Unable to Eat Out? Try Our Favorite Resources for Learning to Cook at Home

As days go by, many of us find ourselves discovering more of the comfort of our own homes. Yet as a renter or someone who lives in a big city, you’ve probably gotten used to eating out often. However, with things slowing down, it’s finally time to internalize that money-saving tip about cooking more at home.  

Whether you’re a complete stranger in your own kitchen or you already enjoy cooking, this habit is a healthy and delicious choice in the long run. So, to level up your skill and reduce the monotony, try something different every now and then.  

Below, we’ve put together a list of our favorite food blogs and recipe websites. With helpful tips on how to perfect your techniques and a variety of recipes from entrees to desserts, they’ll help you find the motivation to get started.  

Cooking Techniques 

Serious Eats covers all the basics with informative content that’s easy to follow. Learn about techniques ranging from roasting, frying and boiling to meta-skills like cleaning, storing food and organizing your fridge. Here, you’re likely to find kitchen tips on issues you’ve never even thought of.  

Pick Up Limes is a great resource for anyone who wants to understand how food works. They offer information on nutrients and how to create a balanced diet, with uncomplicated explanations from a dietitian. Plus, they have a wide range of nutrient-packed, fully-vegan recipes, easy to try at home.

The Reluctant Gourmet shares the idea that, to learn to cook well, you first need to understand the basics. As such, they take you on an educational journey from discovering ingredients — basics and advanced — to learning techniques, such as boiling, frying, braising, baking and grilling. It’s important to understand both what you should and should not do, and this is a great starting point. 

If you want to learn the basics of how best to cook individual items, The Chopping Block has videos and resources on a wide range of topics. Learning to cook in this way might help you understand what every ingredient requires and how you can best pair them to create unique, lovely dishes suited for your tastes.  

Here are some tips from Chef Shelley Young of The Chopping Block for renters, when cooking in their rental apartment:

“Poor ventilation, lack of space and oven quality tend to frustrate a lot of renters. Some quick tips to assist in each of these areas are:

1. When cooking on a grill pan, put it inside the oven which will help reduce the amount of smoke.
2. Bigger pans ultimately take up less room in the kitchen, because you’ll need fewer of them when cooking. Almost everything that you can do in a few small pans, you can do in a larger one.
3. Put a pizza stone at the bottom of your oven and use an oven thermometer to regulate temperature.”

Recipes 

If you’re looking for easy–to–follow recipes, Cafe Delites shares tips for delicious meals. Find options for all courses and recipes inspired by specific cuisines — like Greek, Mexican or Asian — which we recommend. They offer an impressive variety, so just search for ideas or something specific that you’re craving. Plus, check out their weekly meal plan if you’re planning to dedicate one day exclusively to cooking.   

If you’re looking for vegetarian options, The Chubby Vegetarian has some delicious recipes with relevant instructions and tips for each meal. They even develop new recipes and work with chefs to find appetizing vegetarian alternatives to share with their audience.  

Focused mainly on desserts, The Vanilla Bean Blog offers tips on baking, chocolate desserts and gluten–free options, as well as assembling it for a mouth-watering final presentation. If you want to experiment with tarts and pies, ice cream, cakes or muffins, this is the perfect resource for you and your sweet tooth.  

Love and Olive Oil is an extensive recipe blog, where you can search for recipes by ingredient, season or category. They’re focused on providing quick and inexpensive options for every meal and want to offer diversity and variety. If you find something you like on their website, they’ll take you down a path of rich tastes and aromas, potentially redefining your style.  

These sites definitely cover the basics, so get in the kitchen and start planning what to try out next. Then, put on your favorite music or show, and you’ll have a blast cooking something delicious. Don’t get discouraged if it doesn’t work out from the start. In cooking, as with everything in life, there are always ups and downs. Good luck!