Most people I know who "love cooking" had the privilege to choose it. When money was tight, cooking was labor. When it was easier, it became exploration.

I think there's a dishonesty in how we talk about this. A chef who loves their craft says they love cooking. A working parent doing it at 6pm on a Tuesday is doing maintenance, not cooking. They're the same activity, completely different experience.

The question assumes a pure separation that doesn't exist. You can be frustrated with necessity and still learn technique. You can have creative energy and still approach it as fuel-making some nights.

Real tell is what happens when you get more time. Do you suddenly find it joyful, or does the drudgery just reveal itself now that speed isn't the constraint? That's not about cooking. That's about whether you have energy left for anything.