I read an article today that said they are having to dumb down cookbooks because most people today don't know basic cooking terminology. Like, simmer, saute, fold, cream.... I'm glad I had parents who taught me some basic cooking techniques. I'm not a very good cook, but I enjoy experimenting. The article stressed the importance of teaching your teenagers who will be soon going off to college some basic cooking skills. Some funny's from the article:

A college guy making spaghetti called his Mom at home to find out if he should cook the hamburger before he added it to the sauce. Guess he never noticed how to do it. It just "magically" appeared at the dinner table. (Frankly, I'm impressed he was making that much effort. Most guys I know would have just opened a jar of sauce).

A person was trying to bake something but didn't have any eggs. Sent e-mail to the company asking if they could substitute PEACHES instead.

Then, there is the man who called furious that his house caught on fire after he followed the instructions to grease the bottom of the pan. You guessed, it. He greased the bottom all right. The outside of the pan.

Laurababies If you ever get tired of going up and down the Mississippi, I think you could have a long career ahead of you teaching basic cooking techniques to all these kids who grew up nuking food that tastes like cardboard and plastic in the microwave.