How to learn cooking

13 Best Cooking YouTube Channels to Learn Vital Cooking Skills

Jennifer is a full-time homesteader who started her journey in the foothills of North Carolina in 2010. Currently, she spends her days gardening, caring for her orchard and vineyard, raising chickens, ducks, goats, and bees. Jennifer is an avid canner who provides almost all food for her family needs. She enjoys working on DIY remodeling projects to bring beauty to her homestead in her spare times.

Facts are facts. If you can’t cook, you won’t be able to make it in a self-sufficient lifestyle.

Why? Because food requires preparation.

You can’t be self-sufficient yet living on processed foods. I’m making it my mission to give you as many tools as I can to help you learn this basic skill for your own survival.

Whether you’re on a journey of self-sufficiency, or you’re someone who has recently realized cooking is a necessary part of adulting, you’ve come to the right place.

I didn’t learn how to cook until after I was married with a child, but I’m self-taught thanks to the internet and cooking YouTube channels. If I can learn, you can too.

Here are a few of the best cooking YouTube channels to help you get started:

1. Binging with Babish

Do you enjoy binge-watching television shows or movies? Let your love for television inspire you to become an excellent cook.

You can, thanks to this awesome cooking YouTube channel. Babish teaches cooking basics but also shows you how to create amazing meals inspired by some of your favorite TV shows and movies.

2. How to Cake It

Are you more interested in learning how to bake instead of only basic cooking skills? This is an excellent channel for you.

Yolanda creates amazing masterpieces! You can get step-by-step instructions on how to make delicious cakes which will appeal to both eye and stomach.

3. You Suck at Cooking

When you read this title, you may agree with it. Thankfully, this channel can help you change things and teach you how to make delicious recipes in the process.

I love this cooking YouTube channel because it shows you how to prepare meals you won’t be able to wait to eat. Start binge-watching this channel and hopefully the title won’t apply to you for long.

4. Food Wishes

If you’re in the market for a tasty meal, you should check out this channel. He shows you how to make a variety of dishes and narrates the process in detail.

The great thing about this cooking YouTube channel is he covers an array of cuisines. Regardless of what style of food you’re looking for, you’ll most likely find it here.

5. Pro Home Cooks

This is one of the cooking YouTube channels which originally started as a duo between brothers. Their channel has since split into two channels.

Pro Home Cooks is one of the brothers teaching you easy-to-cook recipes and sharing basic cooking basics you must know to thrive at cooking. As for the other brother, he took his channel in a non-cooking direction, but if you’d still like to keep up with him, you can find him at You Enjoy Life.

6. Serious Eats

Serious Eats is a blog, and it has a cooking YouTube Channel as well. They share a variety of delicious videos which covers everything from how to make food to how to enjoy more complicated foods.

If you’re interested in knowing everything from how to eat a lobster, how to mince herbs, all the way down to how to cook a whole chicken, this channel has you covered.

7. Tasty Cooking YouTube Channels

This channel has it all! If you’re wanting to learn how to make desserts, they have you covered. Do you need to know how to cook comfort food? They have it!

Have you recently started a new diet? This channel can even show you how to cook delicious foods for a variety of different lifestyles. Whatever you want to cook, Tasty can most likely help you learn.

8. Food Network

Food Network is a channel on cable television, but they’ve learned many people no longer reach for their remotes.

Instead, they reach for their laptop or cellphone to watch YouTube. Therefore, they’ve made it easy for you to watch a variety of easy-to-follow cooking videos from their best stars.

9. Pioneer Woman

The Pioneer Woman isn’t only a blog, a show, or a woman who makes some of the most desirable recipes, but she now has her own cooking YouTube channel too.

If you’re learning to cook, The Pioneer Woman is a great place to start. Her recipes are easy to follow, delicious, and will keep you inspired throughout your cooking journey.

10. Preacher Lawson

If you watch America’s Got Talent, you may be familiar with Preacher Lawson. My family discovered his YouTube channel after seeing him on television.

Not only is he hilarious to listen to, but he creates amazing and easy dishes. They’re perfect for the beginner cook.

11. It’s Tuesday Night Somewhere with Melissa d’Arabian

When I first began cooking, Melissa d’Arabian was my hero. She hosted a show on Food Network called $10 Dinners.

For a mom of young children who were on an extremely tight budget, this saved my grocery budget many times. She has her own YouTube channel which shows you how to make easy, inexpensive, and tasty meals quickly for a busy weeknight.

12. Nana’s Cookery

Nana’s Cookery isn’t nearly as popular as it should be, but I had to share it because if it wasn’t for this woman, I’d still be relying on store-bought pie crusts.

She makes everything (even the hard recipes) seem easy. The steps are simple and presented in a way even the newest cook can figure it out.

13. Simple Cooking YouTube Channels

When first learning to cook, it’s helpful to cook simple meals. The fancier you go, the easier it can be to become discouraged.

The Simple Cooking Channel provides a variety of helpful videos on cooking simple recipes. They breakdown the process into manageable pieces which is a great benefit for the new cook.

You now have 13 different cooking YouTube channels to check out. Give them a try to see which ones will help you conquer the task of cooking.

Though cooking may get a bad wrap from some people, it’s necessary for survival. It’s also vital in your efforts to save money, helps you to use the foods you grow in your garden, and can help you lead a healthier lifestyle.

23 Websites to Learn Cooking Lesson Online (Free and Paid Cooking Courses)

Learn Cooking Lesson Online

DISCLOSURE: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning when you click the links and make a purchase, we receive a commission.

You can learn how to cook from world-class chefs without traveling anywhere. There are online courses that teach students how to cook different meals. You can find world-class and renowned chefs who have packaged simple and easy to understand courses for different meals.

The course programs are mostly designed to last for a few weeks because learning how to cook should be a gradual process to get the best results. However, the length of cooking courses online will depend on the food in focus.

It is easy to learn how to cook online with an online course because the videos are of high-quality. Also, the audio sound in many reputable online cooking videos created for students is clear and audible. With these settings, it is easy to listen and understands the instructions narrated by the chef on how to cook amazing meals.

