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A Sad State of Affairs

Posted by Elise on Mar 20, 2006

Filed under Observations

A Sad State of Affairs

According to this recent article in the Washington Post, we don't know how to cook any more. The situation is so bad that companies like Kraft and General Mills have had to dumb down their recipes to avoid using terms such "sauté" or "simmer".

Even the writers and editors of the "Joy of Cooking," working on a 75th anniversary edition to be published by Charles Scribner's Sons in November, have argued "endlessly" over whether to include terms like "blanch," "fold" and "sauté ," said Beth Wareham, Scribner's director of lifestyle publications. "I tell them, 'Why should we dumb it down?' When you learn to drive, you learn terms like "brake" and "parallel park." Why is it okay to be stupid when you cook?"
...

At a conference last December, Stephen W. Sanger, chairman and chief executive of General Mills Inc., noted the sad state of culinary affairs and described the kind of e-mails and calls the company gets asking for cooking advice: the person who didn't have any eggs for baking and asked if a peach would do instead, for example; and the man who railed about the fire that resulted when he thought he was following instructions to grease the bottom of the pan -- the outside of the pan.

Frightening, yes, surprising no. I've been working so hard for years I never had time to cook, I mean really cook. (A lot of what passes for cooking is really just mixing and heating.) It wasn't until I turned forty and had the awful realization that not only did I not know how to kill, pluck, and eviscerate a chicken (and still don't), I didn't even know how to cut a whole one into pieces (can do that one now). My parents have known how to do these things since they were children. Over the years my mom had endured one phone call after another, "mom, I'm about to make some corn on the cob, how long do I cook it?," and "what do you mean I need a meat thermometer?"

Cooking is a basic life skill that is never too late to learn, nor too early to teach. I hope you enjoy the article.

Links:
Cooking 101: Add 1 Cup of Simplicity - Washington Post

25 Comments

In my opinion the way people learn new terms (especially younger people) is by reading those new terms and being provoked into finding the meaning. It would be more simple to define the terms in the back of the book rather than 'dumb' the books down. I really love your website!

Posted by: Pat on March 19, 2006 2:15 PM

I regularly turn to your posts for those tried-and-true, easy to whip together recipes; I enjoy it more for bringing new foods and cooking techniques to my above-average (if I may be so modest) culinary skills.

I don't know when it became commonplace to stop learning new things. Do we run out of time? Are we just not that enticed or challenged? How do we expect to reach our goals without trying (or are we just so complacent that we no longer have goals)? OK, now I'm rambling...

I just wanted to thank and applaud you for sharing your culinary experiences with us, and for not "dumbing them down" unnecessarily. [My husband would also like to thank you, for he regularly -- and unknowingly -- enjoys your recipes.]

Posted by: Michelle on March 19, 2006 2:27 PM

There are so many things wrong with this argument...
1)There's a difference between not knowing where to grease the pan and not knowing what "saute" means. One is stupid or wasn't raised properly, the other one, well, read on...
2)As long as a person can cook basic dishes and survive on them, they're perfectly competent and shouldn't be referred to as "stupid." I'm a college student living on my own, cooking a lot, but I can't accurately identify quite a few words I find in recipes. There's A LOT to learn in cooking, and that's why there are cooking classes and schools for chefs. Most of us don't have the time or money (I don't think most people posting here are from the working or lower class and know what that means.) I'm not "enticed or challenged" right now to learn what the proper technique for blanching is. I don't find cooking THAT exciting. My family also can't afford the huge list of ingredients most recipes require.
3)Driving and knowing those terms is a NECESSITY for millions of people. Knowing what "saute" means IS NOT A NECESSITY. I've gotten along fine without it.
There will always be recipes for people who really know how to cook and those who don't. Let's not be cooking snobs.

p.s. i still love this blog.

Posted by: Maria on March 19, 2006 3:50 PM

I agree...there is a difference between stupid and ignorant. Some people will never enjoy cooking as much as others and have no reason to learn very much about the process. It does seem, however, all of us enjoy eating! And, for the college student who isn't inspired today, there's always tomorrow. Good food doesn't have to be expensive nor difficult. But like anything worth doing, you do have to invest a little time.

Posted by: Janice on March 19, 2006 7:17 PM

Having had to teach an aunt and a couple of girlfriends how to cook, I would say you need to speak the language by which they can best learn. If it means "hold pan in XX degree tilted to ..." and enables them to learn, then by all means. Often times, it is the high-minded belief that knowledge of jargon makes you a better whatever that stops people from wanting to learn or join a community.

