To answer the question a bit -- I love to cook, and have for awhile, though it isn't always easy finding the time for it. Watching the common cooking shows are

To answer the question a bit -- I love to cook, and have for awhile, though it isn't always easy finding the time for it. Watching the common cooking shows are good, but stay away from shows like Top Chef (at least while you're learning) as they are well advanced, and you're not going to learn much. On the flip side, Jamie Oliver used to have a brilliant show wherein he focused on simple recipes that were easy to put together and tasted amazingly. One of the shows I've been watching recently is "Worst Cooks in America" which, while the show itself sucks, actually goes through and shows some practical cooking basics. I loosely copied a pork paillard recipe with a sundried-tomato herb butter, and it was phenomenal. I tend to eat well when I eat out, and have eaten at some very nice establishments, and can honestly say that I've never had a better piece of pork anywhere. Of course, the real learning is in actually cooking. Watching shows and reading books (I recommend Harold McGee's "On Food and Cooking", or Alton Brown's books) might teach you the theory of cooking, but actually DOING is still the best way to learn. I have a friend of mine who had literally never cooked a meal in his life that didn't come from a box or can, and he was talking about making something nice for his fiancee for Valentine's Day. I gave him a foolproof recipe for filet mignon, honey glazed carrots and asparagus, and now he's begging me for more recipes to wow her with. Simply put, it's a great hobby and, if you have kids, a great way to get them involved and have some easy family time.