It is also possible to find online cooking lessons that focus on deserts, dinner meals, or how to make pastries. But if you want a general cooking course, these classes are also available. The flexibility allows students to improve their cooking skills and learn how to cook new meals.

Here are the best online cooking websites you should visit.

23 Websites to Learn Cooking Lesson Online Reviews

1) Cooking Master Class with Thomas Keller

Thomas Keller has created a comprehensive MasterClass to teach students how to cook different seafood, desserts and sous vide. This is Thomas Keller’s third cooking MasterClass, and he has packaged 17 lessons that last about 12 minutes each.

The cooking lessons in this course have been prepared for beginners and intermediate cooking students who are interested in learning new culinary skills. Thomas Keller focuses on teaching his students the principles that must be followed to get a good result consistently.

The course starts with an introduction to the different cooking methods for seafood and sous vide, and it ends with different tips on how to serve desserts and seafood.

The master chef also demonstrates how students taking the course can get better results when they cook at the right temperature. Each student who takes this course will get a workbook that helps them to practice the cooking methods according to the lessons.

2) Master Class with Gordon Ramsay

This is the second Master Class prepared by renowned chef Gordon Ramsay. He has created this master class with a focus on teaching students how to prepare the best restaurant meals.

The master class features 15 lessons that are presented as high-quality videos that last for about 12 minutes per lesson. The master class starts with preparatory lessons and proceeds to teach students how to achieve an amazing food presentation that can be done in private homes.

This online cooking course is for anyone who would like to prepare tasty meals that are usually found on the menu in top-class restaurants. Gordon Ramsay has selected 13 special dishes that are served in restaurants; he takes the students on a learning journey from the preparation of the appetizers to the main course.

The lessons have been simplified for all students, and it reveals how the meals can be prepared with ingredients that are sold in regular markets.

3) Master Class with Wolfgang Puck

Wolfgang Puck has created this online cooking course to teach his students the culinary skills that can make them more confident in the kitchen. Wolfgang Puck is a legendary chef who is known for his experimental prowess in the kitchen and willingness to try new things. Puck made the headlines when he discovered how to make delicious salmon pizza without the use if Bagels.

In this amazing online cooking course, Wolfgang Puck invites the public into his kitchen to learn the best techniques that can be used to prepare starters, the main side meals, and desserts. He goes further in this online cooking course to teach his students how to make different exotic cocktails.

At the end of this course, Wolfgang Puck aims to empower his students with culinary skills and in-depth cooking knowledge that can motivate the students to discover and create new recipes.

This course is divided into 16 lessons that last for about 12 minutes each.

4) Master Class with Massimo Bottura

It is such a thrill to know that Massimo Bottura, the popular Italian chef, has created a cooking master class to teach students his excellent cooking methods. This master class is for everyone who wants to learn how to cook modern Italian meals.

The course is presented as 12 lessons that last for about 12 minutes per lesson. The video lessons have a sharp picture display and excellent audio. Massimo Bottura has created this cooking course for aspiring chefs at all levels of training.

The theme of this course is focused on the methods of applying modern cooking techniques and recipes to improve traditional Italian meals. Massimo Bottura takes his students on a learning program that teaches them how to correctly prepare meals and get consistent results by using the right heat energy and ingredients. Each student participating in this online cooking course gets a cookbook during the program.

5) Master Class with Alice Waters

Alice Waters is such a darling; she has graced our TV screens for many years as a professional chef and teacher. In this master class, Alice Waters reveals the secrets of excellent home-cooked meals. She has prepared this online course, which features a total of 16 cooking lessons.

The video lessons are shot with high definition cameras and excellent audio. Alice Waters with a preview of the course, and shows her students how to recognise and select the best organic ingredients in the market.

This online cooking course takes the students through a learning journey that covers the cooking methods required to process raw foods and preparation of different meals in the home.

Alice focuses on teaching her students how to get the best results with the use of healthy cooking methods. Alice also teaches about the best kitchen tools for home-cooked meals as well as the herbs and spices that can bring out the unique taste in meals.

6) Master Class with Aaron Franklin

In this comprehensive cooking course that features 16 video lessons, Aaron Franklin teaches his students about the best cooking methods to prepare Texas barbeque. There is hardly a restaurant that does not offer the meal Texas barbeque in their menu. It is a favourite among the customers.

So many people are interested in learning how to cook their chicken right. The skills learned in this course can be used for private cooking in homes or commercial services.

The secrets to cooking the Texas barbeque lie in the ability of the chef to get the right smoke and fire. These are the methods taught in this master class. Aaron Franklin is the famous owner of the Franklin Barbeque, a very popular restaurant where the line of customers waiting to buy barbeque is always very long.

The course features 16 video lessons, and each student is given a cookbook during the program. The students taking this course are taught how to cook pork, brisket, and steak.

7) Udemy Online Cooking Courses

Udemy features a number of cooking courses that give the public an opportunity to learn essential cooking skills. The cooking courses sold on Udemy are prepared by top instructors from all over the world. Many students have a preference for the cooking lessons on Udemy because they can learn from different chefs.

The cooking lessons are designed with a structure that allows students to learn using a convenient schedule. The video lessons on the educational site cover a wide range of cooking areas such as seafood, dessert, dinner meals, side dishes, and pastries.

Students also have the opportunity to learn how to cook Asian meals such as Thai food, Indian cuisine, and Chinese meals. The duration of each course depends on the cooking area in focus.

For example, some cooking lessons for Asian cuisine last for up to 4 hours, while other courses about the preparation of desserts may only last for 30 minutes. The courses have been rated by past students so it is easy to make a choice and get value for your money.

8) Top Chef University

Top Chef University has created a mobile app that can be downloaded on smartphones and tablets running on iOS and Android operating systems. The app features different cooking lessons that are presented as videos that can be streamed online.

The cooking videos on this online platform are high-quality; they feature different top chefs cooking meals while narrating the step by step process to students.

After downloading the app and signing up for an online cooking experience, students are given access to 200 video lessons that show chefs cooking different meals. The duration of the entire cooking program is about six hours. However, students can pause their lessons and resume when it is convenient.

Students can also track their progress by taking quizzes about the cooking videos they have watched to tests their knowledge. The interactive videos are presented by eleven top chefs who give detailed instructions on how to prepare meals.

