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As someone who took up this hobby a couple years ago, I can attest that the collection of cooking links is awful. There's a difference between learning how to c

As someone who took up this hobby a couple years ago, I can attest that the collection of cooking links is awful. There's a difference between learning how to cook and a recipe, and these sites aren't even good at either. I've heard good things about chefhangout.com and rouxbe.com. And sadly most of the best cooking information still exists in printed books. Ruhlman's 20 is a great place to start.

lix2333 14y ago
Hey, thanks for the link. I've looked pretty hard for sites that teach cooking and they're pretty hard to come by! The cooking for engineers has been the best one that I've seen. Its surprising that there's not better resources. I didn't want to have to start linking to youtube channels...
- mattmaroon 14y ago
  Sadly some of the cooking for engineers advice is just bad. I just perused it briefly. For instance it says to make sure to buy a cutting board that fits in your sink, then recommends wooden cutting boards. You don't soak wooden tools so why would you need it to fit in your sink? I love my butcher block and it's much larger than my sink. If you want to really jump into it, grab Ad Hoc at Home by Thomas Keller and just start cooking your way through it. Keller has an engineer's mindset and level of precision, and explains things assuming you're not stupid but don't know much about cooking.
  - kd0amg 14y ago
    Personally, I would avoid it because things that are too big to fit in the sink are awkward to wash, even if I don't soak them.
    - mattmaroon 14y ago
      I get a soapy sponge and scrub it off. I don't know what I need a sink for anyway. I don't want to get it as wet as it would if I ran it under the faucet. (Then I sanitize with vinegar/water and then coat with mineral oil. Cooking for engineers skips the sanitizing step and glosses over the oil.)
      - randallsquared 14y ago
        After you've put soap on it, you need to rinse it before moving to the next step, right? Seems like it would take a lot of wiping (and rinsing of the sponge) to get to the same level of confidence about lack of soap as a simple rinse of whatever you're cleaning. Does the vinegar displace soap, or something?
        Robin_Message 14y ago
        This may be surprising, but you don't actually need to rinse off dish soap. Hell, at home we don't even dry thing up, just leave them to drain and evaporate. Never noticed any kind of residue or flavour.
        mattmaroon 14y ago
        I just wipe it off with a wet paper towel. I never notice any residue or flavor doing that. I figure if I'm not tasting the vinegar I spray on after, I'm definitely not tasting some dish soap. I also use a very light natural dish soap. YMMV if you're using one with strongs scents/chemicals.
Spoom 14y ago
If you're just starting out with cooking as I was a few years ago, http://startcooking.com/ http://startcooking.com/ is a great site. Very basic information but explained concisely.
breckinloggins 14y ago
I, too, have been really disappointed with cooking education online. This is an area ripe for a good startup (that someone else can do, I have my hands full). :) Some ideas: - Leverage Google Hangout for some interactive classes - Use gamification to help users learn some of the more boring fundamentals (basic cooking terms, substitution guidelines, units and measurements, basic baking chemistry guidelines, etc.) - A better instruction format geared toward using your iPad or other tablet propped up in the kitchen. For example, make sure the user can navigate with the nub of a knuckle or some other clumsy way, so they don't have to touch their iPad with fingers that just got through tenderizing raw chicken. - That instruction format should probably incorporate a hybrid text-audio-video approach. And by that I don't mean a blog post with an embedded video at the top. I mean a way to constantly review just that part of the video that talks about what you're doing. - Start with videos about things that are obvious but are useful to see. For example, what EXACTLY should olive oil look and smell like before you add the food to it? On a typical gas stove or electric range, where approximately should the knob be? I'm starting to get nervous about this pan-fry step. Are you sure I shouldn't go ahead and flip the chicken? I think I'm burning it! Those kind of things are currently best learned with the assistance of a REAL cook alongside you in the kitchen. He or she can say "don't you DARE touch that portobello; it's SO not done!" There needs to be a way for the more moment-by-moment learning experiences to be available online. TL;DR - thinking of doing a cooking startup? PLEASE don't give us another "recipes with an embedded video" site. Please.
- sync 14y ago
  We're doing a lot of this (iPad in the kitchen, text-audio-video, moment by moment tutorials w/ pictures and video) over at http://www.onlinecookingschool.com/ http://www.onlinecookingschool.com/ -- I encourage you to check it out. Please send any feedback you have my way!
  - breckinloggins 14y ago
    Looks pretty cool. Biggest feedback is to lower barrier of entry by having a step before the 14-day free trial. Maybe you put together a free package that users can get to and play with without signing in. If they want to save their progress then they have to sign in, which starts the 14-day free trial. Right now the website just gives me the "this looks like a commitment" feeling, which I'd work to lessen since cooking is one of those things where people randomly get on a wild hare and it lasts a few hours to a few days; you have to hook them during that time or their interest wanes and you don't see them again for a few months/years.
burke 14y ago
rouxbe.com is very, very good. I went through all of their videos over the course of a week or so a couple years back, and the pacing, depth, and quality of instruction are extremely impressive. I would recommend it to anyone.
edemay 14y ago
agree with rouxbe.com. their how-to videos/classes are very well put-together and the community of users incredibly active, insightful and participative.
natep 14y ago
The book I'm currently going through (after a year of using the techniques I learned as a kid to successfully follow random recipes) is Cooking for Geeks (http://cookingforgeeks.com http://cookingforgeeks.com). None of its advice is obviously wrong so far, and it's not telling me that I need every single kitchen gadget, which I like. But of course, I don't really know enough to know if it's wrong.
- HeyLaughingBoy 14y ago
  Does the food taste good? If so, then it's right.
jules 14y ago
For Dutch speaking HN'ers I'd recommend http://24kitchen.nl http://24kitchen.nl (also on TV) Especially the desserts/baking section by Rudolph van Veen is great. He covers many classics, like creme caramel, tarte tatin, baklava, omelette siberienne, etc. He also explains the basic techniques well, like beating egg white with molten sugar to get a sturdy cream.
Dove 14y ago
I was disappointed, too, that rouxbe wasn't on the list. It isn't free, though, and that seems to be one of their criteria.
bravura 14y ago
If you're an absolute beginner at cooking, I highly recommend the free Stone Soup ebook. All recipes are 5 ingredients or under, 10 minutes or under. http://thestonesoup.com/blog/2010/06/a-free-e-cookbook/ http://thestonesoup.com/blog/2010/06/a-free-e-cookbook/ When I started cooking, I was intimidated by long recipes and never knowing what substitutions or omissions I could make. This ebook really turned me on, because of its "minimal cooking approach". By stripping recipes down to their bare essentials, this book made cooking approachable. I began to understand the fundamentals, and that allowed me to feel free to experiment. However, at this point all of my knowledge is ad-hoc. I wouldn't mind recommendations or pointers on how to improve my skill, and I agree that it's not clear where to go for this information.
kingnothing 14y ago
There's an amazing textbook titled "On Cooking" which is the single most influential resource I've used for learning how to seriously cook. From food safety to knife skills, butchering to baking, it covers everything. I would highly recommend picking up a copy if you're interested in or already have a passion for cooking.
coldarchon 14y ago
I like this one a lot: http://forums.egullet.org/ http://forums.egullet.org/ Other blogs and resources: http://101cookbooks.com/ http://101cookbooks.com/ http://rasamalaysia.com/rasa-malaysia-recipe-index/ http://rasamalaysia.com/rasa-malaysia-recipe-index/ http://www.publicradio.org/columns/splendid-table/recipes/ http://www.publicradio.org/columns/splendid-table/recipes/ and of course: http://www.cookingforengineers.com/ http://www.cookingforengineers.com/

