The Long Lost Art of Cooking

There was a great article in last weekend's New York Times called "Commander in Chef" which talked about Michelle Obama's plans for getting American families to eat more healthfully. Most people know that early this spring they broke ground for a vegetable garden at the White House but this article points out that Americans need help when it comes to what to do with those raw vegetables.

Raw Food enthusiasts would say "What do you need to do? Wash them and eat them!" but some of us like a bit more variety in our meals, like cooked vegetables, sauces and non-vegetable items.

The author pointed out that Americans ate takeout for 128 of their meals in 2008 and since the economic downturn and McDonald's recent surge in profits, it's pretty safe to assume that those meals were mostly fast food. Another worrying statistic quoted that 42% of the foods brought home from the grocery store were packaged and processed rather than fresh. The convenience foods industry is a multi-billion dollar industry. Since I'm currently trying to watch our family's spending, I'm very reluctant to give money to companies whose mass-produced meals mean less nutrition for my family.

Most folks do need help for how to cook and Food Bloggers are here to help you. Take a look at the many recipes and Dish of the Day links on the right-side of this very page! And there are hundreds of recipe sites, such as the high brow epicurious.com, the something for everyone recipezaar.com, or the eco-conscious VegetarianTimes.com.

Judging by this summer's newest cookbooks, there are many of us out there longing for a return to simpler times when cooking and eating together was the norm, rather than a rarity. Titles such as "RATIO: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking" by Michael Ruhlman and "A HOMEMADE LIFE: Stories and Recipes From My Kitchen Table" by Molly Wizenberg are but a few titles by authors who want to help us get back to basics and enjoy the simple pleasures of eating and socialising with friends.