9) Take Lessons for Online Cooking

On this educational site, students from all over the world can start learning how to cook different meals. The video cooking lessons offered on this site can be streamed online. However, they are not downloadable; instead, the instructors offer downloadable content such as cookbooks and instructional guides to help the students get better results when they try different recipes.

The site has created an online cooking section that allows chefs from all over the world to prepare and upload online cooking courses that have been focused on different cooking areas such as how to make Italian meals, Asian meals or American dishes.

The lessons are accessible to all students; it is easy to choose a good course on Take Lessons because the cooking instructors have been rated by their past students.

10) The Kitchn Cooking School

This is one of the popular online cooking schools that offer students a wide range of learning options. The online cooking school relies on high-quality videos to teach students about the best cooking methods for different types of foods. The Kitchn cooking school welcomes students at all levels.

Beginners who would like to learn from scratch can choose the right courses and start their learning experience. Also, expert chefs who are interested in learning new cooking methods can take the course and improve their cooking knowledge.

The Kitchn offers cooking courses that cover areas such as how to prepare ingredients for different meals, tips on creating recipes and how to use already existing recipes, planning a meal, the right type of groceries and the best methods that can be used to get excellent results when cooking for a group of people.

11) BBC Cooking Lessons Online

This is an exclusive online channel on the BBC website that is dedicated to teaching people how to cook online. The cooking lessons in this program are presented by your favourite British and European chefs. This is a comprehensive cooking program that covers a wide area of interest.

The lessons are presented as pre-recorded, high-quality videos. The fantastic thing about taking these cooking courses is that the videos are crisp clear and have excellent audio.

The cooking courses featured on this site cover areas such as quick-cooking methods, healthy cooking methods, frying foods, cooking methods that will benefit single people, discussing the ingredients and different recipes.

Also, there are video cooking lessons created to teach vegans how to make different vegan meals. Students who take this online cooking course will learn tips and techniques used by master chefs to get excellent and consistent results.

12) NY Times Cooking

This is an online cooking website sponsored by the New York Times. The scope covers areas related to cooking, such as different amazing recipes that can be cooked in residential homes or on a commercial scale, cooking guides that can be used to get the best results, and creative suggestions that anyone can try at home.

There is always so much to learn on this site, the editors have enlisted the services of many chefs who contribute essential cooking guides and tips to help the students who are learning how to cook. The site is also excellent for experienced chefs who are looking for new and exciting recipes to thrill their customers.

Some of the highlights on this cooking site include lessons on how to cook on-demand meals for dinner and favourite dishes that can be found on the menus during festival seasons. The cooking tips on this site cover how to cook soups, pasta, chicken, bread, yoghurt, and so much more. There are also special cooking ideas on how to make meals children will enjoy eating.

13) Dinner Tonight

This online cooking website is the home of amazing recipes, healthy cooking tips, guides, and high-quality cooking videos to teach everyone who wants to improve their culinary skills. The chefs in charge of the site make it easy for beginners to learn amazing cooking methods by offering the latest tips and ideas for different recipes.

The cooking ideas that can be learned on this site include tips for cooking vegan meals, vegetarian meals, fried foods, and cuisines from different parts of the world. The site also features creative ideas on how to make snacks, dessert, side dishes and meals that children will enjoy eating.

Each meal featured on this site includes a comprehensive list of the ingredients and the recipe, which shows the measurement for each ingredient. The instructions have been documented in an easy to understand format. Also, the chef presents an analysis of the nutritional value of the meal to guide the students who are learning.

14) American Test Kitchen

The experienced chefs on this website offer students an opportunity to learn how to cook a variety of meals online. The master chefs have prepared countless online cooking lessons that cover different recipes. The students can choose an area of interest and focus on learning the best culinary skills to achieve the best results consistently.

This online cooking school offers its students over 230 online cooking lessons that are presented as videos with high-quality pictures and audio. The students are taken through a learning curve that teaches them how to apply cooking techniques and why different results are obtained.

The cooking lessons are divided into different simple steps to help the students easily comprehend what must be done to get the best cooking results. The lessons cover how to cook weeknight meals, takeout dinners, sauces, and snacks, among many other options.

15) MIT Online Cooking Course

This is an open educational platform that offers the public a chance to learn how to cook different meals. The site layout is user-friendly; this makes it easy for students to find different instructors who are offering cooking guidelines for meals that catch their interest. The instructors on this site have been vetted by the editors, and they are experienced chefs and teachers.

The lessons cover guidelines on how to cook cuisines native to different cultures. The lessons are presented as high-quality videos and excellent audio. Students can find instructors who have created online courses to teach them how to cook pasta, Chinese cuisine, and meals native to other Asian regions.

16) Delia Online

This is one of the popular online cooking websites that offers its audience a generalised platform to learn how different meals are cooked. The site focuses on how meals are prepared for different occasions.

Students can learn how to cook the best meals for breakfast, dinner, or delicious snacks. There is a section for students who are interested in learning the best methods for cooking chicken. Other meals and desserts such as cakes, pancakes, and soups are covered in this online cooking school.

The site features an information centre that teaches the audience about different foods and potential causes of allergies when some particular foods are eaten. This section also features the best tips for freezing foods, conversion tables, and different food recipes.

There is also a part of the site where people can find essential tips on the different cooking methods for preparing eggs. It is a comprehensive site, responsive and easy to use.

17) Bluprint Online Cooking Classes

This is one of the popular online cooking schools; many people use this site because there is always something new for students. The chefs shoot many interesting and insightful videos about cooking different meals, which are posted on the site.

It is also a great place for beginners, intermediate and advanced chefs who are looking for new and exciting recipes to try out. The chefs on this site aim to encourage all the users and make them more confident in discovering new and unique recipes.

The cooking lessons on this site cover areas such as baking and making pastry, cooking Italian pasta, Mexican foods, Asian meals, Latin American foods, roasting, and how to make different types of stews.

The cooking lessons are created as video lessons that feature the chef who narrates the steps to follow when cooking a meal. There are different learning options, for example, students can select one from a collection of eight methods of making stews, or decide to learn all the methods.

