Reddit reviews The America's Test Kitchen Cooking School Cookbook: Everything You Need to Know to Become a Great Cook

I would go with things that start looking at techniques or at "why things happen."

Books I'd recommend:
I'm Just Here for the Food by Alton Brown

Cooking School published by America's Test Kitchen

And of course Jacques Pepin's Essential Techniques. The ebook is particularly nice.

One thing I liked a lot at that age was vintage cookbooks. The pictures in something like The Cooky Book were downright magical.

You don't hate healthy food, you just haven't found ways to eat healthy that you like. Look, I used to feel exactly the same. Then I got myself some cook books and learned how to cook beyond the "college" level (ie very rudimentary cooking skills).

It sounds old fashioned, but buy some cook books. Eating healthy does NOT have to mean (and shouldnt mean) eating boring, bland food. I have been eating quite a healthy balanced diet lately, but it doesn't suck and I enjoy everything I eat because I cooked it and it tastes really good. I am a pretty proficient cook now because I've learned enough from cook books that I can create something tasty on my own if I want to. But for the most part, I'd say I still follow recipes very frequently, mostly because a) I know it will turn out really well unless I royally screw up like forget an ingredient an b) I'm not that creative when it comes to meal planning - I'd prefer to flip through my cook books and pick out new recipes to try for dinner this week.

If you do take my advice and go the route of cook books, I will make a few suggestions below. You will notice that all of them are America's Test Kitchen. There's a reason I suggest mostly their books--they are totally idiot proof. Their recipes are thoroughly tested (it IS americas TEST kitchen after all...) They rarely have recipes that call for unusual or hard to find ingredients, and rarely call for unique appliances (like, most people probably do not have an immersion blender). Their recipes are very simple (I've come across a lot of books from other publishers that have incredibly drawn-out steps, or just countless steps, or a lot of unusual ingredients) and easy to follow, and they also include brief scientific explanations for something about every single recipe (example, why you would want to brown your butter when making chocolate chip cookies) which I have always found interesting, and theyre meant to help you build your knowledge in how to cook --ie its often concepts that can be applied elsewhere.

ATK/Cooks Illustrated The Science of Good Cooking

ATK Cooking School

ATK's The Make-Ahead Cook - great if youre into meal prepping

ATK Cooking for Two - great if you are alone or just cooking for yourself and significant other, and dont like having leftovers

ATK Comfort Food Makeovers - turns traditionally unhealthy foods into healthy meals

ATK Slow Cooker Revolution - if you have a crock pot, you NEED this book. I've made a ton of recipes out of here and every single one has come out great.

They have a ton of books out there, many of them for specific things (pressure cooker, paleo, gluten free, vegetarian, mexican recipes, etc.) but you may be saying, "Hmm, none of those books said "Health cooking/eating healthy/buzzwords about health" - they dont need to say that. Quite a lot of their recipes are generally healthy. I haven't encountered many things (outside the dessert chapters, that is) that I've said "oh, I don't think I ought to eat that, it's just not healthy" --but if youre a bit narrow minded in terms of what constitutes a healthy meal (and I find that is common with people who struggle to eat a healthy diet--this is because they think there's a very small amount of "healthy" foods out there) , then maybe these books arent for you. But if you mostly eat intuitively, and know that you should be getting a decent amount of vegetables and fruits in your daily diet, and a good amount of protein, and not an overwhelming amount of starch and net carbs, then youre golden. Get yourself a cook book and learn to cook. Once you eat food that's been properly seasoned and cooked, youll realize that eating asparagus doesn't have to be a boring, unpalatable experience. Brussels sprouts don't have to be awful. I used to hate brussel sprouts...until I had properly roasted sprouts. Holy shit, they are good!!! Peas can be tasty! Baked chicken breast doesn't have to taste bland and dry as hell if you learn about brining, seasoning, and proper cooking times.

TLDR - eating healthy doesnt have to mean eating bland food. You admit your cooking skills are rudimentary, so it's no surprise you are not enthused when you try to make something healthy. A lot of "healthy" foods (veggies, etc) are bland when you don't properly season them or pick the right cooking method. Get yourself a cook book or two and learn how to cook. You won't have a hard time eating something you previously thought unpalatable--like filling half your dinner plate with brussels sprouts and broccoli--when it's seasoned and properly cooked!

I cannot recommend this book enough:

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

It's practically a "behind the scenes" book on how the devs implemented the skill and reward system. And it has LOTS of really helpful pictures!

America's Test Kitchen complete TV show book or their Cooking School book are both excellent as large compendiums of a variety of recipes all of which have been thoroughly tested, are well-written, and have two or three paragraphs explaining why the recipe is the way it is. These are books I would recommend to anyone looking for a big book of recipes to cook at home and get good results.

