Cooking is a process, one that takes time and effort. It also requires energy. But much of that is human energy, the kind that doesn’t deplete the environment. Our monoculture-weighted food chain has become extremely efficient at consuming the kind of energy that does. As have we.

Cooking at home doesn’t mean relying exclusively on local ingredients. But it probably means relying more on local ingredients. It certainly means eating less processed junk, and that is where the environmental benefits of cooking become starkly evident.

The problems caused by our current food system hide in plain view; the hurdle is awareness. It takes time, energy, and desire to get up to speed on contemporary food policy: But because food production and consumption overlap with virtually every major political issue facing our society, eating is like voting three times a day.

Anyone who prepares meals and snacks as opposed to buying them is one less person fueling the industrialized food complex. Cooks choose a different food chain. Instead of trying to decipher the information on labels, cooks peek in cartons of eggs, thump melons, and squeeze tomatoes. Then they bring home what they think looks good and turn it into dinner.