18) Rouxbe Cooking Lessons Online

Rouxbe is a website created to teach a broad audience on how to cook online. The website is managed by a team of chefs who have a plan to grow the largest culinary online school. Rouxbe has had over 500 students since its inception, and the online cooking school offers membership to deserving chefs who become a part of the community.

The learning program offered to students is structured as an online course during which the students are guided by the instructor. The membership program gives the beneficiaries access to the vast culinary ideas, methods, and tips of the expert chefs.

This online cooking school has built a virtual community of students who can learn how to cook different meals from any part of the world. The course features interesting topics that are structured to keep the students engaged while they improve their culinary skills.

Students can enrol for the six-month course which includes a professional certificate at the end of the course. The certification program focuses on foundational and professional cooking methods.

19) Foodist Kitchen

This online cooking school uses a different approach to teach people how to cook different meals. The course includes a comprehensive program that covers how to use different culinary skills.

Participants in this course will learn how to cook different meals without the use of recipes. This online school will be a good match for people who are interested in learning how to cook different homemade meals.

Beginners are welcome to take this online cooking course. The instructors are also ready to share their knowledge and cooking tips with intermediate and advanced chefs. The cooking methods also involve the use of strategies and the chef’s experience to help students become more confident when they are cooking in the kitchen.

The lead instructor on this site holds the opinion that people who rely on recipes hardly get the expected results. Instead, learning how to cook without the use of recipes can encourage more people to enjoy cooking as a habit.

Skill Share is a creative and responsive website that offers its audience a chance to learn how to cook different meals. The site has provided a platform for different chefs to upload their instructional videos about cooking different types of foods.

On this site, beginners can get started on their journey to become expert chefs. The video lessons include step by step instructions on how to cook meals with confidence and consistently achieve the best results.

The video lessons on this site are interactive. The narratives and explanations of the chefs in videos are easy to understand, also, the processes are done in simple and elaborate ways to make it easy for the viewers to follow the cooking process and get it right. On this site, anyone can learn how to make foods using cooking methods such as baking, frying, steaming, as well as how to make desserts, and a variety of cuisines.

21) One Pot Chef

This is one of the popular YouTube channels about cooking. The channel has over 800 subscribers, and it features fresh content daily to keep the viewers engaged. So many people have learned how to cook different meals by viewing the videos on this channel, and all they need to do is subscribe.

There are hundreds of videos on this amazing cooking channel. The videos are high-quality and have clear audio to help viewers follow the cooking process.

The videos on this cooking channel feature the best methods that can be used to cook different meals in special ways. For example, you can find unique cooking methods that are suitable for the preparation of rice, pork, chicken, or beef. The videos also cover the preparation of desserts and baked foods.

22) Online degree

Online degree offers free cooking lessons for beginners. The lessons are presented as videos that feature expert chefs cooking different meals while explaining the process. This is a free online cooking course, and it features 24 video lessons that can help anyone become an expert chef with outstanding culinary skills.

This online cooking course is structured to make it convenient for everyone to participate. There are no schedules or timelines; anyone can learn how to cook at their own pace.

During the course, students learn about different cooking techniques, the ingredients and how to achieve the best flavour with the use of herbs and spices. At the end of the course, students will become more confident while cooking in the kitchen and willing to try new recipes.

23) Super Prof Cooking Lessons

This website is created to help students find a cooking tutor and learn different culinary techniques. The search starts with entering a location, and the results show the tutors who are in that area and the types of foods they can teach the student how to cook.

The site is particularly for students who need private cooking lessons. However, the teachers on the site offer different learning experiences. For example, a teacher based in Washington may specialise in teaching students all about food handling, while another teacher is ready to teach students about cooking Indian cuisine. The courses can be organised in the teachers home, or via webcam, the decision is based on a mutual agreement between teacher and student.

The variety of options is a good idea. Students who may be beginners or advanced learners can use the opportunities on the site to learn several cooking methods from different expert chefs.

Many of the teachers on the site offer the first lesson for free. This will help the students to determine whether the course is right for them. The duration of the lessons depends on the cooking methods, techniques or meals that students will learn how to cook.

There are cooking lessons that last for fifty hours, while others are only 12 hours. It is also quite easy to get value for your money because the teachers have been rated by previous students. The teachers with a five-star rating usually get more patronage.

Choosing the Best Cooking Lesson Online

Learning how to cook online is convenient. So many people have always wanted to improve their culinary skills, but they have not had the time because of work. The cooking schools online offer a flexible learning opportunity for beginners and advanced students who need to improve their culinary skills.

Online, the learning opportunities are endless. The students can become much better by learning from different experts. The advantage of using online cooking schools is that the students get an opportunity to learn from renowned chefs whom they may never meet in person. It is also a good thing that some of the best chefs in the world are willing to share their culinary skills, tips, and ideas with everyone.

Websites for Budding Chefs

11 minutes reading time

“Good cooking is honest, sincere, and simple” Elizabeth David.

In today’s stressful world, cooking can be a great escape. In fact, when you’re cooking, your troubles just seem to melt away.

Shows like Masterchef and The Great British Bakeoff are whetting appetites up and down the country. Some people really struggle when it comes to cooking, even with the help of a cookbook.

People often say “I’m rubbish at cooking” and “I can’t cook”. If this sounds like you and you want to improve your culinary skills, you’re in luck! You can now learn to cook from the comfort of your own home thanks to the internet. Of course, you’ll also need some utensils before you cook your first dish.

If you’re trying to wade through the thousands of cooking websites on the internet, Superprof’s put together a few of the best ones for you to check out.

Ready to become the next top chef?

Why Should You Learn to Cook?

It’s never too late to learn how to cook. Whether we say we can’t be bothered or just don’t have the time, we always make excuses for why we don’t learn cook.

Cooking and eating with other people is more fun that eating on your own. (Source: severyanka)

Cooking starts by doing the shopping and rather than buying ready-made meals, getting ingredients, peeling, slicing, and roasting them in order to end up with a meal worth eating.

Why should you bother?

When learning to cook, practice makes perfect. So while you’re not going to become the country’s greatest chef overnight, the more you practice, the better you get.