If you want people to cook your recipes and enjoy eating it, explain it in a way that will not piss them off by talking down to them but also give them the tools to understand you. I like the Joy of Cooking way of having a glossary to explain the terms. It does not insult the intelligence and is very user-friendly. I think we should stop worrying about how dumb or ignorant other people are - and focus on getting them to actually cook something. Let's share the love of food, not the semantics of jargon!

Posted by: MM on March 19, 2006 8:26 PM

I agree, choosing to be ignorant and being stupid (why would someone think a peach could be an egg substitute???) are very different things.

I certainly don't think that everyone needs to know what deglazing a pan is or any other semi-"highbrow" cooking term. But this article is an interesting indicator of the trend in our culture towards a lack of self-sufficieny. I can assure you that 30yrs ago the majority of Americans could cook at least a simple meal and knew basic cooking terms like simmer! I'm 25 and almost no one I work with really knows how to cook, they are amazed that I cook dinner almost every night from scratch. I learned most of it from family, cook books, tv shows, magazines (and now some great tips from this blog!) it really wasn't that hard once I got the hang of it.

I worry about a future where we rely so much on prepackaged meals that simple cooking terms seem hard and confusing. If someone is buying a cookbook, they can take the time to learn a few very simple phrases. The saddest part is, The Joy of Cooking explains what it means very clearly and is a total beginners guide to cooking. What's next? People who are confused by words like "broil" or "stir"? I don't think I want these people near ovens or stoves in the first place!

Posted by: Karen on March 19, 2006 8:31 PM

The fact that people don't know the words that are used to describe cooking techniques doesn't mean that that they just don't know the words. It is indicative of the fact that they don't know the techniques! That the food companies are feeling a need to "dumb" down their language is because we have generations of people who never learned the most basic cooking skills. That is the problem, not whether one term is better than the other.

And this doesn't have to do with social class either. My grandmother had only an eighth grade education and she knew how to fold in egg whites, and how to dredge and sauté. She also worked full time as a single mother.

As for the food companies being the culprits here? Hardly. No one is forcing me to go buy convenience foods. I have a choice every day regarding how I eat and what I eat. When I was a poor student I lived on peanut butter, eggs, rice and homemade soup that I made from bones I begged from the local butcher.

Somewhere along the line in the last 30 years, we forgot that food was important - what we put in our bodies, the quality of it, the variety of it, the nourishing value of it, and how to make it. We busied our lives with other things.

Posted by: Elise on March 20, 2006 1:01 AM

They shouldn't make it 'dumb' what needs to happen is our mothers to take the time or at least some time in the weekend to teach us how to cook propertly. My mom was a very busy woman but she took the time to teach me how to cook,iron etc ...

Posted by: Gabriella on March 20, 2006 1:16 AM

Every category of actions (cooking, athletics etc) have their own sets of terms, which have evolved over the years. To participate in that category of terms, we need to know them. where is the question of trying to appear sophisticated or more knowledgeable... you're just calling a spade a spade. Whats wrong with that? Going the same way, we will be removing all such words in the dictionary, just because some people are too lazy to learn them.

Posted by: Sid on March 20, 2006 5:12 AM

Very well stated Elise. Growing up I learn NO cooking skills whatsoever. My mom was a single mom that worked 3-11pm shift, so my dinner was heating up a can of ravioli or a sandwich., After I was married I learned one dish at a time, simple things like hamburgers, hotdogs, meatloaf. I love to cook now and I am always learning new terms and techniques, cookbooks are my textbooks, I read them to learn. I don't use cookbooks to follow recipes, I rarely follow recipes anymore, except when baking. That said, I am always grateful when my cookbook has a glossary and explains the terms I don't know :)

Posted by: Betsy on March 20, 2006 7:34 AM

I think we're looking at the "problem" from the wrong angle. Terms like "saute" and "braise" are not commonplace in every day use until the rise of popularity of French-style cooking - and that began with Julia Child in the 1950's and '60s. Before then, it was simply, "cook slowly" or "brown".

I think the problem today is not that there are fewer people who know these terms - I actually think there are more. I mean, who would have ever thought of coining the term "foodie" in our parent's age? I think the problem today is the sheer accessibility of "expert help" given to the ignorant via the Internet. People who have NEVER known what something means, and got along fine without the knowledge, can now ask someone.

It's not that there are more uninformed people. It's that there is more visibility to the questions.

Posted by: Gwen in Texas on March 20, 2006 7:34 AM

I agree with Kate, that it is not just people not knowing the words, but not knowing the technique. And removing the jargon is not the way to make things more accessible. Because frying, sauteing and simmering are different, you need to have a way to indicate what you want to the cook to do.

