Ultimate Cooking Resource Guide
In the words of Julia Child: “Cooking is one failure after another, and that’s how you finally learn.” Good cooks aren’t born, they evolve through self-education, hours in the kitchen, and internalizing helpful feedback from those more experienced. For the best results, it’s vital not view cooking as a task. Instead, think of it as a technical craft that requires patience and practice for optimal results. Packed with over 40 helpful links, this guide is an asset for anyone interested in a wide variety of cooking resources – from casual meal prep to gourmet endeavors. Whether you’re a novice in the kitchen or a seasoned home chef, you’ll find something of value here, including general cooking resources, resources for beginners and links to helpful kitchen hacks.
General Cooking Resources
This section includes links that allow you to analyze recipes or learn how to master an easier and quicker style of cooking. In addition, discover if you’re committing any common cooking mistakes.
25 Common Cooking Mistakes You May be Making – Check out this list of commonly made culinary mistakes that you may be committing. It’s better to discover your errors now than have them pointed out later.
Supercook – Reverse engineer recipes by using this unique search engine. Simply type in the ingredients you have in your fridge or pantry. Within seconds, you’ll have a variety of recipes you can choose from.
Create Nutrition Facts for Any Recipe – Whether you need to keep track of calories or monitor specific nutritional and dietary needs, this recipe analyzer can help.
18 Professional Infographics to Make Cooking Faster and Easier – Everything you could possibly need to know about the best knife to use, converting measurements, options when using eggs and much more can be found in one of these helpful infographics.
Chef vs. Cook – Follow the link to find an insightful response to the question, “What’s the difference between a cook and a chef?”
Cooking Resources for Beginners
Begin your cooking journey by building a proper foundation – a foundation you can start constructing through the links below. Discover essential tools, customized recipes and culinary tips that are well suited for novices.
10 Dishes Every Beginner Cook Should Master – Find out what dishes experienced chefs from all over the country recommend for novice cooks to master.
Reluctant Gourmet – The Reluctant Gourmet is someone who knows what it’s like to stick with the same rotation of 6 or 7 meals instead of trying something new. He’ll teach you how to break the cycle and start creating restaurant-quality meals that you and your family can enjoy.
21 Cookbooks to Help You Cook like You’re Not in College Anymore – From Cosmopolitan magazine, check out 21 cookbook recommendations that can help you step up your cooking game.
Essential Kitchen Tools for Beginner Cooks – Before you head to your local kitchen supply store or make an online order, look over this list of essential kitchen tools for novice cooks to ensure your culinary success.
7 Essential Pots and Pans for the Beginning Cook – Buying more than a few quality pots and pans can put a sizable dent in your banking account, so why not find out which ones you really need at this stage of the game?
Quick and Easy Dinner Recipes – Unless a recipe contains complex terms and difficult processes, basically anyone who can read a recipe can cook. Follow this link to find recipes on Martha Stewart’s site that will make preparing dinners fast and simple.
Resources for Amateur Chefs
When you’ve passed the novice cooking stage and graduated to amateur chef status, diversification is the next step. Utilize the resources in this section to master the art of more sophisticated cooking and seasoning techniques.
20 Basic Cooking Techniques That Every Home Chef Should Master – Have you ever wondered how to sear a steak on cast iron, make a solid chicken stock or caramelize onions? Find out how to do all these things and much more.
Want to Become a Better Cook? Eat in an Open Kitchen – This short article can inspire you to find a restaurant near you with an open kitchen concept. There, you can observe to your heart’s content as pro chefs slice, dice, sear and flambé culinary delights.
Chef Talk – This global community of casual cooks to seasoned chefs is a fantastic place to network, gain insight and learn from others who share a passion for all things cooking and food.
12 Types of Chefs You Need to Know About – Interested in building a career as a top chef? The path to success has many twists and turns. Find out more by following the link.
57 Things You Can Do To Become a Better Cook Right Now – If culinary school isn’t an option right now, no problem. Plenty of things – in this case, 57 things – exist that can propel you to whole new level of cooking expertise.
The Ultimate Infographic Guide to Spices – If spice knowledge isn’t your strong suit, use this handy infographic resource to help you become more familiar.
Guide to Fresh Herbs – Learn about the top 10 go-to herbs to help give your cooking some delicious soul that will wow even the most discerning palates.
Cooking With Children Resources
If your child can take direction, he can learn to cook. Start simple and build up to more challenging recipes to help your young protégé develop a love for cooking.
Kids in the Kitchen – Discover the benefits of children learning to cook, age-appropriate kitchen jobs and kitchen safety guidelines.
