Cooking Be Gone?
Written by Corinne Dobbas, MS, RD // January 29, 2010 // Health, Nutrition // 16 Comments
Do we know how to cook anymore? 
Today, as I walked down the aisles of my beloved TJ’s (Trader Joe’s) something hit me—right when I saw the package of frozen pasta … FROZEN PASTA!!! Its slogan read, “cooks in less than 2 minutes.” I couldn’t believe it! Since when, have we, as a nation, become so busy that we can’t even spend 7 minutes cooking pasta?!? Then, I was struck by the realization—that most of the food around me only requires a simple heat n’ serve.
Now, don’t get me wrong I absolutely 100% adore TJ’s. I’m just not crazy about the fact that as time passes, it seems less and less know how to cook—I mean really cook, like grandma style with real, whole food ingredients. NOT a package of frozen pasta mixed with canned veggies and pre-cooked, pre-sliced chicken breast.
However, I’ll admit that I’m a “culprit” of this trend as well. At this very moment, I have TJ’s pre-cooked, frozen veggie meatballs in my freezer, canned soups (low-sodium, high-fiber ones of course!) in my cabinets, and pre-sliced sweet potatoes in my fridge, accompanied by pre-washed leafy greens … in my produce drawer. Yes—this is true.
A Bitter yet Sweet Affair
I guess you could say that I have a bitter sweet relationship with these pre-packed items. Bitter because it takes away from real cooking with foods in their actual form (i.e. bagged Brussels sprouts instead of ones on the stalk, or a pre-cubed butternut in place of a whole butternut), which ultimately, dulls our senses of what a food actually looks like before making it to the processing plant (not a good thing!). Sweet because some pre-packed items, like pre-washed, cut, and/or bagged veggies and fruits make eating healthier quicker and easier—which everyone needs nowadays. Personally, I think these produce items help people eat better, but cause some to lose touch with food in its whole form—not 
to mention the cooking process—from everything to peeling and dicing to laughing and enjoying the “prepping” experience with friends and family.
Cooking Quandaries
I must add … regardless, of whatever produce I have pre-washed or pre-cut, I make about 95% of my meals—and NO, not everything is pre-cooked, washed, or cut—far from it, actually. BUT, these items that are “good to go” have helped me whip up quick, healthy meals in minutes—kinda awesome, if ya ask me.
YET, I have found that these partially assembled foods have deferred from real grandma or semi-Julia Child’s style cooking. Semi just cuz in all reality … I’ll never make it to Julia’s level. If I did, the chick who “once used garlic as a spread” and ensued a warning that this “is not the way to a man’s heart…” (ha-ha!) would have turned a whole new leaf!
Some Reasoning
To add a little proof to the pudding … I get asked a lot, “Do you cook? You must! You’re in nutrition.” My typical reply, “Well … yes, I can cook up something quick, easy, and healthy—like stir-fried veggies and prawns—but don’t expect a boned duck or anything of the sort anytime soon—or ever…” Then, I’ll inquire, “Can you cook?”
And, ya know…??? The answer I get 90% of the time from many is, “Not really…”
For a lil’ extra oomph’ to add to my proof pudding, according to the National Restaurant Association:
- 29% of adults say purchasing take-out food is essential to the way they live.
- $1.6 billion dollars per day is spent on restaurant sales.
- Restaurants will provide more than 70 billion meal and snack occasions in 2010.
- 44% of adults say restaurants are an essential part of their lifestyles.
Mmm … either everyone is extremely modest and in all actuality really can cook, or
we’re all gonna be eating Thanksgiving dinner via heat n’ serve takeout in years to come…
Boiling it Down
Basically, I’d stay away from pre-packed items, including produce items, if they’re packed with sugar, sodium, sauces, or other “junk” that has tainted them. But, pre-packaged produce is just as good for ya as the whole versions—as long as they’re sodium, sauce, and added-sugar free. And, these “set to go” items help people (including me!) make quick, healthy meals at home. And, we all know that eating at home is always healthier for you than eating out! You actually know what’s going in your food! However, these pre-ready items take away from our food and cooking experience as a whole, which is truly a shame. So… buy a cook book, nab free recipes online, or take a cooking class, get in there, and start cooking when you can … I bet you have fun.
But, these are just my thoughts on paper blog.
Happy Healthifying!
What are your thoughts? Do you think most cook?
PS Speaking of cooking…enter your soup into the GGB Challenge! Ya have til the end of the month 
I say goodbye to fad diets, bogus "fat-burning" pills, and processed, non-food food. And, I smile hello to a healthifying lifestyle full of fruits, veggies, and whole grains, sweaty workouts, the occasional "chocolate fix," sleep, family and friend time, and quality "me time" with a focus on health. I look forward to your comments and thoughts as the posts healthify on by!
