This is also exactly what I'm pointing out. You enjoy cooking, you have other "cooking related tasks", you gather your ingredients before cooking. You have skill and a plan.

I just want to eat and I want to get that out of the way as quickly as possible. For a nice meal, I'll go to a restaurant. I'm not interested in learning how to prepare my own food better, and all of these comments and the OP seems to forget that.

In any high-dimensional space, most samples are far from the median on at least one axis. You have cooking, I have coffee, programming, and looking at birds.

> You enjoy cooking, you have other "cooking related tasks", you gather your ingredients before cooking.

My cast iron usage most days isn't anything fancy, it's just cooking breakfast for the family. The "other cooking related tasks" means:

* Crack the eggs into the bowl

* Season and beat them

* Start the oatmeal water boiling

* Set the table

By then the cast iron is ready for the eggs. You don't have to be making a fancy meal to have other things you can be doing while the pan heats up, and it doesn't take that long even on our slow glasstop stove.

> I just want to eat and I want to get that out of the way as quickly as possible. For a nice meal, I'll go to a restaurant. I'm not interested in learning how to prepare my own food better, and all of these comments and the OP seems to forget that.

> You have cooking, I have coffee, programming, and looking at birds.

I used to be like this, eat as quickly as I could and whatever was quick enough that filled the hole in my stomach. You will likely pay for this later, and will have discussions with your dr about food freshness, processed foods and how horrible the food at even “heath food” restaurants is for you. Unless you want to live your life with gastrointestinal issues, change your attitude about cooking.

Nah, I'm extremely healthy. Very careful about what I eat and I exercise every day. It's super easy to eat both fast and healthy, it just costs more.

Sure just shrug it off. I wish I had someone telling me this stuff some 10 years ago. But you do you!

But what are you cooking where there’s no other related prep? If you’re using a pan and not a microwave surely there’s a minute or two of work to do.

Crack two eggs into a pan, sprinkle cheese on top, put a lid on top, wait 2 minutes. Serve with hot sauce. Cheap and delicious.

And not nutritionally complete. No fiber, processed cheese, and what kind of eggs?

Ah, ok I see your point. I think you’re missing out on one of life’s great joys not taking an interest in cooking! But, to each their own.