Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

I did! Although I had influence in early adulthood from European friends who were all very much into cooking and hosting dinner parties at home. They inspired me to learn more than the type of semi-homemade stuff my mom always made. (Not that there's anything wrong with that, I just approach cooking at home very differently now and I thoroughly enjoy it, whereas my mom did not, really....)

My mother - Her intent was to help me learn the importance of following directions, since my report cards kept coming back with these comments...
She did her best, but to this day, I'm a fairly extemporaneous cook, although, my report cards did improve! (my lab work never did, though, somehow organic chemistry just doesn't take well to extemporaneity)

I learned to cook through watching my father in the kitchen and helping out wherever I could. In my immediate household the men always did the cooking, and I always liked to put my own spin on things. Whether it was watching how to make pancakes or a more elaborate family brisket, I always watched in awe. Now my father gets to sit back and let me and my younger brother take over the kitchen during family get togethers and holidays.

My own damn self, unfortunately...

My fiance, although I've now surpassed him.

I learned a lot of cooking by trial and error, but my grandmother was certainly an inspiration and someone to watch. I relied on the Betty Crocker cookbook in middle and high school to teach me the basics of technique, and I watched the Frugal Gourmet and Yan Can Cook on PBS to learn more. Grandma's recipes are many of our go-to comfort and special occasion foods as well as the basis for many yummy desserts!

my mother and grandmother are great cooks. they taught me a lot. also other cooks on lines where I worked.

I've been lucky enough to have been raised by a good cook, and I'm dating an excellent cook. So I have been observant my whole life! Once I started working in the restaurant industry I got the opportunity to see professionals at work as well! Overall, I believe that trial-and-error have been the most effective :) ps. I'd love to win that book.

My mother taught me the very very basics. Otherwise, self taught.

myself and cooking shows.

My mother supplied the basics. Otherwise, I did a lot of reading.

Like many others, my mother taught me the cooking basics. As a child, while all my friends were drinking kool-aid and eating frozen pizzas, my mother was teaching me how to can tomatoes from the garden or make a bechemel sauce. At the time, all I wanted was to enjoy a bowl of Capt'n Crunch with my friends instead of the quiche lorraine I ate for breakfast. Today, I wax nostalgic about those early cooking lessons whenever I fuss around the kitchen at my mother's house. I still consider her the best cook I know.

I learned the basics from my mother, but when I was ready for more complicated cooking I turned to books and now the internets.

The internet and food bloggers!

My mom got me started, by showing that fresh healthy food can be prepared on a budget. Then I started diving into cook books, and I've just kept on learning.

TV. Seriously I learned to cook by watching TV and occasionally reading cookbooks. I first remember watching Jeff Smith, the Frugal Gourmet and Martin Yen on public television with my father (which is a little strange since my father did not start cooking all his kids moved out of the house).

self taught

My father pretty much taught me how to cook. I remember Saturday afternoons would be spent watching cooking shows on tv, this was before the Food Netowrk was around. I think we'd mostly watch shows on PBS. Also my grandmother to a certain extent taught me how to cook as I spent a lot of time with her growing up. She'd always be cooking or baking something and I could often be found there right beside her helping out. Oddly enough, my mother wasn't the best cook.

Mostly from my mother, she taught me interesting things and I learned self defense cooking at the time.

Mostly myself but with a lot of help from mom

Self taught, with help from The Joy of Cooking.

The very bare bones were taught to me by my mom, but my real trial by fire was when my then husband & I bought a deli in my mid 20's. I was making gallons of soups and all sorts of salads daily. I did become quite the short order cook as well, working the egg specials! But now I've become more intuitive in my cooking, not following recipes anymore and becoming a more adventurous cook. The internet, Food Network, and my lovely cooking magazines have been a great help!

My mom and dad introduced me to cooking. I learned some from watch food network (back when it had actual chefs on it). I learned from just doing it, too. Then a couple of jobs in the restaurant business, and some useful information from my brother. Which is to say, that I gathered information from many places.

