‘Trust the process’: 23 Food Memes Proving Happiness Doesn't Always Come From Following Recipes

Cata Holmes • Writer

Sep 6, 2026 6:30 PM EDT

The best recipes are accepting that things maybe won't go as planned…

I can say from experience that cooking is not for everyone… and that's okay! Some people are born for something, while others may be the best cooks out there. And of course, no one is better than the other. When it comes to cooking, there's this expectation that the food has to come out good if you just follow recipes. But life can prove you wrong in so many ways if you think it's true.

Recipes are instructions, but sometimes they feel more like indications. How many times have you tried to follow a recipe from TikTok and somehow realized that the batter is runnier than the one in the video? What can you do to fix that? Well, add flour. But then, the recipe is lost! And you did your own thing… and now, the dessert is not coming out properly.

If we go deep enough, recipes can be used as a life metaphor… Okay, bear with me, please; I promise this will make sense.

In other words, we tend to live our lives based on this "plan" we have in mind. We have expectations for ourselves, and we know exactly what we have to do to achieve them and live up to them. But, for a mysterious reason, life always finds a way to laugh at our plans and see them more as suggestions. Sometimes, we end up making mistakes, but other times, not following "recipes" can be a good idea! Maybe, because of that, we meet friends who will last a lifetime, the love of our lives, or work for a company you never even considered!

So, recipes can be followed exactly to a T and, as a consequence, bake the tastiest cake in the world. And sometimes, having them as instructions can be the best thing ever! Now, let's not forget this cooking and food meme listicle that proves that there's nothing wrong with making a mess if cooking didn't go as planned. Just relax, order takeout, and enjoy these memes. Remember, everything will be okay!