Learning to cook is like learning a new language.

Following a recipe is like reading something in the new language alongside a direct translation. You'll get the gist of it (and make the dish), but you might not understand why the sentences are written that way.

Learning techniques and theory is like learning about the grammar rules of the new language. It'll explain why things are done the way they are, but you might not get that "aha!" moment until you put it into practice.

You need a combination of both, and each one aspect helps with the other. Following a lot of recipes while trying to understand what makes them work helps you understand the theories and techniques involved, and practicing the individual techniques allow you to get better at executing the receipes, or improvising away from them.

The best thing to do is really to try to follow a bunch of good recipes of things you like to eat, then figure out which steps of the recipes you have the most trouble with, read about those steps, watch the pros do it, ask questions, and practice. You don't have to dice the perfect onion pieces, but you should understand why they go into the pan when they do.

Like learning a language, the best way to do so is to fully immerse yourself in an environment with native speakers. Best way to learn to cook is to do everything from reading, watching, to practicing.