I "learned" first from my mom and dad, but watching the frugal gourmet and Ming Tsai's original series on Food Network (east meets west) made me think wonderful and different things about food, and ultimately the classics (using knives properly, learning the building blocks and not just cooking to a recipe).

As a child I remember being taught how to cook by our house maid/cook, but I also watched my grandmothers and mother cook and bake. I stopped cooking since. The past couple of years, my boyfriend and I, inspired by the Food Network shows, have been teaching ourselves to cook by cooking for our family and friends.

alton brown

My mom taught me basic baking, my dad basic cooking, and the rest I learned on my own.

I learned a lot from my parents, both of whom cook and bake. I've increased my knowledge through reading and watching some TV, and getting inspiration from what I eat outside my home.

My mother let me mix 'potions' when I was little. The wet or dry ingredients that needed mixing and stirring or sifting. Then I graduated to sous chef veggie chopper.

After that, it was self-taught by watching, and reading, and trying everything new that I could.

Learned by doing, it's the only way. Self taught, I guess.

My mom, and myself

My mom and my grandmother, who was the producer of The French Chef.

Mom & Dad

I learned on my own, old fashioned trial and error. My mom died when I was 9 and my dad didn't cook.

My mom laid the foundation - and I learned from there once I headed off to college!

I taught myself through trial and error amd then of course there's Rachael and Sandra and Jamie and Paula and all of the other Food Network chefs. It's amazing the things you can learn by watching these shows.

Self taught all in an effort to win over a gal who could really cook. She went with somebody else, but at least I can still cook.

Actually I learned most of what I do from Rachael and Alton...my food parents you could say. Now that would make for an interesting family dynamic!

My mother, myself, epicurious.com, Joy of Cooking, and Cook's Illustrated. Still learning, but from more sources.

Mom, and the internet.

Food Network taught me how to cook!

My mother was only a so-so cook, so in self defense I taught myself and am now cosidered by friends and family to be an excellent cook.

my med school roomie, Taz, taught me some mean curries and a general appreciation for the slow food movement

My mom got me started as a kid, but for the most part I'm self-taught. Food Network, the internet, and my bf have been huge resources for me.

my mom mostly taught me!

I got tired of eating scrambled eggs and dirt on scout camping trips and took over. Since then I've learned from a whole bunch of different sources.

My mom and grandma were large influences, but I think I mostly learned a whole lot experimenting on my own.

My aunt annie. Taught me recipes that can not be duplicated.

my mom

A combination of my Mom and the Food Network!

my mom and lots of books/cooking shows

both my mother and my father.

My mom, grandmother, and the Food Channel have all contributed to my still-continuing process of learning to cook.

My parents! My father taught me things like how to make a perfect roux, and my mother taught me baking and juggling cooking times to have everything ready at once. Both love to cook and encouraged their children to participate.

My mom and my junior high home ec. teacher.

my mother worked, so I learned from my Grandmother

My mother. She cooks for a living. My best memories are cooking with her on the weekends and at the holidays.

Mom, when I was younger and lived at home. I still use a lot of the skills and techniques she taught me, but I've also picked up quite a bit from watching Food Network and good ol' Martha.

Luckily, both my parents. they were separated but no matter which one i was with, i was expected to help at least by cutting something or helping prepare.

My mom....

My mom taught me the basics of cooking, but my husband really taught me how to cook with spices and different types of meals.

mom

trial & error on my own

My mom, dad, and grandmother. All three taught me to love food and ,especially, the importance of cooking together.

My mother. She was an amazing cook, despite the fact she couldn't boil water when she married.

Mostly from my mom. Well, all the basics from my mom, followed by a ton of trial & error, obsessive cookbook collecting and blog reading!

my mother and the joy of cooking

I learned a lot from my parents, but I have mostly taught myself through trial and error.

My mom did, both by exposing me to TV cooking shows (like "Yan Can Cook" and the "Great Chefs of..." show), and by letting my sister and I cook with her. She also subscribed to Bon Appetit magazine back in the day and saved all of the issues, which I would pore over religiously. And I read (and still do) her Silver Palate cookbooks like they were novels and subjected my family to the recipes from them over and over. I would find a favorite and then make it day after day, till my family begged for a change.

