Stick with me for a bit while I explain...
You are as many unique people, in as many languages you speak. This was a paraphrased quote from somebody (who?) I heard a long time ago, and it stuck with me. English is my primary language, I also know (very limited) French. Enough French to visit, order a meal (and know exactly what I'm getting), ask for directions or help, and locate the nearest bathroom. I also look at computers and music as their own language. Computers are easy, we even call different types of programming "languages". Once you understand one or more computer languages, you can program or script them to do something right off the top of your head because you speak the language. Music, one of our oldest languages. You can take 5 musicians who have never met each other, and without speaking a word they can improvise a song right there on the spot. This is because we are all speaking the same language.
Cooking I look at in the same way. Growing up, my talented folks taught me how to cook. But more importantly, just like all of those other activities, they built up my vocabulary. That vocabulary not only exists of ingredients, but of techniques, methods, and theories. When you combine all of them, you can create something from its base parts as easy as speaking. Ingredients, techniques, methods, etc. are just like words, and a meal is a coherent well structured sentence. But much like language, there is more than one way to convey the same thought. You can make it simple, eloquent, dramatic, complicated, etc...
Simple rules (just like we have in language) will govern your creation. Like rice is normally cooked 1 part rice to 1 1/3 parts water. But after you've seen that same pot with a cup of rice and a cup and a third of water sitting on it, you don't need to measure. You just do it. Techniques can vary, but all have the basic principals. Roasting does not have to occur at (X) temperature. Your veggies will come out just fine if you're roasting them at 325 or 400. What you will learn is that the results will be slightly different. Your potatoes may come out crispier, with more of a slightly raw (more flavorful IMHO) center, but your veggies may caramelize more thoroughly, however they may become more limp.
When folks at work or my in-laws ask me to show them something, I generally focus on the technique more than the measurements or ingredients. Roasting works for almost any protein, veggies, roots, etc... Sautéing works great for crisp veggies, fish, etc... I could go on. Techniques are the base for building upon. They are the verbs of the sentences.
Main ingredients are the most difficult for me to teach others. My MIL recently asked me recently how to cook scallops. The only thing I could muster was a simple "Until they are done.", because I was struggling in how to explain to her what the look and feel of a not overcooked (she is known of cooking them until they are rubber) scallop is. I can't tell you how many times I screwed up making scallops before I became proficient at them. Although I did have two quite healthy, yet slightly overweight dogs for a period in my life. They loved my scallops no matter how bad I screwed them up. So, instead of telling my MIL, I just gave her a promise to show her, and did the next time we had her to the house for dinner. Simple pan seared scallops in a caper butter sauce. Obviously the ingredients are the nouns of the sentence.
Now nouns can have different meanings. Those simple scallops I made for my MIL were good, however she said that they did not taste like the scallops I made for her at some earlier point. From my recollection the only difference was the sauce. The method and technique were identical, however the window dressing was different. I believe that I had done a beurre blanc sauce. This is where herbs, spices, fats, acids, etc. all come in. My favorite part of language... The adjectives. I could say, "There is a woman standing here", and it would paint a picture in your mind. I could however change that picture if I said, "There is a beautiful woman standing here", or I could give the picture in your mind more depth by saying "There is a beautiful older woman standing here". They are all coherent statements, but each in turn adds depth to the picture. So, by adding adjectives to your vocabulary, learning how they interact, they will give a rich depth to your cooking.
It's all language. The more languages you speak, be it speaking, programming, playing an instrument or singing, dancing, sparring, painting, cooking, etc. you add depth to your personality, and a more rich and unique person you become.
Make your own mayo...
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