aem wrote:

> Donald Martinich wrote:
>
>>Cooking 101: Add 1 Cup of Simplicity
>>As Kitchen Skills Dwindle, Recipes Become Easy as Pie
>
> [snip the article]
>
> This article tries too hard to make something out of nothing. It's
> hardly worth responding to except to correct the record. A few main
> points:
>
> * More complete directions in cookbooks doesn't mean today's readers
> are dumber, it means today's writers are smarter. James Beard and
> Julia Child demonstrated 40 and 50 years ago that careful directions
> are more valuable than "add 2 eggs" or "bake until done."

Honest to goodness, I came across a website with some pretty good
recipes. All the baked recipes started with *Check the oven for any pot
or pans, once cleared, turn oven to...* I know I bookmarked it in one
of the browsers so I'll post the link when I find it. Really though,
careful directions are better than vague ones.

>
> * That more wives work outside the home doesn't mean jack as to
> whether kids will learn about food and cooking at home. It may mean
> there are more opportunities for the kids to learn from Dad as well as
> Mom.
>
> * That food companies get more ignorant and weird questions from
> customers than ever before means they now have e-mail. If Fanny Farmer
> had e-mail she'd have got just as many dumb questions.

Email is just so easy and most times you get fast responses. If in
doubt, why not ask?

>
> * We're not talking rocket science here. Absolutely nothing is in
> danger of being lost. Food and cooking are still interesting and those
> who want to become proficient and to enjoy improving their skills and
> knowledge have more resources available to do so than ever before.
> -aem
>