When you start learning to cook, you’ll be surprised at how quickly you learn. You’ll even find doing the shopping takes less time. You’ll start knowing exactly what you’ll need for each meal, even if it’s just for yourself.

Who said cooking needs to take a long time?

While a recipe for a roast pork with potatoes, turnip and carrot mash, onion gravy, and cauliflower will have you slaving over the oven all morning, you can easily find a recipe for a healthier homemade meal that’s just as tasty and takes a fraction of the cooking time.

Here are some of the sites to help you do just that:

BBC Good Food

Before moving on to more complicated recipes, it’s a good idea start with some of the basics on this site.

You don’t need loads of specialised utensils in order to cook. (Source: rawpixel)

Start with their article on 25 skills every cook should know. This includes things like chopping an onion, using knives, boiling an egg, cooking pasta, baking a potato, roasting a chicken, crushing garlic, and preparing a chili! Just like a jelly, you’re set!

You should also learn the basics like the names of utensils, weights and measures, cooking vocabulary, how to cut vegetables, how to make different sauces and fillings, and different ways to cook food.

Before you start cooking more advanced meals, you should start with simpler meals so that you can master the aforementioned cooking techniques.

There’s also useful information on baking techniques for different types of dough, creams, and mousses. If you have a sweet tooth, it might be worthwhile focusing on baked food over traditional cooking.

Why not impress your friends and family with desserts?

Thanks to the detailed images with each step, you can easily follow each step to make simple recipes. Basic recipes are organised into clear sections: hot and cold dishes, meat, eggs, fish, pasta, rice, etc.

If you want to succeed as a chef, you’ll need to start somewhere. To become a good chef, following the advice on the site is a good place to start.

The advantages:

The disadvantages:

Check for cooking classes near me here.

Epicurious

Epicurious comes highly recommended and is a veritable treasure trove of recipes and cooking articles. Whether you want to learn quick and easy recipes or just what equipment you should have in your kitchen, this is a site you should check out.

They also maintain a mouthwatering Instagram feed. If you’re waiting for a bus or just thinking about dinner, you can get some inspiration for your next meal.

The search on the website is pretty smart and you can even find a wealth of recipes for different holidays like Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, Halloween, and Christmas.

Each cooking technique is clearly explained and accompanied by useful images to help you. You can find recipes based on the foods used and dietary requirements (gluten free, lactose free, vegetarian, vegan, etc.) or by occasion like Christmas meals or seasonal menus (trying to get rid of that pumpkin from Halloween?). It’s a goldmine of information on cooking with step-by-step guides for learning cooking techniques.

The advantages:

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Cooking for Students

Sick of baked beans on toast, instant soups, pot noodles, and prepackaged sandwiches? It might be time to check out this student cooking website. Students often look for cheap and easy-to-make recipes. Flavour isn’t often their most important criteria.

Do we really have to eat what students usually eat?

We wouldn’t say so. While this site is great for students, it’s also great for novice chefs wanting to learn more about cooking without breaking the bank.

Get access to online cooking classes for free.

Pasta is a common staple for students. (Source: RitaE)

There are plenty of meals you can make with just the ingredients in your cupboards or with a quick trip to a local supermarket (you won’t need tonnes of specialised ingredients). You can also find recipes for vegetarians, vegans, and special events.

The recipes are varied and interesting and include everything from macaroni cheese to pizzas. If corned beef stew, vegetable stir fry, or a tuna salad sounds good to you, then you should check out this website.

The advantages:

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AllRecipes.com

You wouldn’t expect a site like AllRecipes.com to only have a few recipes, and it doesn’t.

There’s more to cooking for vegetarians than just vegetables. (Source: manfredrichter)

The search on the website is exceptional and you curate your own feed of recipes depending on your tastes:

This is a site that lives up to its name. Add it to your favourites.

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SeriousEats.com

This is an award-winning site with plenty of resources for those needing help or inspiration in the kitchen. In addition to all the recipes available on the site, you can also read useful articles on cooking techniques, which are fundamental when it comes to making delicious meals.

The site is clean and can be easily navigated. Recipes are organised by ingredient, there’s an entire section on the techniques you’ll use, and there are even reviews of the best equipment.

Recipes are summarised by how many people they serve, how long you’ll be active when cooking it, how long it’ll take you to cook it, and a rating of the recipe itself. Unfortunately, there’s no indication of the difficulty of any of the recipe. However, a quick search for words like “easy” or “simple” will rectify this.

The advantages:

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GeniusKitchen.com

The Genius Kitchen site boasts over 500,000 recipes. While I can’t guarantee that they’re all winners, since they’re voted on and rated by the site’s users, the cream floats to the top and you can find some really good recipes for beginners and experienced cooks alike.

See kids cooking classes here on Superprof.

You’ll be surprised at some of the things you’ll end up making. (Source: RitaE)

More than just a recipe site, Genius Kitchen focuses on cooking and the culture around cooking. This is a great site for ambitious beginners who won’t be disheartened by failure. While there are easy recipes, the site really shines when you let it inspire you rather than trawling through all the recipes it has. Of course, you can still search for “easy” or “simple” recipes if you want to avoid feeling out of your depth.

We recommend that you use the site for inspiration once you’ve started getting to grips with the techniques (as found on our previous recommendation). Once you’ve increased your skill set in the kitchen, you can start getting the most out of this site.

The advantages:

The disadvantages:

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Yummly.com

Yummly.com boasts even more recipes than Genius Kitchen. However, this is more of a gateway to recipes than a site itself. While they say there are 1,000,000 recipes on this site, they’re actually hosted on other sites.

If you’re a beginner, you should immediately click on the “Quick and Easy” section (and not just because I found the site to run slowly if you try and scroll through all the recipes).

While I’m not a fan of the site’s navigation, I do like the way the recipes are presented: you can immediately see how many different ingredients you’ll need, how many calories in the meal, and how long it takes to make.

Unlike the other websites in this list, there aren’t as many different sections to help you find certain recipes.

The recipes are presented in both metric and imperial measures, but the conversion to metric comes up with some interesting units. Can you really be bothered to measure out 1 10/13 decilitres of balsamic vinegar?