To be honest, there are recipes for 3 ingredients that are super simple to make. But if you "dumb down" the recipe for Stuffed Pork Roast with Balsamic Reduction Sauce, do you still have the same thing? (maybe pork chops on Stove-Top dressing topped with store-bought vinagrette?)

I'm all for accesibility. But not at the expense of losing the original recipe. In fact, I have started saving the recipe on boxes and labels if I find one I like. (No food snob here.) Because the trend to make those recipes even easier has caused some of them to change over the years and not be as good. My wife has the side of a Muellers Spaghetti box she got from her mother many years ago, because she liked the recipe better than what it lists now.

Remember, it is not just the recipe, but the food, that can ultimately get "dumbed down".

Posted by: Tom on March 20, 2006 8:27 AM

When I went to sophmore year college (1st apt, 1972) my mom hit garage sales and got me used hand mixer, cookware, etc. and a used Betty Crocker cookbook (for 25 cents). Not once in that cookbook did it say, open up a can of cream of whatever soup. Evertything was from scratch. It was a great way to learn how to cook.
BTW, it's a 1st edition.
What makes me sick in the stores all are the prepared foods. Does it really save any time? Or money?

Posted by: Brazos on March 20, 2006 8:30 AM

I can't believe that Kraft, General Mills or any other food company would make a "Cookbook for Dummies" or change the language of cooking for the simple minded folk. If someone is really interested in cooking they should make a little extra effort and learn a few terms of explanation. Throughout the centuries cooking has been handed down to the next generation. I think this country is trying to make life a little to simple for these people. That is why we are an illiterate nation and soon will not be able to compete in the world market. Wake up America and make a little extra effort for yourself !

Posted by: Mary on March 20, 2006 9:15 AM

Couple of thoughts here.

1. It's not surprising that Kraft, GM, or any other like company would make a "Cookbook for Dummies." They're in business to make money. Their only interest in promoting cooking is to sell more product. They're going to make it as accessible as possible to the greatest number of people. that's why you have "cookies" now that you just pick up off the tray and put on a cookie sheet.

2. It's not necessarily up to Moms to teach the coming generation how to cook. My mother was a horrible cook. I learned to cook from the man who owned the restaraunt where I had my first job. My wife detests cooking. I love it. I'd love to get my kids interested in it. But it's a two-way deal. I can force them to do so much, but eventually that'll just make them see it as a chore instead of a joy.

3. Glossaries, conversion charts, and substitution tables aren't "dumming down" the cookbook. What they do is make it easier to learn for folks who up to now haven't had a need to learn to cook. Now they either have that need, or have that desire, (else they wouldn't be reading the cookbook, eh?) so any help that can be reasonably offered should be.

4. People who grease the outside of a pan will eventually be weeded out by attrition.

Posted by: Charles on March 20, 2006 10:11 AM

First, I think this website is a great place for information.

Regarding cooking terminology, it is imperitive that learning how to cook be enjoyable for those who want to learn, which includes not talking down to anyone. In this way, the tradition of good cooking can thrive.

However, anyone who wants to learn how to cook needs to be open to all things and that means new techiniques and new terms. This is not being high-brow and I do not come from a wealthy family. Further, I think most people who are interested in learning how to cook want to know what the techniques are and their appropriate terms.

Learning how to cook is just a part of living a good and healthy life. Terms like saute, deglaze, and braise have beeen around for quite some time. If the terms/techniques were not known to American culture pre 50's, they have been known for a long time in others.

Posted by: Garrett on March 20, 2006 10:44 AM

I agree, there is a difference between stupid and just ignorant. For example, my best friend wanted me to teach her how to cook. I selected a "simple" recipe and went to her house. I told her we would need a wisk. The stupefied look on her face when I asked for this foreign object said it all. Later in the lesson I handed her a cucumber and asked her to quarter. I could not supress my laughter as I turned to see that she had cut the cucumber into four equal parts. She is slowly learning the cooking lingo and she has branched out on her own trying new recipes and eagerly asking questions of my friend Victoria and I when she gets stuck. However, even she, wouldn't be ignorant enough to grease the actual bottom of a pan. That particular individual should likely stay away from lighters, forks, hot coffee, vehicles and anything electrical.

Posted by: Rebecca on March 20, 2006 11:37 AM

I agree with Kate, but I would also have to say that from what I see in grocery stores(and I live in Texas so there are plenty of nationalities here,) it is the American people who are buying most of the packaged foods, not the immigrants who speak two languages. My family came from Russia, and my mom has never eaten a frozen dinner or other pre-packaged foods. She doesn't know what "simmer" means in English, but that's not necessary. She's been cooking for an American school for ten years and everyone loves her food. So, does my mom know how to cook or is she ignorant? I'd say the importance of respecting cultural diversity narrows this topic down to English-speaking Americans who have made McDonald's and Banquet frozen dinners famous.

