I can make an omelet, which is a pretty impressive feat relative to my culinary skill level. I can cook beef and probably chicken so you won’t throw up from E. coli or salmonella. I can boil noodles pretty well, and grill a mean hot dog.

The point is, these are all the things I’m currently able to do, plus some others. But I’m not stopping here. I don’t want to be like the hundreds of thousands of Americans who can’t or don’t cook and rely on 24/7 fast food joints on the way home from work every evening for a burger or sub, and that’s for a variety of reasons.

Researcher Eddie Yoon from Harvard Business Review found in 2017 that only 10% of Americans surveyed “loved” cooking, while around 45% “hated” it. I completely understand why: No cook would deny that it can be intimidating, time-consuming and even a little dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing.

Cooking your own food brings a variety of benefits: It’s generally cheaper, you never have to worry about nutritional and dietary needs because it’s in your own hands and you can customize even your favorite meals to the point where they better suit you than what your favorite restaurant does.

Priceonomics with Forbes found that, on average, cooking from scratch at home is almost five times less expensive than ordering food every night. It makes sense; when you consider all the pitfalls of dining — entree sizes vs. actual price, gratuity, overpriced drinks and desserts, and other traps — the economic benefits of cooking for yourself become more and more evident.

And then, of course, there’s the ability to meet your own nutritional and dietary needs. That isn’t to take away from NC State dining halls, because they do put in the effort to, at some level, accommodate the needs of vegetarians, vegans and many of the most common allergies.

But there is a point where you may tire of the same kinds of vegetable blends of tofu dishes and might want to do it yourself. If you have a grocer near you that provides even the most basic and affordable items, then a little creativity and hard work could go a long way to better your daily diet.

At this point, you’re probably screaming at me that the main reason people eat out is for the taste, and I won’t deny that. For example, I love Mexican food, and even though I can reliably put cooked beef in a taco shell, my family and I go to one of the several great Mexican restaurants nearby for a great lunch or dinner.

However, while you can still have your favorite joints, you really can learn to cook — with enough effort — to the point where you’ll satisfy even your toughest critic: yourself. You may discover, as you’re making your own version of your favorite sandwich or casserole from a restaurant, that you can add or remove stuff to where it’s even better for your tastes than before.

This isn’t meant to put down eating out. Some places really do have affordable prices or a wide dietary selection or homemade-esque food. But you’d be hard-pressed to find all three at the same place. If you have the time, and the patience, start practicing with some easy dishes. It might get frustrating, and you may want to throw down your spatula, but the long-term benefits are definitely worth it.