Mom and Julia Child

I did, using an old Meta Givens cookbook.

Believe it or not, I learned how to cook from the Dom DeLuise videos "Eat This, It Will Make You Feel Better!". I also used the cookbooks he wrote as guides.

soupy sales

nothing like learning next your mother (mind you, only barely able to see over the counter) to learn how to cook and decorate an angel food cake to perfection :)

My self by trial and error.

My mom had a hand in it, but I took it up several notches and learned a lot on my own...internet, cookbooks, cooking classes and trial and error!

My mother, refined by me!

My awesome gourmet cook mother who learned from her awesome gourmet cook mother, Julia Child, Jacques Pepin, and necessity when I got married and then had children.

mom and dad.

i taught myself through trial and error when i got marrie3d, my mother hated to cook so i barley knew how to cook kraft macaroni and cheese which was my first meal

Food network all the way!

My mom and my husband.

My great grandmother (Baba Anna) taught me to cook and to really appreciate the talents of home taught chefs. She came to the U.S. as an immigrant from Hungary and became a busy caterer in New York through the 1920s to the 1950s. Her specialties were chicken paprikash, hungarian goulash, stuffed cabbage, sauerbraten, noodles and cabbage, cold sour cherry soup, and palicinta (dessert crepes filled with pot cheese and apricot jam). She even catered an embassy party where Eleanor Roosevelt was the guest of honor and Mrs. Roosevelt made a request to meet and thank my great-grandmother for her amazing food. Baba Anna was truly an inspiration and my heroine, in and out of the kitchen.

my mom laid a very strong foundation and I built it up by reading and experimenting.

My mum, myself, and far too many cookbooks.

Both my parents taught me and in the last 10 years darn near every chef on that food channel has taught me a little bit of something.

My mother, grandmother, and many good cookbooks

Mom by watching and helping.
Dad by instruction and tests.

Nobody, my boyfriend tries, but I am still rubbish in the kitchen...that is why I need this book!

Mostly self-taught, but a lot of my greatest recipes come from my mother.

i mostly taught myself, but my mom was always (and still is!) available for problem-solving. the best of both worlds...

myself

I think I learned from a combination of my grandmother, mother, and myself!. A lot of what I know what based on trial and error. The Food Network also taught me a lot!

I had to teach myself. My mom didn't have time.
And my husband helped a little, too.

My father taught me to bake and my mother taught me how to cook

Self taught and some help with a few food tv shows

food channel :)

i taught myself.

I didn't know I was learning how to cook but just being in the kitchen talking with my mother as she prepared dinner rubbed off on me. Thanks, Mom.

my mom and grandmother

My mother, foodtv, and way too much food literature, even though my father always told me not to.

My mom taught me some although my former husband taught be the most and then I learned by experimenting.

my mama taught me!

watching my mom, i learned a lot. then at age 13, she told me i was now responsible for cooking one night a week. that made me learn for sure.

My mother showed me the basics, but she never really enjoyed cooking. I learned a lot from cookbooks and recipes (and hints) from friends.

My mother didn't have enough patience to teach me. I watched my grandmother when she baked and made candy, so that is my favorite thing to cook. Everything else was just trial and error.

I'm self-taught, but use my culinary-minded husband as a constant reference source.

Self-taught, but I've asked mom plenty of questions.

I actually liked to experiment but I did learn a lot form my mom. I wish I had learned more from her especially her cake decorating talent.

My mother.

My Mother taught me how to initially cook. Friends, other family, and TV inspired me to branch out from the basics.

Lately, Alton.

my mom!

me, although i've had help from a lot of knowledgeable friends!

Self taught because my mom passed away when I was 16, so I had no choice.

Jamie is hot. He can teach me to cook in my kitchen anytime :)

I taught myself to cook with help from my mom and friends. My senior year in college, I had an off-campus apartment and no meal plan. I couldn't bear the thought of a year of McDonald's so I started cooking for myself.