16 Comments on " Cooking Be Gone? "
I am definitely not a gourmet cook! But I have learned how to make a few quick and easy standbys. I try to assemble my own meals, and I very rarely eat out. But I do like the prebagged lettuce and a can of diced tomatoes to speed things along. I imagine when I have kids I will be even more short for time. But I hope to still be assembling my own meals and chopping up (most of) my own veggies.
All that being said….I agree that TJ’s does have some excellent prepared meals and I usually have a couple on hand. Certain beats fast food!
I like to chop my own veggies. I don’t even buy baby carrots! Wielding a knife is very stress relieving for me
I definitely think that Americans are cooking less and less on a whole. Our society requires we work longer hours than ever before and that we pack our days (and our kids’ days) with activities. We’re so overbooking ourselves that it’s hard to fit in a real home-cooked meal. Even though I cook dinner every night, I take shortcuts, too. But by the time I get home from work late and go to the gym, there’s not time to roast a turkey.
I’m hoping we’re moving back to home-cooking, though. It seems like lately people are getting more and more interested in cooking for themselves. And even if that means using pre-chopped veggies or salad from a bag, that’s better than hitting the drive-thru, right?
Thanks for the great post!
Great topic! I do cook…real cooking…a lot! I spend a LOT of time in the kitchen and yes, it takes time, planning, and away from time I could spend exercising or cuddling with my husband, but I wouldn’t have it any other way! If people would time manage a bit better, they could make it happen, too!
I’m starting cooking classes for patients in the spring…so excited!
Cooking classes! Yay! Good for you! That’s s0 exciting. Your patients will love it
Oh Trader Joe, one of the loves of my life! It is somewhat sad to see all of the pre-packaged meals in the stores these days. Some people just don’t make a priority out of healthy fresh cooked meals like us food bloggers do! I know a lot of my friends would rather not spend a half hour preparing a meal when they can have an insta-meal, no matter how much I try to convince them! I’m loving your stats!
Life, particularly the American life, has become all about convenience and instant gratification. While I too am sucked up in the busy go-go-go activities of life, I use cooking as a time to slow me down and take me back to my roots (and the Earth…love gardening!). I choose not to buy pre-washed foods or a lot of pre-packaged foods, one because they’re just overly priced, and two, like you said it desensitizes us to what we’re actually cooking with. It doesn’t surprise me how many people eat out. Everyone around me practically eats 2 meals a day through restaurants or take out. With that being said, if it’s going to take pre-washed/pre-packed foods to stimulate one to cook, then I’m all for that. Cooking at home is generally wayyy more healthy, and it’s just a fun way to slow yourself down and enjoy the little parts of life!
It will be a sad day when cooking becomes a lost art.
People will say, “remember when people used to own stoves? pots? pans?”
I can’t believe there is frozen pasta – pasta is not too hard to make!
I try to make things “from scratch” but I do buy some pre-packaged veggies, canned beans (although more and more I am buying dried), carton soup/broth…they add convenience but I also try to do a lot of dinner prep for the week on Sunday to make things easier (wash veggies, prepare things, etc.).
I also am trying to shop more and more farmers markets – the veggies there are closer to what they should be!
Interesting topic! I certainly take short cuts in cooking quick and healthy meals. But seriously, there is frozen pasta?! That’s kind of crazy.
Wow, what a wonderful site you have! I love all of the facts that you share – amazing work!
I love cooking and creating healthy meals. It gives me joy and pride knowing exactly what I created and how my body will benefit from it.
Thanks so much Tasha!
There are too many “quick meals” out there that are secretly super high in sodium and other additives. That being said, I think they are fine to use on occasion, but not all the time. I do love frozen veggies (without any sauces) and pre-cut veggies/fruit, and I think they are just as healthy as the fresh. People just need to know how to prepare them. I also think people needs lessons in how to shop for healthier alternatives to what they buy, which are just as cheap. People don’t realize that food exists. It’s hard to find, but it’s out there! Also people need to learn the easy cooking techniques that can help them in the kitchen, everyday.
it makes me sad when i see products like that too! they’re clearly designed just to make $, because companies can charge a ton more if it’s packaged up like that than they would on pasta and sauce separately. it’s marketed so well a lot of times too, convenience foods. yes, everyone is busy, and that means less time is available to do things that we love (such as cooking) but eating minimally processed foods should be a priority bc of our HEALTH! i don’t mean raw/vegan, just foods that are mostly natural. 7 mins to cook pasta could easily be fit into our schedule if we took 7 mins away from surfing the internet/watching tv. better yet, you could do both at the same time, it’s not like you ahve to hover over a pot of pasta! plus things just taste better when they’re prepared mostly from scratch. we need to get kids learning how to cook simple meals in schools so they can be excited about working with healthful nutritious foods!
Agreed!!!
Great post! I think as a society we rely on these pre-packaged foods more and more. Even as an RD, I am still learning how to cook. How can I recommend recipes and great ways to cook foods if I am not really sure. I think its good to get people more involved in cooking at home and with their families. I know I have been better about it since I started blogging.