Because it is the best thing I can do to relax and have fun. Nothing is better than an all day, complicated recipe that turns out right.

I like having a product, and I like the potential audience appreciation, if it comes out all right. And I like to eat.

Because I love to eat!

It is a chance to be creative, try new things, sing, make a mess...and ultimately eat something delicious!

It is so different from my daily work that even though I usually work 10-12 hour days, I find it relaxing to bustle around my kitchen creating something. Most of the time, it's something delicious but even when I make a dud meal, it's still an adventure.

I love creating something that other people (and myself) are going to enjoy. And it's fun. And I like to eat :)

Lots of reasons: I like good food and I like knowing what is in my food; I enjoy the process, especially as a way of transitioning from the workday to evening or weekend, it connects me with my past and with other people and cultures, and it is very very different from my day job.

The kitchen is yet another playground for our species' primal drive to apply the lessons we've learned in the past to tackle the challenges ahead. For many people, their outlet for this drive is software programming, or sudoku, or poetry. For us, the kitchen is the paper, the ingredients just words, and the end product the work of poetic genius we knew we were capable of producing, or a staggering blow to our inflated egos. Either way each experience is a challenge to do even better next time, and that's what keeps us coming back.

I love being creative but am no good at any crafts, despite trying lots of them. But I am an exceptional cook. The kitchen is where I get to shine, where I can really allow my god-given talents to come out, and where I can use those talents to make other people really, really happy. I'm at home there, in my element. It's in my blood. How can you not love that?

Compared to my 9-5, in the kitchen, everything is up to you and your creativity. You control oven temp, the mixer speed, the amount of salt you put use. Sometimes it works, sometimes it's terrible, but at the end of the day it's something you can 100% own and enjoy. It gives you a bit of control in a world filled with chaos.

I love feeding people who are important to me. It's a direct form of giving. I think it's part of our instincts also--to provide for people whom we care about.

It saves money (usually), makes the house smell good, and is creative and practical at the same time. I am a bit disappointed if something doesn't turn out well, but always ready to try again. It's the only kind of science I feel good at.

Cooking really encompasses all the senses - smell, touch, sight, taste and sound all in one activity. There is something simple and zen-like about chopping, rolling, turning. Seeing something come to fruition and an immediate sense of joy when a dish is well-received. Simple solutions to simplified problems. These are all reasons I love to be in the kitchen. Food is a unifying factor among all races, religions and levels of income. Plus, who doesn't appreciate a great meal made with love?

growing up both my parents worked 2 jobs 6-7 days a week, but somehow my mom still found time to cook and we had home cooked meals every day, for all of our meals. one of my most vivid random memories is my dad packing his lunch into his work cooler - EVERY DAY. i'm 27 now and if i'm at my parents at the time when he is leaving for work, i see he still pulls out a cooler and packs his lunch.

my mom is such an amazing cook and the house always smelled ridiculously good. it only seemed natural that i would come to love cooking my own food and try to be as good as she is in the kitchen. a house is not a home without delicious food smells!

it's a great form of an artistic expression :)

I love to feed people my love for them. It's such a simple way to show you care, but means so much. To take the time to prepare something from the heart is so comforting for both the maker and receiver. In a world so busy going from one thing to the next, it's the simple things that keep us grounded... reminding us to stop and savor life.

I learned that I loved cooking when I was in law school - I had to eat something, and experimenting with new recipes (or trying to create one from whatever was left in the fridge) became a much-needed creative outlet from the doldrums of law. But I've always loved giving homemade baked goods as holiday gifts or making a homemade meal for a guest or significant other, as it not only adds a personal touch but also shows that I cared enough to take time to make something just for them! And really, since we all have to eat, I might as well love cooking, as it saves money and allows me to make food exactly the way I like to eat it rather than how the restaurant's chef thinks it must be served.

Sustenance, creativity, sharing with my family and friends, and I love to eat!

I used to write: now I cook. It helps me be creative. And I love to "make stuff." Sure, I make other stuff but nothing is as satisfying as something warm and yummy.
I love to eat. I love food - if it tastes good anyway. I am also ultra paranoid about what I put in my body, so I have to cook to really enjoy food. Finally, I love to cook for people I love because it's just how I am. Nothing makes me happier than to give to those I love. Cooking is one simple way to do that, daily.

The last few years I've been struggling with pretty severe depression and I've learned that the kitchen is a therapeutic place. Few things are as relaxing as bread making, I'm able to just knead out my frustration and anxiety. Cooking is a way for me to focus my thoughts and bring peace to my mind. Also, who isn't cheered up by a warm chocolate chip cookie with a glass of milk?