This site works better for finding inspiration for meals than actually cooking them. The variety of sites it links to also means that you can’t guarantee the actual quality of the site you’re going to end up on.

However, the sheer number of recipes you’ll have access to is why it makes the list.

The advantages:

The disadvantages:

FoodNetwork.com for Cooking with Children

You probably recognise Food Network from your Facebook feed and the tonnes of viral videos shared by your friends (if you’re not the one sharing them). However, the best thing about this site is its section for cooking with children. Whether you’re an experienced cook or not, you should be able to help your kids with the recipes on this website.

We particularly like the section on safe cooking techniques for children since safety is a common concern for parents when encouraging their children in the kitchen. There’s a great article that explains safety advice for children of different ages.

The advantages:

The disadvantages:

Learn to Cook with Cooking Blogs

Despite the success of cooking videos, there are still plenty of really good cooking blogs. Some bloggers maintain sites that have just as many recipes and content as cooking websites.

You can find plenty of great recipes on blogs. (Source: Ananya440)

Blogs tend to adopt a more personal approach and are usually more enjoyable to read than some of the drier cooking websites. Here are some of the blogs worth visiting if you want to learn how to cook:

Beginners will enjoy the personal approach to blogs which address their audience as people. Blogs don’t tend to be as snobby as cooking websites, which can often put off aspiring chefs. They’re really useful if you own a tablet to prop up on your bench while you’re following the recipes.

If you want to make an omelette, you have to break some eggs. (Source: bluebudgie)

The advantages:

The disadvantages:

You can learn to cook in a cooking class but it’s cheaper learning how to cook by visiting cooking websites. Start by learning the basics and the lingo on websites for beginners. You can then move onto basic websites (such as cooking websites for students) and cooking blogs. Cooking, like all other skills, gets better with practice.

Now that you’ve got all your ingredients and you know the ropes, you’re ready to get the cooker on and get ready for the best moment, tasting your food!

In addition to the above online resources, you can find useful tips in cookery books.

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25 skills every cook should know

Even top chefs once had to learn the basics of cookery. Good Food brings you the must-know skills that will take you from nervous novice to confident cook.

We’ve put together a list of 25 key skills that every beginner cook should know in order to gain confidence in the kitchen.

1. How to chop an onion

The cornerstone of so many dishes, learning to chop an onion efficiently can speed up dinner preparations no end. Take a few moments out and learn how to slice like a pro with our how to chop an onion video below. We’ve also been discussing ways to keep the tears at bay; apparently, sucking on a teaspoon while chopping will keep your eyes dry.

2. How to master basic knife skills

Once you’ve mastered chopping onions, it’s time to broaden your knife skills and get to grips with scoring, shearing, fine slicing and more. Our knife skills video demonstrates how to sharpen and handle a knife with confidence, while our guide to the anatomy of a knife will help you get the most from your blade.

3. How to boil an egg

Sounds simple but a perfect, runny yolk can be lost in a moment, so timing is key. The duration of a boil depends on how firm you want the eggs to be, but it’s always best to start with them at room temperature to avoid undercooking. For a soft-boiled egg, bring a pan of water to the boil, gently lower the egg into it with a spoon and cook for three to five minutes. For hard-boiled eggs, start in a pan of cold water and bring up to the boil, then cook for seven-10 minutes – the longer you cook, the firmer the egg will be. Plunge the egg into cold water as soon as it’s done to stop it from overcooking. For more help perfecting your egg timing, read our guide on how to boil an egg.

4. How to cook pasta

If you’ve been put off pasta by stodgy, stuck-together school dinners, it’s time to learn how to cook it properly. In Italy, pasta is always served ‘al-dente’, which literally means ‘to the teeth’ – boiled until softened, but still firm to the bite. To achieve this, fill a pan with double the water to cover the pasta, add salt to taste and bring it to the boil. Carefully drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook for 10-12 minutes, making sure to stir within the first two minutes of cooking to prevent sticking. Bear in mind that different pasta shapes will have different cooking times and fresh egg pasta will cook much quicker than dried. To help you decide, why not read our guide to which pasta to buy.

If you want to completely start from scratch with your own homemade dough and a pasta machine, our video on how to make pasta has some helpful advice.

5. How to poach an egg

There’s no need to buy special pans to get perfectly poached eggs – they’re much easier than you think. Follow our video guide to poaching an egg with just a pan of boiling water, a splash of white wine vinegar and a slotted spoon.

6. How to melt chocolate

Using a ‘bain marie’ to melt chocolate might sound fancy, but it’s actually really simple, and will ensure you don’t ruin your favourite sweet treat by burning or splitting it. Our video walks you through how to melt chocolate properly.

7. How to make an omelette

For a tasty lunch or light dinner, you can’t beat an omelette. Beat your eggs until thoroughly combined, pour into a frying pan, and scatter over your fillings. Simple! To make it fluffy, drag the egg into the middle of the pan as it sets, as shown in our video on how to make the perfect omelette:

8. How to bake a potato

The humble jacket potato needs very little to turn it into a substantial meal, but a few tweaks to your method can transform it from just average to outstanding. Try rubbing the outside with a little oil and salt for spuds that have crisp skin and fluffy white flesh. Follow our guide on how to make the ultimate baked potato for success every time and delve further into our baked potato collection.

9. How to stuff and roast a chicken

Roast chicken is a Sunday favourite, but you can add even more flavour by stuffing it. Check out our video on how to stuff a chicken for roasting and use our roast timer to ensure perfect, juicy meat. Use a temperature thermometer or check that the juices run clear, as shown in our how to test & joint a chicken video. To achieve a flavourful and healthy roast, rub the chicken with thyme, lemon juice and rapeseed oil then serve with chopped vegetables, as shown in our healthy one pan roast chicken video.

10. How to make gravy

Real gravy made in the roasting pan tastes so much better than powdered gravy. Follow the foolproof steps in our how to make gravy video to create silky sauce every time. For more in-depth instructions, read this guide on how to make the ultimate gravy.

11. How to make stock

A good stock can lift your soups, stews and risottos to the next level. Master this technique with our video on how to make stock – perfect for using up leftover bones after a roast.

