Until I came across this intriguing post on how recipes are routinely dumbed down today, as compared to 30 years ago, I had no idea this was going on. What do I mean? Apparently, there are many people frightened off cooking by the specialist terms used, such as saute. So instead of writing, 'saute the onions until soft', food authors now write something like, 'cook the onions on a medium to high heat in melted butter or oil while continuously stirring, until soft'. Fascinating.