My personal favorite is Ad Hoc at Home by Thomas Keller. The food in that book is just so wonderful -- pretty much perfect examples of every dish attempted -- and the recipes execute it perfectly but are generally not too complex or difficult for a home cook. If we had to eat food from just one cookbook for the rest of our lives I think we would all give priority to huge compendiums with 500+ recipes in them, but if we had to choose from single-author cookbooks with ~100 recipes or so, I would pick Ad Hoc at Home.

PM me your address and I will send you this. It is a great cook book that teaches you recipes and techniques. I feel your pain, as my parent's split up when I was a teen and had to learn how to cook to feed my younger brother.

Get this book: https://www.amazon.com/Americas-Kitchen-Cooking-School-Cookbook/dp/1936493527/ref=nodl_
(Most libraries have it too)
It teaches you the general techniques and then gives you recipes to try. I’ve been cooking since I was 10 (40 years ago), and I’m still learning interesting new things. And you will ALWAYS be able to woo potential love interests with a good homemade meal ;-).

I'm no chef, just a hobbyist. Below are things I've learned over the years.

Resources
I'd recommend Americas Test Kitchen Cooking School cookbook.

Also Rouxbe Online Cooking School is really good.

Jaque Pepin is an amazing cooking teacher, absolutely wonderful. He had a PBS show for a while, search your library for the DVDs.

While I don't use that often anymore, during learning I liked the Zwilling J.A. Henckels Complete Book of Knife Skills. In fairness you can learn a lot of this from youtube.

Knife Skills

When cutting with a knife stay safe by keeping your fingers tucked away using the "Claw Technique" See Picture

Celery is a cheap vegetable which you can use for practicing knife skills.

Get a good chef's knife, santoku knife, and paring knife. I like santoku knifes for cutting potatoes, since the blade is the same thickness from top to bottom it doesn't "wedge" like a chef's knife.

Those little indents on the knife are called grantons. They make it so vegetables don't suction as easily to the blade. I like it for my Santoku knife.

You should learn to properly slice an onion. Jamie Oliver has a good video on this.

Garlic has a few technique, first breaking open the head by just smashing it with your palm.
Next removing the paper by crushing the clove with a knife then pinch one side, lift it in the air, and whack it with the knife.
Lastly chopping it, just watch [Jacque Pepin] (https://youtu.be/1y5h1pDHhzs).

If you have to peel a ton of garlic put the whole head in a mason jar and shake really hard, it will peel them all. See Video

When chopping fresh herbs roll them into a ball first. See video

Learn to cut a bell pepper

When you cut meats cut "against the grain". This will cause the meat to seam more tender when you chew.

Pan Searing

Some meats like steak should be "temped" which means leave them out on the counter for a bit before cooking. The idea is if it's warmer it needn't cook as long. Google safe times.

While a pan is heating up the metal pores open and close sporadically which can “bite” the food causing it to stick. Prevent sticking by first properly heating the pan.

Heat your pan to temp before adding oil as the heat breaks down the oil. Just wet your fingers and flick the water on the pan. If the water dances it's ready. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XokCISVqgjU](See video)

When you heat your oil wait until it just starts to smoke then throw the meat on.

Remember when you add the meat it's cold and can drastically lower the temperature of the pan. Certain metals hold heat much better. Cast iron holds heat really well, so when cooking meats a cast iron skillet can give you a better sear.

Also remember the side that goes down on heat first will get the best sear so presentation side should go down first.

Try to get your meat a consistent thickness throughout by pounding it. Uneven meat means you'll over cook the thin portion in order to get the thick portion to a safe cooking temperature. Put meat in saran wrap folded over then pound, this prevents juices from flying everywhere in you kitchen.

Pat your raw meat dry with a paper towel before putting it on heat. Water does not reach above 212 degrees, if there is water on the meat surface it has to all boil off before it can reach a higher temperature. If you dry the meat first it can get a much better sear because the heat hits fast.

Don't crowd your pan. Pan crowding brings down pan temperature and encourages steam thus preventing proper sear.

When cooking use your ears! Listen to pan sizziling to know when to control pan temperature. Intense sizzling means it’s too hot. Home cooks want a gentle sizzle. Low sizzle means more heat is needed.

Get a good meat thermometer like a thermapen and learn the different safe cooking temperatures or get a fridge magnet which tells you.

Those brown bits on the bottom of the pan are gold, it's called fond, don't throw those out, scrape them off to incorporate into the sauce.

Be sure to rest meat after cooking. This is very important, if you don't then when you cut into it the juices will rush onto plate. Resting allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat. Just tent foil over the plate and wait 10mins or so for a steak.

