The Chore of Cooking

It shocks me as to how many people use the fast-food drive up window multiple times per week for lunch and dinner. Reasons for doing so range from lack of time, dislike for cooking, etc. I've been there myself. However, you don't have to be a good cook or even like cooking to put dinner on the table. I'm trying to reach all of you non-cooks out there. I don't intend to attempt to transform your personality or make you Food Network Star ready. Just a little thought, planning and practice will get the job done with minimum drudgery on your part.

If you're a non cook, I'm betting your kitchen is not organized. This is vital step one. You probably can't locate your measuring cups, know what's in your spice cupboard, etc. Go through your kitchen (one drawer at a time -- don't overwhelm yourself) and take note of what you have on hand. If you can't find/identify your pantry items or kitchen tools, and if they're not easily accessible, you're not going to use them. Don't get hung up on perfection. A general organizational outlay is all that is needed.

De-clutter your kitchen. People think they need to have all sorts of kitchen gadgets. You don't. Two things I insist on having are good quality knives and good quality cookware. Even in that regard, less is more. You will also find your kitchen easier to keep clean if you don't have as much stuff. Trust me.

If you have any teflon pans that are chipped and/or worn, toss them out. Personally, I very rarely use teflon coated pans. Fumes from burning teflon is a toxin that can kill small animals. I put two and two together and got rid of mine.

So, get to it with step one: de-clutter, organize, take note of what you have on hand, and keep most often used items where you can easily get to them.