A Good Cook Sometime 2927

cook sometimes -- i.e. mainly on the weekends? Second, does anyone have any advice on how someone can still have the convenience during the week of fast meals while simultenously exercising some degree of

Hi there. Of course almost everybody learns their technique in their spare time. What you are missing out on is the training of your tastebuds during your non-cooking times. Eating what you say you eat will teach you nothing and you won't develop your ability to figure out what's in things you like or don't like. If you think this could be an important thing in your life, you need to eat better consistently. Since you like books, get a couple of books dedicated to eating well while cooking a short time. Nigel Slater has written at least two that allow you to spend 30 minutes or less and still eat great food. Obviously someone who works long enough to eat tinned ravioli doesn't have time to watch TV enough to get on with cooking. But there are fresh and frozen ravioli, too! And all the other things you mention eating can be done with no packaged help. Most Italian housewives make fast pastas in the time it takes to heat the water, cook the pasta and serve it. Day to day sauces are not cooked for hours, but for minutes. Many Asian recipes can be done in the time it takes to boil rice. It's a bit like the physician's oath "First do no harm." The cook's oath could be "First taste no bad food." I applaud your dedication. One day you will add this and that and come up with your own, but there's a learning curve as to what works and what doesn't and many who do that too fast end up using the same fave ingredients and producing things that taste the same, only varying according to the meat or fish used or whether it is served with this starch or that one. It explains why so much ethnic food in the US is so vague and American. (Which I find happens in other countries, too. Italian Mexican is vile.)