Imperial College London is including cookery lessons in its chemistry degree courses, starting this September. The Introduction to Culinary Practice module, created in collaboration with the chef Jozef Youssef from the Basque Culinary Centre, will allow students to “experience the ambiguities and challenges of translating written instructions into action”(AKA “following a recipe”). There are several reasons why I think this is a great idea, only some of which hold academic weight.