My father started me on cooking because he cooked and grilled on nights that he wasn't on a trip. He taught me some simple skills, and didn't realize the gift of a homecooked meal until I was in college. I found dorm food to be disgusting and instantly wanted to cook again. I started cooking for anyone, teaching myself more skills by trail and error, magazines and food shows. My passion for food only grows and now I'm the teacher because I am now teaching my boyfriend to cook.

I learned to cook from my friend Kris Utrecht. She made the best damn carrot cake and lasagna. I've always wanted to cook as good as her. Haven't managed to do that but she's been very generous with her recipes and I get as close as possible.

I taught myself with some coaching from Mom. I was much too independant of a person to take instruction from Mom. I would call her frequently with questions, but mostly I explored the world of cooking on my own.

Who did you think? My grandmother of course!

It took a village:
Family, friends, magazines, websites...

Mom. Even though she is not here anymore she continues to be my inspiration every day. I have a photo of myself at about five years of age making muffins. I still have the the bowl several decades later and use it all the time. My maternal and paternal grandmothers were also wonderful cooks and bakers who passed on their recipes and always allowed me underfoot in their kitchens. I try to honor their legacies each and every time I cook.

My Mother and Grandmother

My Dad, who always encouraged experimenting and creativity in the kitchen. My Mom, who can turn some scraps in the fridge until a main meal. My Nana, who makes a great lime jell-o mold and a great Rack of Lamb.That, and an early desire to make the best carrot raisin salad. I've moved onto different things now, of course.

"I learned it by watching YOU!"

Couldn't resist. But really I did learn by watching my mom, and now I learn more by watching various Food Network shows. I like Ina's techniques, and Michael Smith's (Canada) total disregard for recipes, and dribs and drabs from lots of others.

my Mother & my Father taught me how to cook.
First they taught me how to read and follow a recipe.
Then they taught how to experiment.

My mother, culinary school & my ex- exec chef

My mother was from South Dakoda...her idea of vegetables..was a can of Del Monte... thank goodness, I married my husband.

My mom, of course.

My mother did, when she was functional, necessity taught me, otherwise. Oddly enough, I love to cook, and although everyone says I'm a good/great cook, I'm learning more and more every day. Much of what I'm learning is new ingredients, new ethnic recipes, and new techniques that just weren't common when I was growing up. Now, with the Food Network and cooking shows on other channels, as well as a wealth of really great cookbooks, I'm always trying new things and always experimenting in the kitchen.

Me!

I watched my Mom cook, and I watched all the tv chefs.

I did. We ate out alot in my childhood. In the past yr I have taken a greater intrest in cooking. I am collecting cookbooks and scouring the internet to be all that i can be.

http://organicandnaturalmom.blogspot.com/

my mom, and Foodnetwork. =P

I grew up in a Hamburger Helper family, so I learned a lot on my own. As a grownup, I learned so much from CookWise by Shirley Corriher. I still rely on it to help with less familiar techniques.

I learned watching my dear mom and dad...they had vastly different styles which was a great learning tool

Actually I'm more self-taught more than anything, but I've picked up some really good tips from my Mama. Please enter me.

Myself, with an assist from the internet. Though my first word was "hot", so I must have picked up something from my mom!

My Mom and Graham Kerr!

my mom, with little help from the internet!

My grandmother mixed with Food Network.

Both of my parents taught me how to cook :) *Thanks* for the giveaway!

My Dad taught me most things - and then just picking stuff up from experience. I still call my Dad sometimes when I need some cooking advice!

Snow outside, Elk walking by at dawn and dusk, sisters and I had tonsilitis BAD. No chance at going out to play, so Mom put a stool by the counter for me, and dolls on the floor for sisters. We started with a cake for dinner, then later bisquits. I was hooked. I could make good things to eat.