lix2333 14y ago

Hey, thanks for the link. I've looked pretty hard for sites that teach cooking and they're pretty hard to come by! The cooking for engineers has been the best one that I've seen. Its surprising that there's not better resources. I didn't want to have to start linking to youtube channels...

mattmaroon 14y ago
Sadly some of the cooking for engineers advice is just bad. I just perused it briefly. For instance it says to make sure to buy a cutting board that fits in your sink, then recommends wooden cutting boards. You don't soak wooden tools so why would you need it to fit in your sink? I love my butcher block and it's much larger than my sink. If you want to really jump into it, grab Ad Hoc at Home by Thomas Keller and just start cooking your way through it. Keller has an engineer's mindset and level of precision, and explains things assuming you're not stupid but don't know much about cooking.
- kd0amg 14y ago
  Personally, I would avoid it because things that are too big to fit in the sink are awkward to wash, even if I don't soak them.
  - mattmaroon 14y ago
    I get a soapy sponge and scrub it off. I don't know what I need a sink for anyway. I don't want to get it as wet as it would if I ran it under the faucet. (Then I sanitize with vinegar/water and then coat with mineral oil. Cooking for engineers skips the sanitizing step and glosses over the oil.)
    - randallsquared 14y ago
      After you've put soap on it, you need to rinse it before moving to the next step, right? Seems like it would take a lot of wiping (and rinsing of the sponge) to get to the same level of confidence about lack of soap as a simple rinse of whatever you're cleaning. Does the vinegar displace soap, or something?
      - Robin_Message 14y ago
        This may be surprising, but you don't actually need to rinse off dish soap. Hell, at home we don't even dry thing up, just leave them to drain and evaporate. Never noticed any kind of residue or flavour.
        mattmaroon 14y ago
        I just wipe it off with a wet paper towel. I never notice any residue or flavor doing that. I figure if I'm not tasting the vinegar I spray on after, I'm definitely not tasting some dish soap. I also use a very light natural dish soap. YMMV if you're using one with strongs scents/chemicals.

