This one almost didn't make the list, as I thought "hey, everyone knows how to cook, at least a little bit", but after a little bit of research (both IRL and on the interwebs), this doesn't actually seem to be the case, so here we are . . . The case for being able to cook is fairly obvious: independence, cost and quality. The first of those three is probably the most obscure: being able to cook helps to engender comfort with being alone, which is an absolutely necessary prerequisite for developing outcome independence (sadly, not in the Glossary). The last two are fairly obvious, but as a back of the envelope guess, you can probably spend less than half of the money you do eating out, have things prepared with higher quality ingredients, prepare them using healthier methods, and end up with something that tastes a lot better, if you cook them yourself. So, while I don't think anyone will, or should want to, or even would be able to under any circumstances, become the next Thomas Keller, I am claiming that learning how to cook, to at least a reasonable level of competence, is a good thing for all men.

So, if you are starting from scratch, how to proceed? Frankly, I am not quite sure. I have been cooking since I was quite young (say, 12 years old or so), so I can't remember a time when I didn't have the requisite basic skills. That being said, I can make a few suggestions. First, if a 12 year old can do it, you probably can as well, and where I started was with breakfast, which I think would be easier than a lot of other things. The other significant observation here is that we have this magical thing today called the interwebs, which wasn't around when I was an adolescent, but seems to represent pretty well the interests of the masses, and one thing that a lot of people are interested in is cooking. So, if you want to start with breakfast, you could try chilaquiles; don't be intimidated, scrambling eggs is fairly easy, and embedding things in scrambled eggs takes basically zero additional effort. A few other examples: the best steak preparation recipe I have found on the web (lots of details, and lots of pictures, but, ultimately, pretty simple, and once you get it down, the result is incredible), and a nice way to make all of that bland-ass chicken breast (that you should be eating because you are lifting) taste a little better.

As far as the costs involved, they aren't much. Certainly, up front, it should be basically zero. I just recently broke down and got a decent frying pan, and indeed, it makes cooking much, much easier, due to it's heat storage and transfer properties. It is expensive for a pan, but it's not like it's a cell phone, i.e., the thing is going to last forever, so if you decide you like cooking enough to get good at it, don't be a cheapass and wait 10 years to get some good gear. Another recommendation: ingredients matter. I'm not saying you have to buy the most expensive steak you can find all of the time, but certainly if you are preparing something for someone else, and you want it to taste good, buy the best ingredients you can. And never forget: to a significant extent, what you are buying and cooking will, soon enough, be the building blocks for your body, so money spent on the front end will likely be of direct benefit to you . . .

Next week: Volunteering