Eating feeds the body - but cooking feeds the soul.

I just feel this sense of balance, well being, and happiness when I cook.

For many of the same wonderful, practical reasons as many of the posters before me. Additionally, I love to cook in that there is a beginning, middle and end. I like the idea of a completed "product" at the end of the process, no matter how it turns out, ideally to enjoy! I find that there are so many things that do not get solved in the course of the day, and the ritual of having completed something tangible I find very satisfying.

Additionally, I find I like the having the ability to control the ingredients, sugar, salt, oil, etc. as well as budget gratifying. Cooking/baking myself allows me to make things that I could never afford prepared in a restaurant. And according to my family I typically make it better!

I like the fairly quick satisfaction that comes with cooking. If I'm not good at something right away, I don't enjoy it, but with cooking I can follow a recipe and get good results most of the time. And if something doesn't turn out right, there's always another meal right around the corner. Plus I just love to try new recipes and learn and figure out how things are made, and what better way than with a dish to enjoy at the end?

I agree that the moments of disappointment feel more like challenges to puzzle out and overcome. It's the competitor in us! But the real reason I love to cook is the opportunity to incorporate vegetables in a creative and delicious way. The more we eat, the healthier we feel.

I suspect that the way to my man's heart is through his stomach. There's nothing I love more than spending all Sunday afternoon cooking a fancy dinner and watching him enjoy it in the evening.

I love trying out new recipes and learning new cooking techniques at home! The feeling when a dish turns out delicious is like discovering a treasure, or when you finally find that tiny typo in your broken code that magically fixes everything (for those who do programming, you know exactly what I mean). I wanna eventually be that mom and grandma who makes the yummiest cookies and brownies and the most savory veggies that kids will love. My best friend tells me it's too early for me to become a housewife.. I'm 21.

Also, yummy leftovers = week day lunches for work = saving money!

I love food and I love making something incredibly delicious. Knowing that I made that mouthwatering dish is an incredible feeling. Plus, you have the chance to experiment all the time, work within budget constraints, feed picky eaters - it gets the ideas flowing.

I do it because it's the time I can crank up my music, tune out life, and focus on what I'm making. It just so happens you get a wonderful and delicious end product, so that's always a plus.

Cooking and baking have become, alongside yoga, the best ways for me to remind myself to breathe. I used to hate cooking, because I had no kitchen gear and no knowledge of cooking, but I've committed the last 8 months to soaking up as much as I can from my grandmother, my boyfriend, and sites like this one, and now I'm proud to say that the money I invested in my kitchen gear was well spent! You can find me in the kitchen, cooking or baking something from scratch, every single day.

I used to only bake, because my husband is such a fantastic cook. But then he started law school which left me alone with our two girls four evenings a week. I was forced to cook! And I discovered I love it and I'm good at it. There's just no comparing to the warm feeling I get inside when I cook (or bake!) something and I see the smile on the face of the person tasting it. Tonight after my husband got home from class, he tasted the chocolate ice cream I made for him. He closed his eyes and savored it for a minute, then breathed out slowly and said, "I think this is the best chocolate ice cream I've ever eaten." Could there be anything better than that?

One of my favorite things about cooking is watching other people enjoy the food. Not that I don't eat it myself, but the togetherness that meals foster is really why I cook.

I love to eat good food, and there's something satisfying about the process of creating a wonderful meal. When something turns out absolutely perfectly (gougeres, gratin dauphinoise, a pie), especially when it is the first time you've made it, I get a huge feeling of accomplishment.

Baking is also one of those things that just seems to soothe the soul, and gives satisfaction to others around me. I think cooking is just an integral part of my being, which is why it is hard for me to understand those who are phobic about it. I'm also not afraid to make mistakes and figure out how to fix them, which I find others often don't seem to want to deal with in the kitchen.

I've given this one a lot of thought over the years and I think it comes down to this... A lovingly prepared meal is the most intimate gift a person can give another.

For example, I could write a great song (an aural/intellectual experience only), I could paint a beautiful picture (a visual/intellectual experience only) and these are wonderful experiences - they are worthwhile in their own right, absolutely. However, a well prepared dish is the one creation that requires all the senses to be fully appreciated. The look of the food/ presentation (sight), the smell of the food (smell), the feel of the food in your mouth (touch), the sound of the food (this may be a stretch although I'd suggest that first crack into a creme brule' or the sizzle of a steak being cooked would count) and of course the taste.

Food is the creation the audience actually ingests! It becomes part of them. This is why I suggest that food is the most intimate expression of love one can give another (it doesn't need to be art). Nothing speaks to the heart and soul of a person as fundamentally as a truly delicious meal.

