We all know that Chef Dan is basically a wizard in the kitchen. From cooking amazing meals at home, over 25 years of chef experience, to teaching students of all ages and experience levels, to leading The Seasoned Chef for almost 9 years, Chef Dan has been incredibly dedicated to learning and sharing every aspect of the cooking process for years.

While some of this high level of commitment might be innate, our beloved Chef also credits his extensive martial arts background with teaching him many lessons that can be easily translated to the kitchen, such as that constant discipline creates habit. (FYI that Chef Dan’s partnership with Master William Clark of Z-Ultimate Martial Arts Studio even led to the creation of our award-winning cookbook “Mix Match, Make Take”!)

Whether you’re invested in the field of martial arts or not, here are a few key lessons we’ve learned from martial arts that apply directly to cooking in your home kitchen.  Watch out… if you keep it up, you might have a black belt in cooking before you know it!

5 Lessons from Martial Arts That We Use in the Kitchen

Discipline Creates Habit

There’s no way around it - constant discipline breeds lifelong habits.  Similar to stepping foot into the dojo regularly, sticking to healthy habits everyday can lead to a lifelong wellness habit.  Commit to your wellness by training everyday, eating healthy everyday (starting with a nutrient-rich breakfast!), getting plenty of good rest, and enjoying lots of fresh air.

Though this level of discipline is also imperative when it comes to spending time in the kitchen.  Eat fresh, unprocessed foods whenever possible and commit to making meals from scratch.  Cooking doesn’t need to take much time or talent, but once you commit to learning and honing the basic skills used in the kitchen, keep using them until they become a habit you can regularly lean on at home.  This discipline will make cooking at home even easier and more fun in the long run.

Travel Light

In martial arts, we’re taught to have one-to-two skills completely mastered and ready to go at a moment’s notice.  Similarly, we recommend having a couple skills always ready to go for when you’re in the kitchen.

If you love the grill, great! Then master grilling and make sure you know how to make everything from pizzas to salmon to a juicy rib-eye on the grill.  If roasting is more your forte, then learn how to roast everything that comes your way so that you are always ready to go when you want to make a meal at home.

While there’s plenty to learn when you want to up-level your game, all it takes is one-to-two skills to be able to cook on a daily basis.

Hit Them in the Face
Your first goal in martial arts is to not get into a fight at all.  Then if you’re still provoked, you go into a defensive position.  If a fight is unavoidable, then your goal is to know what to do to get the other party on the ground.  No matter the circumstances, you know your path within the fight and you know where you are going next.

Similarly, when it comes to cooking, you should become familiar with where you are going before you even get started.  Know what the final product should look like and what your goals are throughout your time in the kitchen before you take a look at the individual recipe’s steps.  This will help you to understand where you might need to adapt based on what you have available in your own kitchen, as well assisting you in understanding the goals of each individual step in the cooking process.  Your end product will turn out much better if you know early on that your goal is to “hit them in the face.”

Train Until You’re Bored

Repetition in training typically leads to better results.  Though once you’ve become bored by the process and have perfected it to the point that it feels routine, then you’re ready to learn some new skills.

If you frequently sauté, learn to perfect emulsification so that you can have a delicious dressing with homemade dressing on the side.  Or if you love to blanche your vegetables, learn to season to your exact preference so that they taste a little different everyday.  Either way, boredom simply means that you should move on to try a new technique.  There is always more to learn!

React Versus Respond

There is a small, but significant difference between reacting and responding.  A reaction is instant.  It is what happens when you don’t know what to do and you’re letting your environment be in control in any “oh no” moments.  Responding, on the other hand, means that you are allowing your skills to be in control of the situation and you naturally have a plan. Said simply, you react when you don’t know what to do, but you respond when you do know what to do.

In martial arts, we’re taught to have a deep understanding of next steps, though the same can and should very much occur in the kitchen.  If a fight is beginning, we duck, block, and hit.  Similarly, in the kitchen, you should trust your developed skills and naturally have a plan. If the taste is a bit off from expected, trust what you know to add a pinch of salt or sugar.  If the pan is too hot, trust your experience to lower the heat and adjust the time.  Experience will allow you to think quickly and to naturally respond whenever you’re caught in a bind.

We’re now offering virtual cooking and baking classes!  Click here to find a class and sign up.