Fortunately, at the very beginning of my attempts at cooking, I came across Anthony Bourdain's (German edition) “So koche ich in Les Halles, New York”. Mr Bourdain, who may seem a bit freaky to some, sets out “a few basic rules” (p. 22 ff.) which could not be described better or more accurately.  The preparation should be fun, or as Mr Bourdain writes, "There's something deeply satisfying about turning a bunch of raw ingredients into an arrangement of useful food."  Well, unlike Mr Bourdain, I would not listen to Curtis Mayfield while I am preparing, more likely Bill Bruford, George Benson, Al Jarreau or Dire Straits.  But the result is the same: “Slowly but surely, you create order out of chaos.  And when the work is done and the music comes to an end, there is no better moment than when you take stock of the fruit of your labour: everything is in its place, the mise en place is complete.  A moment of true beauty, security and almost limitless possibilities.”  Maybe somewhat pathetic, but it hits the mark.

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Almost all recipes are preceded by the mise en place, which you can also use as a shopping list.  If one is still arguing about the use of recipes, I would think this is no longer possible taking into account the need for a more or less complete mise en place. Without preparing the products, measuring the quantities, etc., very few dishes will be successful.  Shopping lists and mise en place are part of cooking, as are hygiene and washing up (many cooking tools just do not belong in the dishwasher).