--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: No matter how much creativity goes into…" description: "\"No matter how much creativity goes into it, cooking is an art. Or perhaps I should say a craft. It abides by absolute rules, physics, chemistry, etc. a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b88/alton-brown-3699_absolutes_no-matter-how-much-creativity-goes-into_2357408.png" --- # No matter how much creativity goes into it, cooking is an… ![“No matter how much creativity goes into it, cooking is an art. Or perhaps I should say a craft. It abides by absolute rules, physics, chemistry, etc. and that means that unless you understand the science you cannot reach the art. We're not talking about painting here. Cooking's more like…” quote by Alton Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b88/alton-brown-3699_absolutes_no-matter-how-much-creativity-goes-into_2357408.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b88/alton-brown-3699_absolutes_no-matter-how-much-creativity-goes-into_2357408.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b88/alton-brown-3699_absolutes_no-matter-how-much-creativity-goes-into_2357408.png) > “No matter how much creativity goes into it, cooking is an art. Or perhaps I should say a craft. It abides by absolute rules, physics, chemistry, etc. and that means that unless you understand the science you cannot reach the art. We're not talking about painting here. Cooking's more like engineering. I happen to think that there is great beauty in great engineering.” [Alton Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alton-brown/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Cooking blends art and science; without understanding physics and chemistry, one cannot achieve culinary excellence. **In simple terms:** Science underlies cooking art. Key Takeaway Learn the fundamentals. Themes creativity science craft culinary engineering Mood inquisitive enthusiastic Type educational inspirational When to use this quote - recipe creation - kitchen training - food safety - menu design Key Concepts Food science process engineering skill development Questions to Reflect On - What scientific principle improves your cooking? - How can you balance creativity with rules? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on technique can stifle intuition. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Absolutes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absolutes/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Chemistry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chemistry/) [Cooking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cooking/) [Crafts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crafts/) [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Engineering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/engineering/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [Not talking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/not-talking/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Physics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physics/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [Surely in a world of email, video conferencing and virtual assistants, isn't being expected to show up at the office extremely anachronistic? Yet to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noreena-hertz/surely-in-a-world-of-email-video-conferencing-and-virtual-assistants/) [Noreena Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreena-hertz/) > [I think chemistry is about not acting, but reacting, and not talking, but listening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-poehler/i-think-chemistry-is-about-not-acting-but-reacting-and-not-talking/) [Amy Poehler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-poehler/) > [Cooking is an art form, a creative thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-clemons/cooking-is-an-art-form-a-creative-thing/) [Clarence Clemons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-clemons/) > [Prepared and fast foods have given us the time and freedom to see cooking as an art form - a form of creative expression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-smith/prepared-and-fast-foods-have-given-us-the-time-and-freedom-to-see/) [Jeff Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-smith/) > [“Any chef worth his spoons learned to talk, because cooking was an art—and art was subjective. 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There is one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-floyd/cooking-is-an-art-and-patience-a-virtue-careful-shopping-fresh-2/) [Keith Floyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-floyd/) > [It is an oldish question, but not perhaps a very interesting one, whether cooking is an art or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hughes/it-is-an-oldish-question-but-not-perhaps-a-very-interesting-one/) [Robert Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hughes/) > [Cooking is an art and patience a virtue. Careful shopping, fresh ingredients and an unhurried approach are nearly all you need. There is one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-floyd/cooking-is-an-art-and-patience-a-virtue-careful-shopping-fresh/) [Keith Floyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-floyd/) > [“cooking was an art—and art was subjective. One man could love an ice sculpture while another thought it boring. It was the same with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/cooking-was-an-art-and-art-was-subjective-one-man-could-love-an-ice/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“Cooking is an art and also science.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohith-agadi/cooking-is-an-art-and-also-science/) [Mohith Agadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohith-agadi/) > [My vision is to not only define food and cooking as an art, but to go back to the roots of cooking and showcase…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorena-garcia/my-vision-is-to-not-only-define-food-and-cooking-as-an-art-but-to-go/) [Lorena Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorena-garcia/) > [Of Cooking. This is an art of various forms, the object of which is to give ordinary observations the appearance and character of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-babbage/of-cooking-this-is-an-art-of-various-forms-the-object-of-which-is-to/) [Charles Babbage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-babbage/) > [There is too much talk of cooking being an art or a science – we are only making ourselves something to eat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-slater/there-is-too-much-talk-of-cooking-being-an-art-or-a-science-we-are/) [Nigel Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-slater/) ## More by Alton Brown > [My feeling has always been that 'Good Eats' would have never happened had it been left to a committee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alton-brown/my-feeling-has-always-been-that-good-eats-would-have-never-happened/) [Alton Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alton-brown/) > [Culinary tradition is not always based on fact. Sometimes it's based on history, on habits that come out of a time when kitchens were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alton-brown/culinary-tradition-is-not-always-based-on-fact-sometimes-it-s-based/) [Alton Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alton-brown/) > [I grill almost all of my fish with the skin on because that gives you real protection at least on one side. It's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alton-brown/i-grill-almost-all-of-my-fish-with-the-skin-on-because-that-gives-you/) [Alton Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alton-brown/) > [I like television. 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They refer to themselves as 'cooks.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alton-brown/very-good-cooks-who-are-employed-as-chefs-rarely-refer-to-themselves/) [Alton Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alton-brown/) > [What tends to happen is that people will go - they've got hot broth, you know, they've added some liquid to their drippings, they've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alton-brown/what-tends-to-happen-is-that-people-will-go-they-ve-got-hot-broth-you/) [Alton Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alton-brown/) > [A pie dough comes together exactly like a biscuit only there is very, very little liquid and no leavening involved. Other than that, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alton-brown/a-pie-dough-comes-together-exactly-like-a-biscuit-only-there-is-very/) [Alton Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alton-brown/) > [Good service can save a bad meal, but there is no level of food that can save bad service.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alton-brown/good-service-can-save-a-bad-meal-but-there-is-no-level-of-food-that/) [Alton Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alton-brown/) [Explore all 124 Alton Brown quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alton-brown/) ## More Absolutes quotes > [At the centre of the human heart is the longing for an absolute good, a longing which is always there and is never appeased…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/at-the-centre-of-the-human-heart-is-the-longing-for-an-absolute-good/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [There is no perfect justice, just as there is no absolute in ethics. 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