What do you call grinding openings? Caruana-level preparation? Using a basic repertoire just to be in a position to play a game from a playable position? Learning some opening traps to get some easy wins?
Because most people like to say they don't study openings but go check their games and see how many really don't play at least 6 or 7 theorical moves.
So, personnaly I try to learn just enough to avoid losing in less than 10 moves. I always play the same lines and I am not sure I will ever be good enough to need more than that.
And that’s exactly how I learned and continue to learn openings, progressively. It encourages a scientific viewpoint where you ask yourself questions and draw conclusions. That’s very important to understanding the game.