I'm also intrigued by the fleeting nature of a meal. I'm trained as a jazz musician and in my work I improvise. The music is never the same twice, and I love that about it. It is created, consumed and then, (fondly, hopefully) remembered. Never to be repeated. An experience that exists only in that shared moment between the audience and the performer. The same is true of cooking. Well, maybe not the improvised part. I try and I'm getting better, but I still generally stick to recipes with tweaks here and there.

I love building culinary experiences for friends and family and I never get tired of hearing "this is the best ____ I've ever had".

Several reasons, but mainly, I love to eat and I love to feed people!

There is also the challenge of being creative with the things in your cupboard. I'm not the type to go out and buy all the ingredients to a meal at one go - I shop with my pantry in mind and it's always fun to think about what I'd like to make next.

But sometimes I just really don't feel like cooking, especially after a long day. Lazy Sundays are my kind of cooking days. There is just something magic about taking raw ingredients and with the application of heat and movement turning them into something delicious that you can share. :)

it is the place where i can be closest to home. cooking and preparing food from my country helps me ease the feeling of being homesick specially during the holidays.

Loved reading all the above comments, this thread is a great reminder off all the reasons we love our kitchens.

For me it is a creative outlet that also makes me feel accomplished (usually). The kitchen is generally a cheerful place for me, but in a crisis I sometimes feel most useful cooking or baking for those in need.

Yes, it's creative, and I love to eat what I cook, but, above all, it makes me feel as though in a small way I am in charge of my own destiny. I can't always tell my boss to shove it, but I can go home and make myself a spanikopita if I so choose (and enjoy eating it!). Somehow, cooking in my kitchen makes everything else in my life come together.

I cook for myself usually, and I do it because its a creative outlet, because I enjoy the routine and precision and the craft of it, and because I respect myself enough to put the best I can on the table in front of me. Because I appreciate good food, and good craftsmanship in preparing it.

With food, I can explore cultures and tastes I would otherwise not be able to experience. And I can remember places, feelings, times and emotions through tastes and smells.

I cook for those I care about, because I care about them. By feeding them something *I'VE* made, that is superior to the same product made commercially, I can show them how much I care about them, and how important they are to me.

Because it's soothing somehow.

I agree with other posters that it doesn't feel like a home unless someone cooks in it. It feels cold and neglected.

I cook for work. I'm a pastry chef. I do it because it makes me so happy to see just how much a good meal can effect someones mood.

This summer one of the girls doing house keeping asked if I ever get sick of people telling me they liked my food. I never have. I'm assuming that I never will. It feels amazing to see someones face light up because they had good food that I prepared.

And cooking for my family is even more satisfying.

It's so relaxing. Using my hands to create things, watching my bread bake in the oven...I love it.

I could really relate to the character of Julie in Julia and Julia. When so many of us have jobs where everything is intangible, cooking is gratifying because your effort gives you a real result. I also love listening to music, and I find cooking is a good way to listen to music while staying occupied.

It relaxes me. Often times on the way home from work I'll think "ugh, the last thing I feel like doing is cooking, I just want to go to bed", but the minute I walk in the kitchen, I feel instantly energized. It's relaxing, challenging and rewarding. And, I love food.

I agree that it is hard to explain because I think that it means many different things to different people. For me, it's simultaneously relaxing (especially after a bad day), exciting (when a new recipe works out), and satisfying (to put QUALITY food on the table for the ones you love). I also think it has something to do with my being a control freak, and the fact that I would simply prefer to prepare that food so I know it's done w/ my favorite ingredients and seasonings and I know what's in it....

It's one of the only things I ever do that can run the full gamut of emotions. From fear to pride to joy to a state of zen, it's encouraging and lively, it's calming and controlled. For me, most often, cooking is "home."

Like others in the thread, I find that it helps my anxiety and depression; the simple work is soothing, it makes me feel confident because I know I'm good at it, and I get a tangible product at the end of the process. When I can't manage anything else, I know I can make a batch of biscuits or pot of soup.

Plus it saves money and is a lot healthier than eating out. When I eat out a lot, I don't feel well. I just can't handle all that fat, salt, and lack of fiber.

Aromatherapy. And also, the rewarding feeling of having drawn my roommates out of their hiding places with a quiche and an apple pie set slyly on the counter.

where did you get that awsome biscuit cutter?

It soothes me. I feel sure (even though some things don't turn out well) of what I'm doing-and oh so happy when my husband and I love what I've made-and I feel even better when I get to share that recipe (or the food) with friends and loved ones.:)

One of the few relaxing things I get to do and it lets me concentrate on one thing.