Kids…Get Cookin’! – Fast, fun recipes for kids that will have them experiencing the joys of cooking in no time.
Food: Recipes from Around the World – If teaching your child cooking with a side of culture is your dream, this site is for you. Find recipes from places such as Korea, Italy, Japan, England, Africa and Mexico.
100+ Kid-Friendly Recipes – Find breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack recipes that are easy enough for even the smallest of cooks to master.
Cooking With 6-to 9-Year-Olds – Kids from 6 to 9 are full of independence and eager to learn. Take advantage of these characteristics by introducing them to cooking via this customized link.
Fast Meals and Quick Snacks: A Cookbook for Teens – A comprehensive guide to everything a teen needs to know before cooking and during the cooking process.
Kitchen and Cooking Hacks
When you have the opportunity to save yourself some time or energy – or both – it’s a win. That’s where kitchen and cooking hacks come in. They don’t have to be dazzling or jaw-dropping, they just need to make your life a little easier.
48 Kitchen and Food Hacks That Will Change Your Life – You may have your go-to set of kitchen and food hacks that mimic some of the ones in this list of 48. However, you’re also poised to discover some new ones that almost certainly will make a difference in your culinary endeavors.
Kitchen Hack: How to Chop an Onion – Check out this timesaving hack for chopping an onion. It may even save you some tears, too!
6 Easy Lemon Hacks You Can Use in the Kitchen – While you may know your way around a lemon, are you really allowing this tart citrus fruit to reach its full potential in your kitchen? Follow the link to discover if you are a true master of lemon hacks.
17 Restaurant Workers Reveal Their Personal Food Hacks and Tips – From finding out what to do with the juice that comes from slicing tomatoes to learning about the four golden flavors, this list is a must-read.
Cooking Hacks Every At-Home Chef Should Know – Vogue magazine shares these invaluable cooking hacks that aren’t commonly seen on many cooking hack lists.
13 Kitchen Hacks from our Favorite Chefs and Food Bloggers – To round out this section, we offer yet another set of kitchen hacks from an assortment of culinary pros and foodies.
Cooking Blogs
Find your cooking muse via one of these helpful and often entertaining cooking blogs. Topics range from everyday recipes to gourmet delights.
The Novice Chef – While not a trained chef, Jessica Segarra, blogger and cookbook author, has learned how to do more than just survive in the kitchen. Visit her blog for “delectable, everyday recipes.”
Brokeass Gourmet – Bookmark this blog if you’re interested in cooking gourmet-style food on a budget. Recipes include estimated cost of ingredients – always under $20 – as well as all the other need-to-knows.
I am a Food Blog – Bloggers Steph and Mike enjoy celebrating the “awesomeness of food” with plenty of fun, simple recipes to those that require a little more effort. Buttermilk fried chicken and yeasted rye waffles, anyone?
What’s Cooking Good Looking – Jodi, a trained natural foods chef, developed this blog out of her desire to marry health to scrumptious food. Find recipes for lettuce wraps, homemade hummus, charred broccoli salad and more.
Dinner: A Love Story – Busy parents need meal solutions, and this blog is the answer. Find recipes and strategies that will give you the inspiration to actually plan for and prepare daily meals for your family.
Sophisticated Gourmet – While the name of this blog may sound uppity, it’s an enjoyable read. Discover approachable gourmet recipes and clever, witty writing that will keep you coming back to the blog again and again.
Cooking Podcasts
In a world where multitasking is second nature, it’s easy to find the time to listen to a podcast. Check out these diverse offerings that will keep you entertained while dispersing bits – or even chunks – of helpful cooking knowledge.
Cooking Issues – Every Tuesday, join Chef Dave Arnold as he answers culinary questions and solves cooking dilemmas for listeners.
Bon Appetit Podcast – This weekly podcast, hosted by Adam Rapaport, features high quality content with big name guests. You can expect a consistent, solid and well-produced podcast every single time.
The Splendid Table – When Julia Child endorses a podcast, cooks take notice. Find out why when you join host Lynne Rossetto Kasper – the voice of culinary experience – as she answers cooking questions and dishes out preparation advice that’s well-worth a listen.
3 Friends Having Dessert – Explore the delectable world of desserts with hosts Sarah, Aaron and Derek. It’s a sweet indulgence that doesn’t involve calorie counting. The only trade-off is a bit of time.
A Couple Cooks – This podcast features guests that range from local farmers to celebrity chefs. It’s focus? Home style food made in a healthy and delicious way.
Cooking With the Moms! – Filling the family table with nutritious and delicious meals is the goal of this podcast. Give it a listen to learn about quick, healthy recipes and valuable mealtime tips and strategies.