Does Being a Good Cook Makes One a Better Scientist?

By : Dr. Nor Adzimah Johdi (Research Fellow DS51)

One of the things that I really enjoy besides science is cooking. Well, one would argue that there is also science in cooking too. I have learned to realise that there are many similarities between cooking and conducting research. They both require the following ingredients.

  • Interest/Passion

A high level of interest is important. Nothing goes without having an interest in pursuing what you love to do. Without interest or passion, you can easily be broken and give up. Be it cooking or research.

  • Search for information

You need to do some searching before even embarking in the process. In cooking, you usually will search the internet or recipe books for the best recipe for the dish you intend to cook. You may also ask some forums, blogs or even some chefs for some recipes. Similarly in research, we do a literature review where you read everything related to your subject of interest before you embark on doing it. You can also ask for opinion from experts or advice from the Research Gate, scientific forums that are accessible online. You can even watch videos on YouTube on certain techniques for either cooking or a research technique such as for cell culture.

  • Planning and organisation

Before you even start cooking, you need to go to the market to buy the ingredients and raw materials that are required in the recipe. You need to plan to get the list of things to buy and have a budget. This could also include some utensils that are necessary for cooking. This is similar with research; you need to purchase chemicals/reagents/consumables from authorised dealers. If this is not planned properly, it will severely delay your experiment as it takes time for things to arrive. You need to plan when to do the purchasing, when you expect it to arrive, allocate budget, etc. In research we have to plan for the achievement of key milestones and also have a Gantt chart. Planning and organisation are both important in cooking and research in order to make sure that you get everything that you need before you embark on the actual task.

  • Utensils (Materials and equipment)

Cooking requires all the necessary utensils and equipment e.g. pans, pots, double boiler, blender, oven, etc. Similarly in research one requires equipment such as the mixer, centrifuge, oven, water bath, thermocycler, biosafety cabinet, etc.

  • Step wise instructions (Methods)

This instruction details what you have to do and it is called ‘a recipe’ in cooking. It is a step by step information on how to cook the particular dish. Some cookbooks may even have diagrams and photographs to show how to do things the right way e.g. how to fold the dumplings or how to put the icing on the cake. In science, a similar step by step instruction is called the methodology or experimental protocol. An example is the step by step details on how to transfect DNA into mammalian cells.

  • Optimisation

Very rarely that you cook the perfect dish the first time. Similarly in a scientific experiment, things may not work at the first attempt. In both examples, it will require troubleshooting and optimisation. If your chicken appears overcooked, you will want to reduce the time for cooking the next time around. Similarly in science, certain cells can express protein at a better level using different incubation times. This can only be known through a series of optimisation of the incubation time. Optimisation also involves critical thinking and problem solving skills in order to trouble shoot the method to get a better result.

  • Documentation

For cooks, they record their cooking method or make notes in a recipe book while scientists do it in lab book. They both record the materials (ingredients), methods, techniques, results and discussion in their task for easier reference in future.

  • White coats

The chef’s apron and the scientist’s lab coat does not differ much. They are both white in colour with the lab coat slightly longer in length than the apron.

  • Multi-techniques

Both cooking and research require knowledge and experience in different techniques. In cooking, this can include pan-frying, grilling, boiling, baking and steaming. One must know each technique and how much time exactly is required for each technique for a variety of dishes. The same goes with research with techniques and analysis ranging from genomics, proteomics, or cell biology.

  • Mentor and Motivator

Both cooking and research require a mentor and motivator. A mentor will help you to do things the right way. On the other hand the motivator is the one that motivates you to keep on trying if your cooking or experiments failed. They can be your friends, colleagues, your superior or even your family. If a person praises you for the wonderful dish which you have cooked or the novel finding in your research, you will be smiling all day long and that keeps you motivated.

  • Instinct

Instinct is acquired through experience and practice. Hence, the more you cook and the more you do research, the better will be your instinct. In cooking, some cooks just have a good sense of taste. Even if the recipe says to add 2 tablespoons of sugar, they have an instinct that says it is probably too sweet and you need to balance it with the overall taste of your ingredient. The same goes with research. Most protocols will give a range of methods and variables. After many experiment, you will know which particular steps are less necessary or less stringent and can be skipped, or even in terms of the amount of reagents to be added and the suitable incubation times. Once you have developed this instinct, you can then apply to your research the best approach that suits your experiment.

So if you enjoy cooking, you might find doing research is not much far different. The processes and attitude towards both of them are very similar. Perhaps the only difference is you can’t taste your results from the experiment.