[TN]

I used to think yes. But I have been reading Kitchen Confidential & Anthony Bourdain says no, cooks are craftsmen, so cooking is a craft. I disagreed with this for a bit but if cooking was an art it would take creativity & you can be an excellent gourmet cook & not have an ounce of creativity whatsoever. But if you have the skill & can cook by a recipe or even by taste you can be great at cooking. Hence cooking being a craft.

thoughts?

 

[SkaredShtles]

Cooking could be considered a craft in the basic form. Alot of professional chefs take it into the "art" realm, IMO.

Sort of like glassblowing is a craft, and yet often times taken into the art realm.

 

[narlus]

it's not art, it's science.

at least pasty/confectionary/baking is.

a lot of good cooks don't create the menu, they just cook what/as they are told.

 

[Motionboy2]

It depends on the chef, it depends on the entree. Cooking itself I think is a craft. There can be art in its presentation and often times you find this with a very classy chef. But the act of cooking is a craft, normal people can do it in the basic levels, but it takes a true craftsman to know the tools of the trade and make a perfect dish.

 

[SkaredShtles]

it's not art, it's science.

at least pasty/confectionary/baking is.

What do you know about baking pasties?

 

[BikeGeek]

Tough question. It depends on what you mean by "cooking." If you're cooking with a recipe, I'd call it a craft. It's like a model airplane kit, you've got your parts and instructions on how to put it all together and, while some are better at it than others, anyone can end up with a decent finished product.

I think it crosses into art in certain situations. For example, my brother-in-law had an interview with the owner of a fine dining place. The owner said "I want you to come back tomorrow and cook me something I've never had before" and mentioned a preference for pork. Knowing the sometimes subtle nuances of the combinations of different spices/herbs/etc. and how they compliment other ingredients and being able to assemble them into an original dish that not only tastes great, but looks great, is an art.

 

[OGRipper]

I don't think it has to be one or the other exclusively. It's a craft in that it requires knowledge of materials and some skill developed over time. It's definitely got some science. And there is artistry in creating harmonious combinations and good presentation.

As for professionals, it has been said that line cooks are craftspeople - they just cook what they are told, how they are told - whereas the head chef is an artist because he or she must create the dishes. I don't think it's that simple but it's an interesting way to look at it.

 

[valve bouncer]

I used to think yes. But I have been reading Kitchen Confidential & Anthony Bourdain says no, cooks are craftsmen, so cooking is a craft. I disagreed with this for a bit but if cooking was an art it would take creativity & you can be an excellent gourmet cook & not have an ounce of creativity whatsoever. But if you have the skill & can cook by a recipe or even by taste you can be great at cooking. Hence cooking being a craft.

thoughts?

Wow, cue the Twilight Zone musuc. Just finished reading that book myself and was gonna start a thread on it. If you ever get a chance to see his TV series have a look, very entertaining.

 

[odiwik]

It depends on the chef, it depends on the entree. Cooking itself I think is a craft. There can be art in its presentation and often times you find this with a very classy chef. But the act of cooking is a craft, normal people can do it in the basic levels, but it takes a true craftsman to know the tools of the trade and make a perfect dish.

I agree, cooking itself is a craft; the presentation, prep, and atmosphere is the art. The art behind it makes up half the meal for me.

 

[Dartman]

It can be an artform...

Not so much visual art either. Consider the layering and combining of flavors is much like the mixing of paint and applying to the canvas.

Mike

 

[TN]

Wow, cue the Twilight Zone musuc. Just finished reading that book myself and was gonna start a thread on it. If you ever get a chance to see his TV series have a look, very entertaining.

A Cook's Tour? if you liked the tv series, check out his book, A Cooks Tour. It has a lot in it that wasn't in the series. He also has a new series on Travel Chanel, No Reservations. I saw the 1st episode about New Jersey, of all places (his home). It was OK. He went to Mtn. Creek & skied which made NJ look a little less like hell on earth. He goes to Vietnam next episode, that should be cool.

 

[valve bouncer]

A Cook's Tour? if you liked the tv series, check out his book, A Cooks Tour. It has a lot in it that wasn't in the series. He also has a new series on Travel Chanel, No Reservations. I saw the 1st episode about New Jersey, of all places (his home). It was OK. He went to Mtn. Creek & skied which made NJ look a little less like hell on earth. He goes to Vietnam next episode, that should be cool.

Sounds good..should get that sometime in 2009 over here
What gets me about that bloke is that he's the wrong side of 40, eats like a pig, drinks like a fish and smokes like a chimney but he's still as skinny as a robber's dog. It's not fair.