Okay, this is simple. As a general rule; if it involves meat, flames, smoke, or sauce (strictly for meats or pastas); it's in safe man-cooking territory. Inappropriate dishes would include baked goods (cookies, cakes, muffins; however I'll make an exception for items like pot pie and shepherds pie), souffles, and anything involving whipped cream or a sifter. Your mileage may very, but there are at least a few items that are man standards; and should be mastered.

Sandwiches - Every man should posses the culinary skill to whip up a respectable sandwich. I don't mean PB&J either, I'm talking Dagwood Bumstead. A guideline I like to use is that a truly good sandwich can be eaten for any meal, not just lunch or breakfast. I usually start with some lightly toasted bread, and from there I just start pulling junk out of the fridge. The great thing about a sandwich is you can put anything on it. I usually stick to turkey (or ham), mustard, hot sauce, maybe some salad dressing, lettuce, tomato, banana peppers, bacon, eggs, black pepper, cheese, and the the occasional smattering of green olives. But obviously anything can be used; just aim for your favorite flavors. I like spicy, tangy foods; hence my aforementioned choices. The only rule is don't put garbage in your sandwich. Kraft Singles, Bacon Bits, Miracle Whip, turkey bacon, and tofu are all good examples of garbage. They're just shitty substitutes for the real thing. Although they may imitate the consistency of real ingredients, they taste like the package your real ingredients come in.

Grilling - Anything can be grilled. Show me a food that can't be grilled and I'll show you someone who's got no skills behind a Weber. Grilling is a post in and of itself and there are innumerable books, webpages, and even TV shows on how to grill properly. Even if you have only a little grilling experience, understand that the two most important factors are time and sauce. As for method, personally there's no debate between charcoal and gas - charcoal wins hands down. However, I have been known to use gas and even electric if I'm grilling during the week. But when you've got the time on the weekends, go with coals. The heat is more evenly distributed and easily controlled; as is flavor. And if it takes a little time, you might just have to force yourself to have a few beers and socialize. As for sauces, they are of even greater debate than the gas vs. charcoal discussion. Georgia, North Carolina, Kansas, and Texas all have radically different approaches to barbecue and rib sauces; and one man's grilled Mahi is another man's waste of a catch. Try a bunch of recipes and pick the ones you like; then meddle with them at home. I prefer vinegar-based BBQ sauces; the easiest of which is a storebought barbecue sauce mixed with a little hotsauce, mustard and white vinegar.

Stews - Here's another dish where time is important. More often than not, the longer the pot simmers, the better the flavor. The key is using a low enough temperature to avoid burning the food; but still cooking it through. That's why I recommend a crockpot. Man, you can throw your ingredients and spices into the crock pot; head to work, and come home to a hearty flavorful dinner. Most recipes tend to follow a standard framework with multiple variations. For beef stew, I like to stick with beef tips. Coat 'em in a little flour, lightly brown them, set them aside and deglaze the pot with a little broth. Add onions, carrots, celery, potatoes and your choice of spices. When the onions and celery start to get soft, top off with more broth, toss in the meat, and bring to a boil. From here, just bring it back down to a simmer, slap a lid on it and walk away. Well, not forever or anything; you can come back when you're hungry. The great thing about stew is it stores well, and you can put it in several smaller containers for lunch during the work week. A much better alternative than foraging the corporate savannah for egg Mcmuffins or fried chicken.

Chili - Similar to stew but with a tomato base; chili is a culinary wonder. A thick chili can be spread on sandwiches, a chili of milder consistency can be used as dip, and a soupier chili is great for taking to the office in a thermos (similar to stews above). And also similar to stews, it is a framework that has multiple variations. One of my favorites is a crock-pot version my friend came up with that he aptly calls 'Man Salad'. I know, it sounds weird; and the first time he asked me if I wanted to try his Man Salad I wondered if we really knew eachother all that well. But it is what it is. Which is basically peppers, onions, sausage, ground beef, tomatoes, and baked beans simmered in a sweet barbecue-type sauce. It's great on sandwiches and as a dip; a huge hit at football parties.

If you want more in depth info on cooking in general, there are a ton of resources out there. Check out allrecipes.com; probably one of the best recipes sites I've found. They have a searchable database; but you can also enter a few items you have laying around the house, and it will search for recipes with those ingredients. Also, Alton Brown has a TV show, 'Good Eats', on the Food Network that I highly recommend. His approach is basic but highly informed, and he's not impressed with useless trappings. As with all of the entries in the "How to Be a Man" category, none of these guidelines are written in stone. The point here is that cooking is not a domain that should be absent a little testosterone. At least now no one has the excuse that they didn't have a place to start.