It is no wonder then that many individuals become anxious about food preparation and service. If their offerings fall short, there’s a sense of failing the people they were intended for. A primordial dread of not meeting their needs and adversely affecting the emotional bond. Not to mention the feared negative appraisals assumed to be forthcoming, whether spoken or not. So how do we overcome our fear of cooking? First, it helps to keep in mind the great diversity in human taste. The best chef in the world could prepare an assemblage of his signature dishes and virtually everyone would find something they didn’t like. A person’s dislike of your victuals could easily be a function of their particular palate and not a measure of your culinary capabilities or emotional goodwill.

The next step is facing your fear and learning the skills to conquer it. Like anything, a combination of the textbook and the real world is the ticket. For the former, watch cooking shows, buy cookbooks, subscribe to magazines, and take some cooking classes. Learn about food science, the nature of various ingredients, and cooking methods.

For the latter, practice, practice practice. Try to make something that you have never made before at least once a week. Choose a cooking technique that you’ve never employed or are weak in, or an ingredient that you have never used. For example, maybe you’ve made mashed potatoes but never a potato gratin. Or maybe you’re good at sautéing steaks and lamb chops but never sautéed a piece of sea bass. It’s time to try.

TV, books, magazines, and the Internet will provide you with more recipes than you could make in a lifetime. Make it for yourself first so there’s no fear of ruining someone’s dinner. If it doesn’t come out right, go back to the drawing board and make it again until it does. The first time I made crepes at home I prepared a large batch of batter and just stood there over the pan making crepe after crepe until I got it down pat. Somewhere around the 20th crepe I started to feel comfortable. The more you learn and practice, the more confident you will become.