12. How to cook rice

An everyday staple that deserves to be prepared properly. You don’t need to buy a rice cooker to get fluffy grains; the absorption method, shown in our how to cook rice video, simply uses a lidded pan of boiling water:

13. How to separate an egg

Lots of recipes call for only egg whites or yolks, so how do you separate them out? One of the easiest methods is to crack the egg with the blunt side of a knife, open the shell into two halves, and pass the yolk several times between the halves, letting the white drop down into the bowl underneath before popping the yolk into a separate vessel. Watch our video on how to make meringues to see this technique in action.

14. How to knead dough

Bread is a staple, but if you’ve never tasted a fresh loaf when it’s hot from the oven, you’re missing out. Mixing flour with water and a gentle pummelling activates gluten, which needs to be developed through kneading to make the dough stretchy and elastic. Prepare a flat, clean surface by sprinkling over a little flour, and take your bowl of risen dough. Using your fists, ‘knock back’ the dough until it forms a smaller ball, then tip this out onto your kneading surface. Using the heel of one hand, push the dough down and forwards, stretching and squashing it. Give the dough a quarter turn and fold it in half, then repeat, kneading and turning in a rhythmic manner for as long as the recipe states. See this technique in action in our how to make bread video and improve your bread skills.

15. How to crush garlic

Garlic is essential to many recipes, and our video guide for how to crush garlic with a knife will not only save you the hassle of buying and cleaning a garlic crusher, but will give you a smooth paste that will simply disappear into your dish with no lumps.

16. How to prepare chillies

Fresh chillies can add a kick to your cooking. You can vary the heat depending on the type of chilli that you use, and whether you prepare it with the seeds or not. Find out how to prepare chillies – just make sure you wash your hands after!

17. How to brown meat

For meat to stay succulent and juicy when it’s cooked in a stew, it needs to be sealed first. Browning meat is a simple technique of briefly pan-frying until the outside is seared to give a richer flavour and keep meat tender before cooking further. Try it out in this beef & swede casserole.

18. How to cook the perfect steak

Pan-frying is one of the easiest ways to make sure that your steak is cooked to perfection. The cooking time will depend on how well-done you like your meat, how thick the cut is, and what type of steak it is. Follow our perfect steak guide to serve up a steak that’s cooked to your liking, or watch this video:

19. How to make a salad dressing

A vinaigrette is a simple French salad dressing made from oil and vinegar in the basic ratio three parts oil to one part vinegar. Check out our video to see how to make a classic French dressing, or adapt it with lemon juice, fresh herbs, mustard or crushed garlic, as in this superfood salad with citrus dressing.

20. How to stay safe in the kitchen

Hygiene and proper handling of ingredients like raw chicken are crucial to prevent your meal (and month) being spoilt by food poisoning. Firstly, always wash your hands before cooking or eating and after touching raw meat. Use separate chopping boards for raw meats and vegetables, and make sure to clean all utensils thoroughly after use. When storing meat in the fridge, always use a clean, sealed container and place it on the bottom shelf to avoid dripping onto other foods.

21. How to make a batter

The technique varies depending on what you’re making, but you always need to whisk your batter properly to combine the flour, milk or water so that there are no lumps. Get a smooth finish with our video guides for making thin crepe pancakes, fluffy American pancakes, classic Yorkshire puddings and homemade battered fish.

22. How to rub flour and butter

Some find it the most satisfying part of a bake, others hate this time-consuming task. However, if you’re making shortcrust pastry, scones or a crumble, you’ll need to use a technique called rubbing in. This means taking flour and fat and rubbing it between your fingertips until it looks like breadcrumbs.

23. How to line a cake tin

Don’t be tempted to forgo this crucial baking step. Softened butter and baking parchment are all you need to stop your cake sticking, and with a little know-how, you can successfully line any shape of tin. Put these skills into practice by making a large, fruity Christmas cake.

24. How to make a tomato sauce

Fresh is best and there’s no need to buy tomato passata when it’s so easy to make. Our simple passata recipe will last a week in the fridge, or up to three months in the freezer, ready to be added to soups and stews, or used as a sauce for meat, fish, or pasta.

25. How to prepare an avocado

A delicious addition to salads or guacamole, avocados have a large stone in the middle that needs to be removed and soft flesh, which can be difficult to keep intact as you open it up. Discover how to prepare an avocado the easy way, plus tips to prevent it from going brown before serving.

How many of the above skills have you mastered? Let us know how you rate yourself in the kitchen via the comments below.

How to learn to cook

Learning how to cook will be one of the best things you do in your life. The question is, where do you start if you’re a beginner cook or you’re a home cook that is stuck on only being able to follow recipes?

When you learn to cook from the basics you will be able to create food the way you like it and you will be able to cook food without all the added preservatives that are in prepared foods.

How to Learn to Cook Video

Practice

Without practice, you will not succeed in cooking. The more you cook the better you’re going to get. The old saying “practice makes perfect” is so true when you are learning how to cook.

The entire idea of practicing at anything is to get better at the end goal. Yes, you are going to make mistakes, but the benefit of the mistakes if your wise is that you will learn from them.

In the beginning, just getting comfortable is the main goal. Before you get too far along you are going to want to learn the things I outline in the post so you can attain some sound fundamentals of cooking.

Learn basic cooking techniques

Learning basic cooking techniques is so important to pull yourself away from just following recipes. Yes, you can learn from recipes but if you learn basic techniques you will not be tied to only recipes.

Now, some of these cooking techniques you might think sound to fancy and they must be hard to do. The fact of the matter is, they are the basics, and the ones I will give you are simple to learn.

For some reason, it seems a lot of us lost the basics with home cooking but the fact is all great chefs live by these basic cooking fundamentals.

Braising

Braising is one of the simple and best ways to get incredible flavors from a dish. Most braising also calls for simple ingredients. The best recipes in cooking have simple ingredients and simple techniques.

When you braise meat you are cooking it in a little bit of liquid for an extended amount of time. You are also going to be cooking at a lower temperature.

It is common to saute the meat before you actually braise the food. This step will enhance the flavor of the meat by creating the Maillard reaction “browning the meat”.