Posted by: Maria on March 20, 2006 11:39 AM

A lot of people have asserted very strongly that there is no place for a "dumbed down" cookbook, or a cookbook for "dummies," because no matter how much people want their lives simplified, cooking is an art. I agree wholeheartedly. However, I am inclined to use those very basic cookbooks (I actually like the kids' cookbooks)because no matter how many times I watch Julia Child or Rachel Ray, I have problems getting some of the techniques down. I'm one of those people who was not taught to cook as a child, and quite frankly, I'm a bad cook who loves cooking and wants to improve. Having everything written down in clear, easy to follow instructions help me understand the difference between saute and stir-fry, and why on earth you would want to braise something. A lot of the bigger cookbooks have a quick intro, but the "dumb" ones are perfect for a beginner like me.

Posted by: Cindy on March 20, 2006 12:01 PM

I just e-mailed the Washington Post story to my mom, along with a big thank-you for teaching me how to cook and bake while I was growing up. I'm 32, part of the generation whose moms worked outside the home (and mine did), but Mom taught me how to get around the kitchen, and not to be afraid to experiment (which to me is the most important lesson of all).

Posted by: Holly on March 20, 2006 2:31 PM

The point is that cooking and cooking well is a dying art, much like sewing. Not as many people take the time to learn how to cook or sew anymore. Sure, making food for survival is paramount, but souffle is an art form.

I'm insulted by Maria who said that most people who read this aren't worried about money, and aren't from the lower or working classes. You learn to do what you can with what you have. My mother is a world class cook in our family, but she doesn't have a pot. Expensive ingredients are not necessary for good food. Looking at most of Elise's recipes on here, they are made with everyday inexpensive ingredients.

Bottom line: if you don't want to be a good cook, you're not going to be one. It doesn't matter if you don't know the terminology, the point is to be able to create something without just opening a box and popping it into the microwave.

It's all part of the dumbing down of America. Children don't learn to cook from their parents anymore, they learn to operate a microwave and look for sodium-filled, unhealthy boxed meals that can be done in less than 30 minutes. Sorry, that's not real cooking, and not real food.

Posted by: Chels E. on March 20, 2006 3:00 PM

I call it laziness. This is why the "Dummies" books are so popular. I have an antique website and have spent many hours creating a FREE resource database but I still get 50 + emails a day from folks asking me for the same information plainly discussed on my website.

I personally love reading and learning from cookbooks. I just cooked my first chocolate layer cake from scratch... including the frosting. Not only was it the best thing I have ever tasted but it was fun LEARNING how to do it. The same night I cooked glazed pork chops, also a new recipe for me. I collect antique cookbooks and try adapting those recipes to my life and making them a little more healthy.

Posted by: grannysantiques on March 20, 2006 8:25 PM

That snobby article is a perfect example of the mindset I detest in most people- I'm better than you because I have a formal education.

And anyway, how can you run a website called Simply Recipes and then complain about how dumb the average person is when it comes to cooking? I didn't have anyone teach me how to cook, but I do well, and if I run across something I don't understand- I look it up! What a shock!

And hey, my mom died when I was nine. Is it her fault she died and couldn't teach me what the word dredge means (which I learned on my own, at any rate)? And she was too busy supporting three kids as a paralegal while finishing college to take the time to show us how to iron. That does not make her less of a person for not teaching us these essentials- nor does it make me less of a person for learning it on my own.

Not everyone has a housewife for a mom.

From now I will stick to "simply" the "recipes" and leave the negative commentary about us dumb common-folk to the snobs.

Posted by: Amanda on March 20, 2006 9:25 PM

It's clear to me that people don't learn from one another to cook. There was a breakdown from mothers and fathers to their kids, and many resorted to convenience foods. It's no wonder that it's so fashionable to be a vegan or vegetarian for people in their teens and twenties. Most of these people must lean on processed foods for their diet, albeit healthier compared to most other convience foods. At least they don't eat tasteless factory chicken, pork or bizarre-looking red meat.

Thank goodness for the internet and sites such as this.

Please people, never get too elitist about ingredients, as there are plenty of things that we pass by each day in the market that you can make delicious things. Plus, don't be afraid to fail once or twice. (or more)

Posted by: Vladimir on March 23, 2006 5:36 PM

I'm a chef and food writer and I just wanted to say I loved the humor in the piece "A Sad State of Affairs"....It was very readable, thanks.

Posted by: kevin ashton on March 28, 2006 3:18 PM

I apologize for the inconvenience, comments are closed. ~Elise

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