Wanna learn to cook?

Learning how to cook can be challenging if you can't afford cooking school. Following a recipe is a great skill and should not be underestimated, but it doesn't help you if you've made a huge meal-ending mistake, or when you have ingredients and want to cook something without a recipe. A friend of mine calls these pantry meals, and I love the idea of being able to stand in front of your pantry, pick out a few things, and make magic on the stove. People on Top Chef do this, so why can't I? Oh right. I'm not a chef.

However, there's now a group of chefs available by phone to help with all of your cooking needs. They don't cook for you; they teach you, which is much more helpful in the long run.

There are a variety of ways to take advantage of this. Chefsline Radio Show interviews chefs and takes you step by step through various dishes. A standard membership of19.95 a month allows you full access to the chefs from 9am-1pm, 5pm-10pm EST. You can also take a cooking class by phone, which sounds super cool to me. If you need help for a one time special occasion, you can make an appointment with a chef without being a member.