Coastalvicar

mom taught me to cook, God bless her

The person who taught me to cook was my grandmother. I would spend hours with her in the kitchen making and testing new and different recipes. I have to admit she let me test new things and never once discouraged me. She has given me so much with her cooking, not only memories, but full stomachs and love. Even though she is gone, I could still feel her presence with me each and every time I cook. If it wasnt for her I would never imagine myself trying to pursue a career in culinary arts and being the cook I am today. Thank you gram for everything you are my angel and mentor forever.

myself. By cookbooks and watching cooking shows.

Nuns at high school

My mom and grandmother, not so much taught me, but I observed, and then when I grew up to where I was attempting to cook, I would call them for their recipes.

A whole bunch of people, starting with my dear friend Steph, continuing with my husband and mother-in-law. Lately, though, I've been reading and teaching myself...

I taught myself.

I pretty much taught myself. When I was older I went back to my Mom and had her show me how to make the food I grew up on and loved.

I taught myself to cook, with the help of the wonderful cookbook The Joy of Cooking.

Me. I learned to cook when i tried vegetarian diet and the other family were not vegetarians. After turning back to eating meat I continued making myself food, as I like to try new and interesting things.

My mother and all the recipes I've read since then.

my husband.

My grandmother, mother and Jeff Smith

The basics from my Mother. Taught myself to experiment.

MOM

My father taught me to cook. He did most of the cooking in my family.

My mom taught me to cook...and strangely enough, many women my age were never taught to cook. She taught me from the time I could reach the stove (standing on a chair) !! I'm grateful for that too....it really helped the resume when I started looking for Mr/ Right! LOL!

i really taught myself how to cook. i think i learned a lot of technique from cooking shoes - particulary shoes of the pbs variety - as well as reading food writing and cookbooks. but mostly it was myself with a lot of trial and error and i would say that i'm STILL teaching myself to cook. lots left to learn!!

My Jr.high Home Ec teacher taught me how to use timeing in food prep. I will never forget that and It has been one of the most valuable tools in the kitchen.

I learned all of my really bad cooking habits from my Grandfather (bad as is cooking in lots of oil, breading, sweets, sugar, etc...) and the good cooking habits have come by individual taste acquired thru trial and error.

OMG! I have been cooking for so long that i can hardly remember. But my grandma and mother were both considered excellent cooks, so I am sure that they were the ones who taught me. I LOVE watching the cooking shows on tv. And now in my old(er) age, I am always trying a new recipe. Always in search of the ultimate, best brownie.
Thanks

I taught myself to cook: starting with boiling and frying (and combining), moving to more complicated dishes.

my italian grandmother taught me all the italian recipies that she knew - nothing was from a recipe, nor measured in any way that makes sense.
My mom showed me a few things. I learned a lot from my junior high home ec teacher. The rest I taught myself via cookbooks and food tv.

My mom is strickly meat & potatoes,so in desperate need of something differant I thought myself to cook.I also love Jamie!

My mother.

My drunkness form the basis for my learning. After doing a two year semi-apprentishship in the Pocono Mts (Buck Hill Falls) under a Swiss chef and Dutch sous and German baker, my love for drinking let/forced me to move around and get jobs with some of the most amazing cooks/chefs in resort towns like Miami, Grand Cayman, Va Beach, New Orleans and so on. I was blessed with getting into situation where owners wanted more than the really could do for the market they were in. Don't get me wrong some were on point but others were foodies who saw things in the mags and wanted to be that "cool" so away we would go with making these things work with what we could get. We didn't always have the access we have today. But each area had their own bounty. And each local had people to learn from, dishes to try. I had the chance to go to CIA in my early years, my drinking was a problem then. And tho I am of the mind that cooking schools give a wrong sense of coming out of them a Chef instead of a cook, I recommend a school for any aspiring Chef/cook. My learning of the mother sauces and classical techniques paved the way for me becoming the chef I am today and you just don't get that from working around unless you are an artista instead of a craftsman like me. Oh yeah, I've been sober since 1980.
chick

My mother. (And Christopher Kimball.)

i learned a ton by watching the food shows on PBS when i was a kid. Now my daughter (age 6) watches food network every day!