Misc

Know that if meat is left out in the danger temperature zone for too long you cannot simply reheat it to a safe cooking temperature. What happens is the bacteria (which can be killed with heat) produces waste or toxins. These toxins are not affected by heat so you can't kill them.

Chicken is a dry meat in my opinion, brining is a neat trick where you put the chicken in a salt water solution. The cell walls of the meat want to keep an equilibrium of salinity so they open up to allow more water in their cells which allows the meat to seem juicier.

Remember your dry spices have a shelf life. I like to replace mine at a local spice shop every 6 months. Consider having a small herb garden if you're able it's way cheaper than buying fresh herbs all the time and pretty easy.

I love reheating meats using Sous Vide, which is where you put your meat in a vacuum sealed bag and then but it in a pot of water at the desired temp. This makes it so the meat doesn't dry out and you can't overcook it since the water temp is right. I do this a ton for smoked meats like ribs and brisket (check out a weber smokey mountain and flameboss controller)

America's Test Kitchen has some awesome books too. Got the Cooking For Two one from my Reddit Secret Santa last year and it's been fantastic.

I don't have it but I imagine the Cooking School Cookbook from them would be pretty much exactly what the OP needs.

If you are 'not much of a cook' currently then you might enjoy the America's Test Kitchen Cooking School Cookbook. What to stock in your pantry is covered in the first part. Lots of recipes and plenty of clear instructions on how to achieve them.

The America's Test Kitchen Cooking School

It's a pretty good book.

Edit: formatting

America's Test Kitchen Cooking School

This is what you're looking for. It's worth the money.

I'm going to admit to not having any idea about them. Sorry.

The two I know about are Rouxbe and America Test Kitchen's Cooking School.

I prefer books. ATK has The America's Test Kitchen Cooking School Cookbook. I imagine this is everything, or close to it, from their online offering in a book. Read at your own pace. Pay once for the book, and don't worry about "finishing" the course in a month.

Again, I have no idea really what the online courses actually offer. Maybe they're worth it. Others will chime in.

Try this one. It sounds like it might be what you're looking for. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1936493527/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1480921783&sr=8-2&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=americas+test+kitchen+cookbook&dpPl=1&dpID=51otfjwt5fL&ref=plSrch

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1936493527/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1485459078&sr=8-3&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=americas+test+kitchen+cookbook&dpPl=1&dpID=51otfjwt5fL&ref=plSrch

This book is extremely detailed with pictures of step by step instructions. I can't recommend this book enough for learning how to cook.

Sounds like you're looking for a cooking school book. Not sure if there is a vegan one already.

The America's Test Kitchen Cooking School Cookbook

The Professional Chef

An awesome cookbook that will pair nicely with this sub: http://www.amazon.com/Americas-Kitchen-Cooking-School-Cookbook/dp/1936493527/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1451170560&sr=8-1&keywords=cooking+school

A stand mixer: http://www.amazon.com/KitchenAid-KSM150PSCU-Artisan-Pouring-Shield/dp/B004GUVD6K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1451170611&sr=8-1&keywords=kitchENaid+stainless+steel+mixer

This cool measuring beaker: http://www.amazon.com/Emsa-2206-050096-Perfect-Beaker/dp/B001BDLWE8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1451170682&sr=8-1&keywords=measuring+beaker

This awesome plunger things for dry and sticky ingredients: http://www.amazon.com/Plunger-Metric-Adjustable-Measuring-BigKitchen/dp/B000I1X3WS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1451170718&sr=8-1&keywords=measure+dry+and+sticky+ingredients

A baking mat

A super nice Williams and Sonoma skillet with a lid

I'm super excited to try everything out!!

America's test kitchen cooking school has varying levels of financial involvement. You could buy the book then look into some of the videos/online supplements if you get into it.

Big fan of Seriouseats.com and I have The Test Lab cookbook but haven't cooked anything out of it yet :(. I also checkout http://www.budgetbytes.com/, http://www.thekitchn.com/, http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/ and Alton Brown recipes.

We have 3 (boy was I wrong) 5 America's Test Kitchen cookbooks:

• The Make Ahead Cook
  
• Cooking School
  
• Slow Cooker Revolution
  
• Slow Cooker Revolution 2
  
• Six-Ingredient Solution
  
  These get used frequently.

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

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1936493527/ref=ppx_yo_mob_b_inactive_ship_o0_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I bought this book for my teenage brother and he uses it almost every day. He used it to cook the perfect Thanksgiving turkey 2 years ago at 16. It is super user friendly and tells you why you are doing each step so that you can apply it across the cooking world. It's almost a text book of cooking.

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

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.)