Spoom 14y ago

If you're just starting out with cooking as I was a few years ago, http://startcooking.com/ http://startcooking.com/ is a great site. Very basic information but explained concisely.

breckinloggins 14y ago

I, too, have been really disappointed with cooking education online. This is an area ripe for a good startup (that someone else can do, I have my hands full). :) Some ideas: - Leverage Google Hangout for some interactive classes - Use gamification to help users learn some of the more boring fundamentals (basic cooking terms, substitution guidelines, units and measurements, basic baking chemistry guidelines, etc.) - A better instruction format geared toward using your iPad or other tablet propped up in the kitchen. For example, make sure the user can navigate with the nub of a knuckle or some other clumsy way, so they don't have to touch their iPad with fingers that just got through tenderizing raw chicken. - That instruction format should probably incorporate a hybrid text-audio-video approach. And by that I don't mean a blog post with an embedded video at the top. I mean a way to constantly review just that part of the video that talks about what you're doing. - Start with videos about things that are obvious but are useful to see. For example, what EXACTLY should olive oil look and smell like before you add the food to it? On a typical gas stove or electric range, where approximately should the knob be? I'm starting to get nervous about this pan-fry step. Are you sure I shouldn't go ahead and flip the chicken? I think I'm burning it! Those kind of things are currently best learned with the assistance of a REAL cook alongside you in the kitchen. He or she can say "don't you DARE touch that portobello; it's SO not done!" There needs to be a way for the more moment-by-moment learning experiences to be available online. TL;DR - thinking of doing a cooking startup? PLEASE don't give us another "recipes with an embedded video" site. Please.

sync 14y ago
We're doing a lot of this (iPad in the kitchen, text-audio-video, moment by moment tutorials w/ pictures and video) over at http://www.onlinecookingschool.com/ http://www.onlinecookingschool.com/ -- I encourage you to check it out. Please send any feedback you have my way!
- breckinloggins 14y ago
  Looks pretty cool. Biggest feedback is to lower barrier of entry by having a step before the 14-day free trial. Maybe you put together a free package that users can get to and play with without signing in. If they want to save their progress then they have to sign in, which starts the 14-day free trial. Right now the website just gives me the "this looks like a commitment" feeling, which I'd work to lessen since cooking is one of those things where people randomly get on a wild hare and it lasts a few hours to a few days; you have to hook them during that time or their interest wanes and you don't see them again for a few months/years.

burke 14y ago

rouxbe.com is very, very good. I went through all of their videos over the course of a week or so a couple years back, and the pacing, depth, and quality of instruction are extremely impressive. I would recommend it to anyone.

edemay 14y ago

agree with rouxbe.com. their how-to videos/classes are very well put-together and the community of users incredibly active, insightful and participative.

natep 14y ago

The book I'm currently going through (after a year of using the techniques I learned as a kid to successfully follow random recipes) is Cooking for Geeks (http://cookingforgeeks.com http://cookingforgeeks.com). None of its advice is obviously wrong so far, and it's not telling me that I need every single kitchen gadget, which I like. But of course, I don't really know enough to know if it's wrong.

HeyLaughingBoy 14y ago
Does the food taste good? If so, then it's right.

jules 14y ago

For Dutch speaking HN'ers I'd recommend http://24kitchen.nl http://24kitchen.nl (also on TV) Especially the desserts/baking section by Rudolph van Veen is great. He covers many classics, like creme caramel, tarte tatin, baklava, omelette siberienne, etc. He also explains the basic techniques well, like beating egg white with molten sugar to get a sturdy cream.

Dove 14y ago

I was disappointed, too, that rouxbe wasn't on the list. It isn't free, though, and that seems to be one of their criteria.

bravura 14y ago

If you're an absolute beginner at cooking, I highly recommend the free Stone Soup ebook. All recipes are 5 ingredients or under, 10 minutes or under. http://thestonesoup.com/blog/2010/06/a-free-e-cookbook/ http://thestonesoup.com/blog/2010/06/a-free-e-cookbook/ When I started cooking, I was intimidated by long recipes and never knowing what substitutions or omissions I could make. This ebook really turned me on, because of its "minimal cooking approach". By stripping recipes down to their bare essentials, this book made cooking approachable. I began to understand the fundamentals, and that allowed me to feel free to experiment. However, at this point all of my knowledge is ad-hoc. I wouldn't mind recommendations or pointers on how to improve my skill, and I agree that it's not clear where to go for this information.

kingnothing 14y ago

There's an amazing textbook titled "On Cooking" which is the single most influential resource I've used for learning how to seriously cook. From food safety to knife skills, butchering to baking, it covers everything. I would highly recommend picking up a copy if you're interested in or already have a passion for cooking.

coldarchon 14y ago

I like this one a lot: http://forums.egullet.org/ http://forums.egullet.org/ Other blogs and resources: http://101cookbooks.com/ http://101cookbooks.com/ http://rasamalaysia.com/rasa-malaysia-recipe-index/ http://rasamalaysia.com/rasa-malaysia-recipe-index/ http://www.publicradio.org/columns/splendid-table/recipes/ http://www.publicradio.org/columns/splendid-table/recipes/ and of course: http://www.cookingforengineers.com/ http://www.cookingforengineers.com/