A Truly Great Chef Doesn’t Need Butter

Regarding “Learning to Cook” (Aug. 1): I remain unimpressed by cooking that relies on copious amounts of butter, cream, cheese or salt to achieve flavorful results. You can make anything taste good with enough of these ingredients added. A truly great chef is one who can achieve spectacular results without relying on these old standbys. In a time when more than half of American adults are overweight, I don’t think we should be selling anyone on the idea that something so innocuous as tomato sauce needs half a stick of butter to be flavorful--much less under the title “Learning to Cook.” Readers who can’t figure out how to make their tomato sauce taste right need to talk to my grandmother.

COLLEEN COFFEY Ventura