Many people taught me many things over the course of many years--I was initially initiated by the too cute daughter of a retired NYC police officer who was cheffing at a fine French bistro in W. MA.

My mom taught me, then my husband coached me.

I learned to cook from my mother and Home Economics classes.

I learned mostly from my parents. My mom and dad are both good cooks, although they have very different techniques - my mom is more likely to follow complicated recipes, while my dad makes things up or combines several recipes. My grandmas taught me some baking techniques.

my mom

My parents got me started. My mom was great for basic standard dishes. She also gave me a great foundation in the use of herbs and spices, so that I now have excellent seasoning instincts when winging it. My dad taught me creativity and the science of cooking, which has helped ensure that my experiments will (mostly) succeed. He also got me started watching cooking shows (on PBS back in the 70s), and indulged my two-year teenaged baking obsession by purchasing me shelf-loads of special baking equipment. They also gave me many cookbooks for Christmas and birthdays.

Since my teens, almost everything I've learned has been on my own, through cookbooks and experimentation. My baby brother gets credit, too, for sharing all his own ultra-creative discoveries, and introducing me to "new" ethnic foods before they become widely-available or trendy.

My dad is a chef and taught me a lot of what I know. My boyfriend is brillant in the kitchen as well and has helped me become better. Between those two and just trying different recipes - I've become a pretty good cook if I do say so.

I learned everything about cooking from my Grandfather--an Irish immigrant who used only a metal fork, a beat-up 2-quart pot, a wooden spoon, and a cast iron pan. Everything he made was fried or boiled and he incorporated a large dose of lard into every meal. Granted, I don't use the same techniques that Grandpa did, but I remember everything he taught me.

...my love for food educated my skills....lots of inspirational reading!

mom ofcourse

self-taught via books and the internet

My mother. She let me create anything and everything I wanted, which led to the start of a catering carer at the age of eleven.
Thaks, Mom - xxx!

I was taught by my family and by the hours and hours of cooking shows on public television that I watched growing up.

And by Jamie Oliver, whom I adore.

Mainly I was taught by my mother, but home ec studies in age 13-15 did great job too :) I also read a lot of this subject, learning never stops.

Mom for the basic techniques, and now i'm learning as i go along with experiments and recipes from lovely food blogs/magazines

Television, seriously.

myself via cookbooks and internet

I taught myself......

food network taught me how to cook!

my sweet mom taught me to cook the basics and my husband is teaching me the rest!

Mom & wife & researching cook books & reading newspapers & finding recipes & asking friends & looking in magazines... Still learning!! Yipppppeeeee!

Mom is an excellent cook. She taught me all the basics. Dad taught me to cook with different ethnic ingredients and techniques.

trial and error with a splash of food network!

Mainly my Mom she has always been a wonderful cook and she also bakes alot. She does professional cakes that are out of this world. I am not nearly as good as she is but I'm still working on it. My Dad also taught me a little and so did my Granny. I also watch a lot of the food network now to learn more.

My grandmother. I loved to watch her cook. She taught me everything,from manners ,to how a lady does things. She died when I was twelve. I still miss her so much and think of her often. I now cook for a living and still use her recipes.

Mom. Despite the fact thst she'd tell me I had to learn so that i wouldn't be a "worthless woman", I decided to pay attention.

Pretty much self taught, copied techniques I watched from PBS cooking shows.

Would love this for my "at home chef" older brother in TEXAS!! ;-)

Mostly my mom. She is a wonderful cook. I didn't cook much for a long time, but now I get in the kitchen every day, and every time I have a culinary success or failure I'm reminded of cooking with my mom.

Great-grandmother,grandmother, mom,aunties,my experiments and from watching other people.

My mother taught me to cook using the stove and oven at four years old.

Chinese: Mom. Baking: Maida Heatter and back-of-the-box. Everything else: PBS TV / John Thorne / public library cookbooks / Cook's Illustrated

I learned the basics from my parents, but I really learned after I left home, from Alton Brown, Marcella Hazan, Mark Bittman, Rose Levy Berenbaum, and others who write detailed cookbooks.

