It’s a pretty deep read I’d say. It’s improved a lot of my instincts in the kitchen (what’s a dish or pot missing) . Recipes are also nice but can be a cost trap until you generate a sense of what sorts of things you want to have stocked. For that I’d say stick to one grouping of recipes (like say, Italian) to get a basic idea of what “most” recipes use in that grouping. That will save you money as you won’t have to be going out for different new spices, canned goods and oils every time you cook.

Sounds a lot like how I've learned cooking during my student time. It's fun experimenting with techniques until you understand how to extract a decent flavor out of each ingredient. I think this is why master chefs never stop learning, it's a really deep rabbit hole until you've perfected just one dish, repeatably.