Food Forum: Not Quite Ready to Eat

It's not as if eating out is out, but according to a food marketing institute survey, 85% of consumers ate dinner at home at least three times a week in 2001, up from 74% in 2000. That, however, doesn't mean they're cooking; convenience meals are the fastest growing section of the grocery store. We asked Cesar Casella, author of Italian Cooking for Dummies; Tyler Florence, host of the Food Network's Food 911; Mimi Melek, a working mom of twins; and James Tracey, sous-chef at New York City's Craft, to test the edibility of some popular almost instant meals. --By Lisa McLaughlin