One of my favorite meats to braise is chicken. My braised chicken recipe has an incredible flavor with simple ingredients.

Sautéing

Learning how to sauté food will help you with all kinds of dishes. Now, sauteing is a simple practice but it needs to be done correctly.

When you sauté food you are typically doing this on a stove top with a frying pan and you are using a medium to high heat.

The idea is to cook the meat quickly with a minimal amount of fat like avocado or olive oil, lard, butter, or one of my favorites chicken fat. You are looking to brown the meat without burning it, leaving the inside cooked just right.

Now, this does not only apply to meat. People sauté vegetables all the time. It is my favorite way to cook my veggies. My most popular video for this is mushrooms and onions video.

The key with the fat that you use is to make sure that it has a high enough smoke point in the frying pan.

Learning to sauté will be a great way to be able to cook different pieces of meat that you can use for all kinds of dishes. It will also make you comfortable the next time you tackle that recipe you want to make.

Sauteed meat is in all kinds of recipes that you are most likely familiar with. One of the most common is a stir-fry or say the chicken in a Chicken Alfredo.

If you learn how to cook ground beef by sautéing, you will master ground beef that you can add to all kinds of recipes like a good meat sauce or ground beef tacos.

Baking

Ohh yes, the art of baking. Now when you are learning how to bake say muffins and cakes sometimes baking is not so easy because you need to be very precise.

When I talk about baking your food I am talking about cooking your dish in the oven. The oven gives a consistent constant heat that works so well with all kinds of recipes and foods.

One of the most favorite chicken recipe is a simple baked bone in chicken thighs. They are baked in the oven and also broiled for a few minutes to make them extra crispy.

The ability to be able to control your heat with your food in a dish really makes cooking a lot easier. You don’t have to contend with the grease causing flare-ups as you do with say, grilling.

Grilling

This by far I would say is my favorite cooking technique for most of my dishes. Not sure if its a guy thing but nothing beats mastering the grill.

When you grill you typically are cooking at high temperature. You are looking at searing the meat to keep in a lot of the juices. This practice browns the meat and that incorporates a lot of flavors.

When you use charcoal or if you grill on an open fire you also create a unique flavor to the food.

Now, do not be intimidated by grilling. One of the benefits of grilling is that you can always pull the meat to the cool side of the grill if things are not going as well as you wanted.

Learn basic skills

If you learn some basic knife skills and prepping skills you will find creating a dish will not take so long or be so stressful. The more you do ahead of time the better off you will get.

Cutting

Cutting knife skills are really important so you do not get hurt. They will also help you be more consistent with the size of the vegetable that you cut so they cook more evenly.

It is very important to have a sharp knife when you are cutting your food. When you have a dull knife you have more chances of hurting yourself because you are applying extra force that is not needed.

If you are looking to pick up an all-around knife than I would go with the chef knife. This knife is so versatile and I pretty much use it all the time in the kitchen when I need a knife.

Here are a few knife skills that you can learn when your getting started.

Peeling

Peeling skills are often done with a knife but there are also gadgets that are specifically made to peel that works great for potatoes and carrots alike.

You would also be surprised that you can peel ginger and peel a kiwi with a spoon.

Learning to peel quickly and efficiently will help you enjoy the cooking process and in the end, will make you a more successful home cook.

Cook the food you like

When you are learning how to cook it is really important to cook the foods you like.

It is not going to be much fun to spend a lot of time on a dish to find out you don’t like.

So if you really like Italian food then start there or if you really enjoy Mexican food then that’s also a great place to start.

Most of all the skills and techniques that you will learn apply to all the different cuisines.

So start learning the basics that we defined in this post and then apply them to the cuisine that you enjoy the most.

Watch Youtube videos

I really feel the best way to learn something is by watching and doing. You can do all the research and reading you want but if you don’t apply and try you will not succeed at cooking.

YouTube is a search engine just like Google. You can search for whatever you are looking for to get an answer with your home cooking.

There are a lot of great channels out there. I would stay away from the ones at the moment that is more of a cooking channel for entertainment.

You want to focus on a YouTube channel like mine that will teach you Click on the image above!

Seasoning

This is one of the most important parts of learning how to cook. If you don’t learn seasoning from the beginning you’re going to have a hard time creating food that tastes good.

Salt by far is the most important seasoning that you want to learn. If you are not salting the food that you make you are going in the wrong direction.

Salt will not change the food that you cook it will enhance the flavor in an incredible way.

I have a little experiment for you to try to make you a believer in salting your food.

Buy your self a nice vine ripe tomato that is still connected to the vine. Wash the tomato and cut it into some nice wedges.

Take one of the wedges and hit it with some salt but leave the other without.

Now if you try this experiment you will be sold on the fact that you need to season your food and cooking with salt.

The amount of salt is another story but you are on the right track.

Most common salts for cooking

There are so many other ways to season your food. This can be done with spices and sauces.

The entire idea behind seasoning is to enhance the flavor of the food. This can also be done with sweeteners like sugar.

You can also add acids to season food. A very common acid would be lemons and limes or vinegar.

Learning the correct way to season your food and cooking will enhance it and make you enjoy your cooking journey.

Food safety

Food safety is really important when it comes to cooking. The last thing you want to do is get yourself or a loved one sick.

I say the two biggest things to consider are…

Food Temp

Keeping a close eye on the food temp on the foods that you are cooking is very important to prevent food poisoning from eating meat that was not cooked all the way.

It is also important on how you cool your foods for storage, say for leftovers, or that delicious chicken noodle soup that you made.

There is a danger zone when the food is cooling and if you leave soup or a turkey out for too long to cook then you could be asking for trouble.

Sanitization

Making sure that when you are working with raw meats that you really clean your dishes and surfaces well with hot soapy water to kill any lingering bacteria.

One of the big ones is raw chicken. Raw chicken can carry Salmonella and some other nasty bacteria.

You don’t want to wash your chicken in the sink as this can send these bacteria all over the kitchen when the water hits it.

In the end, there is so much to cooking and learning how to cook I promise you it will change your life.

If you have never really created things in life and want to experience a way that is so satisfying then cooking is a great way to experience it!

Let me know in the comments below… Are you new to cooking and are you enjoying the journey?