Let's get started!

Great chefs must begin somewhere, even if it's with a simple DS application known as Personal Trainer Cooking. Now, I have no aspirations to become a famous chef, but I do feel the need to consume a hot, home-cooked meal every now and then. The only hang-up? I have zero experience when it comes to creating anything that even remotely resembles food. That's when I decided to take the handy-dandy cooking program that I recently acquired and put it to the ultimate test – turning a lazy, non-cooking gamer like myself into a master chef – well, at least for a little while.

The assignment: "Beef and Potato Gratin", a relatively simple-seeming recipe for a newbie like me to whip up without too much trouble. Enlisting the help of my father to get the job done proper, I was ready to tackle the recipe in its entirety. A quick trip to the store netted the key ingredients: potatoes, ground beef, cheese, heavy cream, beef stock, and butter. Though it called for white wine, onions, and gruyere cheese, it was our aim to Americanize the dinner just a bit. Plus, on a budget of $20, those kinds of items would have pushed the limit! I lugged my DS Lite around inside the grocery, utilizing Personal Trainer's ingredient page as a shopping list, which worked wonderfully, since you can use the arrows in the uppermost corner to add and subtract for serving sizes. With ingredients successfully in hand, we headed home for the next day that would be filled with much extravagant cooking.

Upon reaching for the DS, my father made several comments that using a DS rather than a cookbook may get a little messy, which sounds sensible if you think about traditional gaming controls.  But then I reminded him of the several useful voice commands that were so generously provided. It's a good thing, too, because it wasn't exactly a clean process.

The first step was obviously to gather all the ingredients in one location so they'd be easy to reach, and then to gather the pans, utensils, bowls, and measuring cups that would be necessary. The recipe provided its own listing of what we would need, streamlining the process considerably, so for that I was thankful – I have no idea what kind of pan is safe to throw in the oven, why, or what size should be needed. My father had a good chuckle at this, as he tends to cook a lot of meals for the family. Looks like I have a long way to go, even with Personal Trainer's help.

I placed the DS on the table behind me as the friendly chef began announcing the steps I should take in order to prepare the dish. Using an electric skillet (though he insisted I use a regular skillet), I was to brown the beef. As I do know a little something-something about frying eggs and bacon, this wasn't too much of a problem. My father looked on with a Cheshire-like grin, however, when I realized that the beef couldn't lie stationary in the pan. I contended with “He didn't say to stir it yet!”, and as I shouted “next step”, lo and behold, the beef needed to be stirred. I can graciously admit when I am wrong.

How now, brown cow?

Browning the beef proved rather simple, but being a queen of multitasking, I felt it was time to move onto the next step. Dad cautioned me to check the beef, though he was busy fiddling with the steps of the recipe, cycling back and forth between them.

“Hey, have you seen this squid video?”

I couldn't help but laugh as I asked him if he could please take us back to the recipe, to which he kindly complied. Up next on the roster was the creation of what sounded like truly divine mashed potatoes. The chef made it sound terribly simple as I was instructed to boil the three potatoes necessary for such a creation, so after cleansing them into the pot they went to await a new creamy, mashed life. Back to the beef, and onto the next step.

The recipe called for beef stock next to be added into the pan. It was to simmer down to a fraction of what we originally added, so I asked my father to monitor the simmer and occasionally stirring of the browning and delicious ground beef. If there's one thing that I absolutely love no matter what form it's in, it's got to be beef. Around this time the potatoes were ready for peeling. Personal Trainer suggested I wait until they were cool in order to do so, but because time was of the essence I dunked them in an out of cold water until I felt my fingers could stand the abuse. One thing about PTC is that sometimes, it doesn't mention an alternate route for completing tasks. For instance, when I mashed the potatoes after peeling, it only suggested using the “proper” tool – a masher. Instead, since we are not usually mashing potatoes on a regular basis, we used a sturdy spoon. While these are minor grievances, it would have been nice if the program offered some alternatives for those of us who don't always have the “right” tools handy.

With the potatoes mashed, cream added, and beef seasoned and browned to perfection, it was time to grease up a glass dish for baking. My father brandished two sticks of butter (“Let's make it extra buttery!”), to which I pointed to the DS, which clearly stated to use only one. He seemed a bit disappointed, but I compromised by adding an extra stick of butter that didn't exactly belong in the mashed potatoes – they're a great comfort food!

After greasing the dish properly, the next step was to layer the mashed potatoes with a spoon all along the bottom, making sure to spread it evenly. I had to steal a few spoonfuls of potatoes while I was doing this, as the temptation was too great to resist. Once that was done, it was time to scrape the ground beef out of the electric skillet and ensure it was layered evenly on top of the mashed potatoes. These very both very easy steps that seem quite foolproof, and logical, even if you don't follow the chef's instructions. Next, it was time for the cheese.

The cheesiest thing you've seen all day.

Though Personal Trainer suggested I use Gruyere cheese, I passed, as it is actually a type of Swiss that neither my father nor I enjoy. We had settled on a bag of good old sharp cheddar shredded cheese for this order, though we forgot the fact that the recipe called for a certain amount. It requested 4 ounces of the pricey cheese, though since we enjoy our cheeses in my household, I took the liberty of spreading an entire bag of shredded cheese all over the top of the ground beef and mashed potatoes. Delicious.

The chef cheerfully reminded us that we should have set the oven to 450 degrees prior to completing all steps, which we did, and it was time to pop that baby in the oven. As my father and I sank into our chairs, anxiously awaiting the golden brown concoction that would soon be ready to eat, we discussed the ease of the application.

“Dad, do you think it was easy enough to understand?”

“I understand that I am hungry.”

“Dad...”

“Yeah, I mean, look at you – you learned how to brown beef, make mashed potatoes, and make something that isn't a frozen dinner or canned pasta all in the span of half an hour!”

I smiled. He was absolutely right. I didn't realize it during the process, but Personal Trainer Cooking took so much of my doubts and issues with cooking away. The simple steps and foolproof recipes were never too hard to understand, nor did I feel intimidated when it came to completing tasks I had never done before in the kitchen. I thought about when I would be writing this various piece and whether or not I would recommend it to those who are just like me – incompetent in the kitchen. The answer? A hearty yes. Not only is it easy to follow and understand, but it brought me and my normally busy father together, even if it was just for a small amount of time.

A short time later, the dish was ready to remove from the oven, which we did with great gusto. Admittedly, the final product may have seemed less-than-appetizing to some, but as I savored the very first bite of something I had made by myself (with Dad's help) via this simple software, I was pretty darn proud – even if it did look like a mishmash of random ingredients from the refrigerator! Even after substituting different ingredients, the recipe turned out fine. We dined like kings that night, and my mother took some with her to work the following day, prompting coworkers to ask where she picked it up. Upon returning home she mentioned to me that her friends liked “my cooking.”

I made this!

I was ecstatic. MY cooking. And your cooking, too. It's easy to dismiss as a throwaway shovelware title, but my verdict is to try it before you knock it. You never know what you're capable of unless you give something different a try once in a while. One thing's for sure – Personal Trainer Cooking will become a bit of a mainstay in my house now that my family has had a go with it. Now, if only Dad would get his own DS Lite...