If you’re over 50 years old, you likely have fond memories of growing up in a world where people cooked and shared family dinners. Back then, dining out was reserved for special occasions. Dinner time was a vital family social event, and arriving late was a serious insult, often met with consequences. Everyone knew the basics of cooking. I recall a time when anyone over the age of 10 could whip up biscuits, gravy, or rice. If you couldn’t, something was considered wrong with you. Most of my generation, both men and women, began learning to cook as soon as they could reach the stove. This wasn’t about opening a package and popping it into a microwave—those didn’t exist back then.
In the 21st century, with instant communication and the world’s knowledge at our fingertips via the internet—including recipes and cooking techniques from every corner of the globe—why are so many people unwilling or unable to cook? I’m frequently approached in stores and other places with questions about the most basic culinary tasks, and it makes me wonder: can anyone cook anymore? I teach cooking classes and seminars, and I’m constantly amazed by the lack of even rudimentary culinary skills among my new students.
The Shift to Spectator Cooking
On cable television, countless “cooking” shows like Iron Chef and Hell’s Kitchen resemble roller derby more than culinary art. They’re a far cry from the informative programs of the 1960s, like those hosted by Julia Child, Graham Kerr, and Justin Wilson. Add to that restaurants like Benihana with their Bruce Lee-style stir-fry performances, and cooking seems to have become a spectator sport, leaving actual cooking to professionals.
How did this happen? It can’t be that basic cooking is too complicated. I firmly believe anyone can cook if they try. You don’t need to be a master chef to make pasta and sauce at home. Basic biscuits require just four ingredients and can be prepared from scratch in less than five minutes, plus about 20 minutes of baking time. The same goes for pancakes and most everyday dishes. So why do so many people lack these skills?
While researching this article, I stumbled across a website listing 10 reasons why you shouldn’t cook. The reasons included:
- Groceries cost money (as if eating out doesn’t?)
- Cooking is time-consuming (so is showering or cleaning the house—so what?)
- Eating out promotes family bonding, and you don’t have to clean up after the kids (how does that promote bonding? Parents are supposed to clean up after their children; we used to call that responsibility and setting an example.)
- When cooking at home, you might not follow sanitation rules (do you not clean your bathroom for the same reason?)
- Life can become too routine: working, cooking, cleaning, working. Eating out provides surprises (sure, especially if you saw what might be happening to your food in the kitchens of cheap diners, unless you’re wealthy enough to avoid them.)
- Your food may not taste good (neither might the restaurant’s.)
- If you cook something bad at home, you pay to redo it. Restaurants replace it for free (only if they have something better. I’ve left countless restaurants still hungry.)
- Enjoy life like royalty—have someone cook and clean for you (most of us aren’t that privileged and must work to get by.)
- It gives you time to bond with your spouse since there’s no cooking or cleaning (or you could listen to them complain about never having money because it’s all spent on eating out and cleaning services.)
- You work hard for your money, so spend it on yourself (and sit in the dark when the electricity is cut off.)
This website disturbed me because it seems to reflect the mindset of the generation following my Baby Boomer peers. Somehow, people have become more self-centered—a “me” generation where responsibility is shirked, everyone’s a victim, and the world owes them a living. This attitude appears reinforced by media, public schools, and daycare centers. It almost feels like a deliberate push to make people dependent on external services. I’m not a conspiracy theorist, but I can observe trends and draw logical conclusions. Over the past 40 years, Americans have become significantly less self-sufficient.
I don’t know why this shift occurred, but it needs to be reversed. Self-sufficiency is a core value that made this country great. If you don’t know how to cook, learn. YouTube offers virtual hands-on instruction for preparing, cooking, and baking almost anything—knowledge that would cost thousands at a culinary school. There’s nothing like the satisfaction of a dish well made. I’ll say it again: anyone can cook. You may not master soufflés, but a six-year-old can make biscuits with adult supervision. Cooking dry beans, rice, potatoes, salads, hamburgers, hot dogs, and most casseroles is within anyone’s ability. There’s no excuse for not being able to feed yourself and your family.
I’ll step off my soapbox now. If you take nothing else from this, learn basic cooking. Outside services may not always be available—just ask the New Orleans refugees from Hurricane Katrina.
