SO IT REALLY DOESN'T PAY TO COOK...

My eldest child dropped that little phrase on me. The fact that conventional wisdom, not to mention his mother, said exactly the opposite had no influence on his opinion. It made me stop to consider how he possibly could have come to his conclusion.

1. He's definitely starting with an unstocked kitchen. A box of salt may last a year or more, but initially you have to spend fifty cents to buy it. You buy five pounds of flour because you need a tablespoon. I see the pattern here, but sooner or later your pantry is there to rely on. Sort of a savings account.

2. It's difficult to cook for one. Yes, but it's more difficult to cook for six, or at least it's more work. Planning is the key. If you cook a chicken, you have not only roast chicken tonight, there's chicken sandwiches tomorrow for lunch and maybe chicken curry for supper. Or you cook for a friend tonight and tomorrow he cooks for you. Or you stick with frozen chicken parts and only cook what you can eat.

3. There's a lot of waste. Shouldn't be. Pre-emptive freezing is a big help. Divide a batch of chili into four servings and freeze three of them right at the start. It works best to freeze in small batches, not only because thawing is quicker, but also because food freezes faster and maintains its quality better in small batches. Chili lurking in the refrigerator is a health hazard, not to mention an appetite killer. And if you should be foolish to reheat the whole batch every time you want some the chances are good you'll burn it to the bottom of the pan before you're done.

You need to buy in smaller quantities and use what you buy consistently. This means staying out of McDonalds while your food is rotting in the frig at home!

4. Cooking is BORING! Doesn't have to be. It's actually a creative thing, and unlike fine art which fills up all your walls sooner or later, you constantly need to create more culinary art.

5. You waste ingredients because you don't know how to cook them. Practice is key here. Do a little research. Web sites such as Allrecipes.com and Cooksillustrated.com are there to help with ideas. This blog would love to lend a hand. And if you see my son, he cooks a mean turkey and would be delighted to tell you how!

6. Time is money and it takes time to cook, not to mention clean up the mess. Yes, but unless you are profitably occupied 24 hours a day, some of your time isn't worth a whole lot. How better to spend it than on creating something healthy to put in your body. If you start with a sink of soapy water and wash up as you go, the dishes shouldn't be a major stumbling block either. Decide to wash them tomorrow and you're on your own.