What is Reddit's opinion of The America's Test Kitchen Cooking School Cookbook: Everything You Need to Know to Become a Great Cook?

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The ATK Cooking School Cookbook is very solid and might be what you're looking for. There's about 600 recipes that cover just a broad genre of cooking and baking and the steps are laid out nicely.

America's Test Kitchen Cooking School Cookbook | Amazon

I mean learning to cook is just good advice in general.

I recommend picking up a copy of the America's Test Kitchen Cooking School book. It approaches cooking first with illustrated instructions, then providing recipes to practice the methods with.

There are so many great ones! My favorite, which I have gotten for multiple people as a gift when they want to learn to cook:

The America's Test Kitchen Cooking School Cookbook

https://www.amazon.com/Americas-Kitchen-Cooking-School-Cookbook/dp/1936493527

America's Test Kitchen Cooking School Cookbook. This paired with Kenji Lopez-Alt's Food Lab should cover everything from what essential equipment you need in your kitchen (along with comparisons and recommendations), why this technique is used with which food, why things taste the way they do, scientific, tested explanations presented in an easy-to-understand way, along with plenty of recipes with illustrations and step-by-step walkthroughs.

I recommend these two together rather than individually because Food Lab doesn't touch sweets or desserts. ATK, however, can has a wonderful section on baking that I find indispensable for somebody who has only recently taken up the dark side of baking. (Their pie crust is worth the book.)

America's Test Kitchen - Cooking School Cookbook

This will get you from how to boil water to braised osso buco and creme brulee (or even further) if you want it to. I'm a well trained chef, and I still reference this book.

In the past year i've gone from spending $600+ to currently spending $250 a month for one person. I had no idea how to cook and this book has literally EVERYTHING you need to know about cooking.

It's by America's Test Kitchen and they explain their recipes in ways that anyone, even someone with little to no cooking experience, can make a delicious meal.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1936493527?keywords=america%27s%20test%20kitchen%20cooking%20school&qid=1454863951&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1

What do you like cooking?

Cooks Illustrated has a great cookbook for beginners that goes over technique and has awesome recipes. Might be worth looking into

My personal favorite: The America's Test Kitchen Cooking School Cookbook https://www.amazon.com/dp/1936493527/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_AgFyAbVYHQT8W They even explain why things may go wrong.

For teaching/technique I like 3 America’s test kitchen books:

The America's Test Kitchen Cooking School Cookbook: Everything You Need to Know to Become a Great Cook https://www.amazon.com/dp/1936493527/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glc_fabc_migZFbKFAH9QR

100 Techniques: Master a Lifetime of Cooking Skills, from Basic to Bucket List (ATK 100 Series) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1945256931/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glc_fabc_FigZFbPKRG90Z

100 Recipes: The Absolute Best Ways To Make The True Essentials (ATK 100 Series) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1940352010/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glc_fabc_kjgZFbVEN3Y39

Also Food lab which is written by a former ATK rep:

The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science https://www.amazon.com/dp/0393081087/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glc_fabc_ZjgZFbEGG046Q

All books have a science based focused and help focus on why you are doing what you are doing. I have the cooking school and have purchased 4 other books for wedding gifts.

For baking, anything by Rose Levy Berenbaum is great. She literally has all bases covered, baking Bible, bread and pastry Bible, bread Bible, etc. Baking Bible had a little bit of everything and that covers quite a few bases.

Hope this helps!

I recommend this book.

It has an accessible skills-based approach with fully illustrated step-by-step recipes for each new concept.

The America's Test Kitchen Cooking School Cookbook: Everything You Need to Know to Become a Great Cook - not cheap but it's worth the money.

 

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I recommend this book

https://www.amazon.com/Americas-Kitchen-Cooking-School-Cookbook/dp/1936493527

Besides others that have been mentioned like Salt Fat Acid Heat, the America’s Test Kitchen books on the Science of Good Cooking and then Cooking School are both really helpful when it comes to explanations. The first is more on principles and the second has lots of explanations and step by step instructions for basic things like poaching an egg.

While not a book, I also highly recommend checking out Milk Streets free online cooking classes. They include explanations and techniques followed by recipes that demonstrate them.

And then I hope you don’t mind a bit of self-promotion but I also write a weekly email newsletter Salt Sear Savor where I share cooking tips and lessons with the goal of helping people be more confident in the kitchen. No pressure if it isn’t your thing :)

America’s Test Kitchen books on the Science of Good Cooking and then Cooking School are both really helpful when it comes to explanations. The first is more on principles and the second has lots of explanations and step by step instructions for basic things like poaching an egg.

