Author: Brenda Kohlmyer

When you are learning to cook, it’s essential to use cookbooks with well-written recipes. What’s a well-written recipe? One that has two distinct lists… a list of ingredients and a list of each step you’ll take in preparing the dish. The lists should be separate and, especially important for the step-by-step instructions, in the exact order you’ll follow while cooking.

Some cookbooks with really great recipes are written by chatty authors that include a story with each recipe and weave the ingredients, and the instructions, into the story. Fun to read, but not much fun to follow if you’re just beginning to learn the art of cooking.

And, while cooking is an art, it’s also firmly rooted in science, which is what the standard recipe format is all about. By listing the ingredients and the steps, well-written cookbooks give mere mortals the ability to create art in the kitchen, and at the dinner table, every day, and often at a fraction of the cost of eating at a restaurant.

So, how to recognize a well-written recipe? Start with a cookbook from a respected author, one who has been cooking for years and loves to cook and loves to teach and it shows. OR, peruse one of the classics that have been around for years and have stood the test of time. Just make sure to get the latest version so you’re not scared off by something, like, say, jello molds, that might have been the thing to serve 50 years ago, but not so much today.

As a beginning cook you may not want to tackle the recipes right away, but you’ll certainly get inspiration and will probably learn a thing or two that will help you understand what in the heck it takes to cook even simple dishes.

Five Great Cookbooks with Well-Written, and Tasty, Recipes

• The Herb Farm Cookbook by Jerry Traunfeld
• The Joy of Cooking – 75th Anniversary Edition by Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker and Ethan Becker
• The Betty Crocker Cookbook
• Southern Living 40 Years of Our Best Recipes edited by Jane Elizabeth Lorberau
• Masteing the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle, Simone Beck and Sidonie Coryn

Many people learn to cook from their parents or grandparents, picking up basic cooking skills informally and learning family recipes at the same time. For people who are beginning to cook for themselves, without a relative to lead the way, weekend or evening cooking classes are a good option.

In the US, many cooking schools and cooking stores offer a range of classes tailored to both beginning and expert cooks. For example, Sur La Table has entry level classes at all of it’s stores throughout the US, including California, Florida and Texas. Sur La Table also offers private cooking classes and, for adventurous cooks looking for a fun evening, many of their stores offer date night cooking classes. Recreational cooking classes in NYC are offered at many schools and stores, including the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) and Sur La Table. Both ICE and Sur La Table also offer cooking classes for children and teens.

Some people decide that vacation is a great time to learn to cook and schedule cooking classes from chefs who know the best neighborhood markets and are willing to teach people how to cook the local cuisine. Check with hotels and local cooking schools before you book a trip to see if beginning cooking classes are being offered while you are at your vacation destination.

Online cooking schools are also an option. More and more cooks are showcasing their skills by posting cooking videos on the web. Locate a series of videos by a trained chef and you’ll learn how to crack an egg without breaking the yolk, handle a chef’s knife, stir sauces so they don’t burn in the pan or bubble over, and set the oven at the perfect temperature needed to bake biscuits. However, the quality of online cooking classes varies widely, so checking a reputable site, such as AllRecipes.com or Gourmet.com, may be a good option for leads to helpful video cooking lessons.

You can also find cooking classses at most community colleges. With community college cooking classes you know up front the skill level that’s required. 100 series classes should be ideal for beginning cooking students, giving students who are starting with few culinary skills the time and training to become accomplished home cooks over an extended period. One advantage to taking a longer cooking class is the ability to test your skills between classes and come back each week with questions. You are also likely to learn to cook a wide range of food, rather than only a few recipes that may be taught in a single weekend cooking class. Edmonds Community College hosts one excellent culinary school on the west coast and several community colleges near Chicago teach courses for students who don’t want to travel across the country to learn culinary arts.

So, to answer the question, yes, you should take a cooking class if you are just beginning to learn to cook. Whether that class is taught by a professional chef in a group setting, a nutritional expert at a cooking shop, or by your Mom, having someone teach you hands on skills necessary for cooking will make the learning process go more quickly. Plus, you’ll get to eat the results of your lesson.

Other Places with Recipes You Might Like:

• Southern Living
• Cook For A Date
• AllRecipes.com
• Food Network