone at work will LOVE you because you bring in freshly-baked cookies

Sara Remington
You can win anyone over with a thousand-layer chocolate chip cookie recipe. You could probably even score yourself a promotion.
7 You’ll save so much money

Flickr: 401(K) 2013
Cooking at home isn’t always cheap, but it will always be cheaper than eating out. Over the course of a year, you could probably save up enough to go on a vacation.
8 You can finally stop buying instant ramen

Flickr: mdid
It was okay in college, but if you’re still doing this in your late 20s it’s getting to be kind of sad. It’s time to grow up, and learn how to make a real pot of soup.
9 You’ll develop knife skills so good you’ll intimidate even the fiercest ninja

Flickr: Björn Söderqvist
Like whoa.
10 You can satisfy your every craving

Flickr: andrewmalone
Want crepes? Whip up a batch. Have a yearning for eggs benedict? Go ahead and start beating those eggs yolks. Need a piece of blueberry pie right now? Just bake one (or two). Knowing how to cook means you’ll never go without great food again.
11 Cooking is kind of hot

Flickr: vanz
And knowing how to do it is an easy way to score a date or two.
12 You can make this

A Beautiful Mess
It’s time to put the Kraft down people, and pay some respects to real macaroni and cheese.
13And this

Yes, all those wonderful layers of crepe cake can be yours if you just make yourself useful in the kitchen.
14 And THIS

James Ransom/Food52
Yes, you could make this. Pork belly is definitely worth learning to cook for. Get this pork belly recipe, and more.
15 AND ABOUT A MILLION OF THESE

How Sweet it Is
Homemade snickers trumps store-bought any day. Make it, you’ll see. If nothing we’ve said before convinced you that cooking can improve your life, one taste of these will definitely make you see the light.


