Out: Slow cookers
When the journalist Harriet Van Horne wrote in Vogue, in 1956, that "cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all," she couldn't have imagined the modern harried adult literally leaving their meals to cook at low temperatures while asleep or at work. Van Horne was railing against laziness in the kitchen, and what could be lazier than a slow cooker? The convenience is paramount: Throw in your pork shoulder, spices, herbs and eight hours later you get pulled pork. The flavours, despite what myriad crock-pot cookbooks preach, are consistently mushy, stewy and indistinguishable. That's not how love should taste.
In: Barbecues
Now that the weather has moved north of zero, it's time to break out the barbecue. Not only does grilled food taste better – it also commands your full attention. Steaks need to be timed per side; vegetable skewers require constant rotation; the enlightened among us have exacted the science of grilled pizza. Barbecuing isn't just for those with expansive backyards: Condo dwellers have their pick of portable mini-grills, some even with built-in cutting boards. Better yet, bring it to the park and have a picnic – and leave that slow cooker to go to pot.