This merit badge requires tasks to be completed at home and with scouts, making it more complicated than many. A good merit badge counselor ensures the scout learns safe ways to prepare healthy, tasty meals with a range of resources. As an eagle-required merit badge, Cooking is at position 7 with about 49,000 badges being awarded each year. Due to the pandemic, Cooking had about 26% fewer completions recently because it requires planned troop camping and hikes.