Difficulty, when talking about cooking, is relative. It all depends on how comfortable you are in the kitchen. I’m a firm believer you should just dive in…try to follow the directions at first and see how it comes out. Next time, make adjustments as necessary. Was it too salty last time? Ok, less salt. (You were thinking ahead and made a note on the recipe card, right?)

So, here’s my best guess as to what the difficulty ratings mean:

• Anyone Can Do It – Pretty self explanatory. These recipes are so easy, even a monkey could do it. These are barely one step above boiling water, making toast, and pouring a bowl of cereal.
• Easy – A little bit more involved, but still very doable. Nothing complex, but there may be several steps involved so these recipes have graduated beyond Anyone Can Do It (although, truthfully, anyone can do it…)
• Medium – Now we’re cooking! These recipes generally have several steps, and one or more step may involve a word you haven’t heard before. Or perhaps there’s some super fancy cutting technique that’s actually pretty easy once you know what it is…Don’t worry, we’ll walk you through the process.
• Difficult – You should tackle these once you have a bit of confidence. Most often a recipe will get a rating of “difficult” if there’s a chance you might screw it up. There may be some tricky timing issues, or so many steps it takes you all day. Some even take more than one day! Don’t let this stop you from trying, though. If you can build a cabinet out of scrap lumber, or fashion a scarf out of a ball of yarn, you can make these dishes.

Go ahead, don’t be shy…start cooking!