I would recommend the America's Test Kitchen Cooking School Cookbook. https://www.amazon.com/Americas-Kitchen-Cooking-School-Cookbook/dp/1936493527

The America's Test Kitchen Cooking School Cookbook

what is your motivation level? do you want to be able to make food, or do you want to be able to make really awesome food?

you're going to get a bunch of people pointing you to videos and easy recipes and the like. and these are not bad ways to go.

However, cooking is a skill like any other. In math, you learn arithmetic before algebra, and algebra before calculus. It's a sensible way of doing things; you learn the most basic skills and then your parlay them into more advanced applications. Just to give you an example I made veal marsala tonight, which I could not for the life of me make only two years ago. I cooked for years beforehand but I never actually learned how to cook and they are two very different things. The former can be useful and save you money, but if that latter is what you're after, don't sell yourself short.

Equipment you absolutely need: a chef's knife. a skillet or pan - preferably one stainless/cast iron/carbon steel, and one non-stick. if you want to pick one or the other i'd start with the nonstick only because most beginners just don't take proper care of their cookware, and it wont matter as much with nonstick. A spatula. A cutting board.

I'd consider buying a book. you're right, the amount of information on the internet is overwhelming. You need a guiding voice, and one that's going to teach you to walk before you run.

http://www.amazon.com/Americas-Kitchen-Cooking-School-Cookbook/dp/1936493527

There's one. there are plenty more.

In terms of concepts/technique I'd start with making a chicken breast with some veggies. pretty much goes like this:

First, preheat your oven to 375 and do your prep work. Dice an onion and a bell pepper, but before you do that find a video on basic knife skills. Have some salt and pepper handy, and some oil (extra virgin olive or canola would both work fine, plenty of other options as well, look up "smoke points of oil" if you want to learn something useful). Get that oil nice and hot. If you fling a couple of droplets of water into your pan, it should sizzle. If it smokes, it's too hot. If it's popping like firecrackers you're on the clock and may want to consider turning the heat down before your oil starts smoking.

When it's hot enough, lay that chicken breast (salt it on each side first) down and then dont touch it for a couple minutes. when it's browned nicely, flip it, again, leave it alone for a couple minutes.

This chicken breast is NOT cooked all the way through and is NOT safe to eat. again, look up internal temperature of chicken/beef/fish to learn something useful. The high heat is useful because of maillard reactions (look it up) which makes shit tasty. Now we need to finish cooking this sucker. You can do it on the stovetop - flipping intermittently - but I prefer using the oven at this point. Also, while your chicken is in the oven, you can cook your veggies. pan on medium high heat (you may need to take it off the heat altogether for a few minutes if it's the same pan - if it's too hot your veggies will burn), and a touch more oil if necessary. Dump those onions in and let them cook until they're translucent and smell delicious. Add the peppers. stir that sucker around. when the chicken is done, your meal is done and it's pretty healthy. maybe some salsa or sriracha.

When any meat is done cooking you are shooting yourself in the foot by cutting it open. If you do so, you'll lose a lot of moisture. As a beginner, this means that you've got 3 options - one, eat raw chicken (do not recommend). two, cut it open to make sure there's no pink on the inside... you'll lose some moisture, so be it. third and best option is a digital meat thermometer. oxo sells one that is cheap and works perfectly well. when chicken reaches 165 in the thickest part, you're good to go. also keep in mind that it continues to cook even after it comes out of the oven, before it cools down.

As far as cooking meat goes, you can prepare thighs the same way. Steak. Fish. The final internal temps you're shooting for are different but the idea is the same. some high heat to brown your meat and get some flavor, and then finish it off in the oven. A really simple skill that you'll get a ton of mileage out of.

I'd also recommend looking how to cook eggs properly and in a variety of styles. There is so much disagreement about how to cook eggs and there's a lot to be said for taste. Personally if I'm cooking eggs for myself in any stovestop style (scrambled, an omelette, sunny side up, over easy... poached and boiled dont really apply here) I"m going to use very low heat and just take my time. Not everyone agrees with this including folks who are way better cooks than I. Anyhow, eggs are really healthy and go with just about everything.

Hell, a fried egg on that chicken breast with onions and peppers sounds pretty tasty. ..maybe some salsa.