When was the last time you got excited about a recipe you were going to cook?

For anybody who spends at least some of their time in the kitchen, one of the highlights of cooking is always going to be looking forward to making something that you think will be delicious. Of course, nothing beats actually getting to consume the finished product, but getting hyped up about the opportunity to prepare it is an essential part of the process. There is a reason that food being made with love is such a coveted quality.

It is also something that helps us bypass the more irritating parts of the cooking process, such as making mistakes, making a mess, and even just waiting the appropriate amount of time for things to be ready. You don’t necessarily have to be clever to be a good cook, but you do have to be able to pay attention and be patient. Most of us aren’t always great at doing these things, and it is probably no surprise that kitchen disasters can be a common occurrence. We just need to be able to learn our lesson and move on.

Cooking memes do not just exist to make us feel hungry (or put us off our food, depending on their contents). They are also a motivator that shows us that working in the kitchen is worth it, and the setbacks don’t mean that we have to fall back on takeout all of the time. It’s worth the effort to keep going and try that new recipe, or just enjoy some old favorites.