I taught myself. Nothing like a child's cookbook and determination to be "just like mommy". :)

My parents taught me how to cook

I learn to cook by cooking from a cookbook. It's not all that bad. Now I really enjoy cooking.

My grandmother!

Some from my mother and the rest from trial and error - thank you!

myself

Both my parents are great cooks, and I learned from them, but most of what I know I learned on my own.

I learned different things about cooking from different people. I used to "help" my mother bake when I was a little girl. I also learnt from my stepfather, my father, my best friend, Kathy, and from different men with whom I was involved. I also took many cooking classes when I was in school, because I enjoyed cooking. I learned a great deal from reading recipes & cookbooks and cooking on my own.

Taught myself to cook; could not 'boil water' hardly when I got married but after 40 years am now a good cook

My mom taught me to cook starting while I was very young and had to sit on the counter to help. We enjoyed being in the kitchen together and we made so many wonderful dishes and I treasure those experiences!

I mostly taught myself, but I also learned from my mother and grandmother. I remember being about thirteen years old and being so excited that I was finally allowed to use the stove without my parents' supervision. I've been enthusiastic about cooking since I was probably seven. I used to go to the library and come home with a giant stack of mostly cookbooks. And of course, I also learned a lot from Alton Brown.

I basically taught myself

I taught myself with the assistance cookbooks.

I worked at various restaurants and learned there

My mother's bland, boring and sterile cooking (with the exception of her American Chop Suey) was my motivation to learn all about "real" food outside of our family kitchen. While her food was always healthy and good, it lacked "character and personality". This was not her fault however, since my father insisted that anything with garlic, onion or any spices would greatly aggravate his "war" born ulcer. Much to my mother's delight, I was the first of her three children to totally embrace all things culinary. I chose to accept a "grill station" position in a small restaurant as a summer job my first year of college, and from there quickly rose to head chef by the end of the summer. The rest is history.

My Mother, she was always reading cook books and trying something new.

my mom and I

mom and grandma

my mama of course!

my ex-boyfriend, who also taught me how to vacuum and sweep. in return, i taught him how to make friends and change careers.

my dad

Still very much in the process of learning, but self taught + mother.

Food Network - not the chefs with the fancy restaurants, but the home cooks - taught me loads about basic techniques, substituting ingredients, timing, etc.

My mother taught me how to cook but I have learnt a lot more on my own as I've gotten older.

My mom was the queen of all frozen veggies and bland stir-frys, but she did facilitate me teaching myself - buying ingredients, explaining cooking terms to me, stuff like that.

I learned a lot about cooking by watching/helping my mom in the kitchen when I was young. When Food Network came along, I improved my skills and my recipes, too. I have far more sophisticated equipment, cookware, etc, than Mom ever did. Thank God for TV!

I learned from my mother, she always allowed us kids in the kitchen with two rules, we always washed our hands before we touched any food, and were to clean up the kitchen after we were done cooking. Then in my late twenties I went to culinary school, My true hearts desire was to someday become a Journeyman Baker, I came close, I was a utility Baker for Albertson's Store for a short time, mostly donut frying. Now I am a RV Park Manager, I still do a lot of cooking and baking, for my family, especially during the holiday's. Cooking and baking is one of the best stress releiver's.

myself and the chef at the first restaurant that employed me. mom & dad ate very simply and didn't cook much.

Mom was a great cook so I learnt somethings from watching her but most stuff was taught by trial and error.

My mother and my junior-high school home-ec teacher.

I was "raised" by an African American couple who came to live in my parents' home when I was 4 months old and left when I was 26! They both were grandchildren of slaves that worked at the Wye Plantation on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Neither of them (Snookums or Snookie) ever attended school and therefore couldn't read or write. But boy could they cook. When I first how asked how something was made (I was about 6) I was perched on a stool in the kitchen so I had a first hand look at how they did things. As I got older I started to write down the measurements as I was sure I wouldn't remember how to replicate these recipes when I was older. These are the most cherished recipes I have and I've been an ardent foodie ever since!

My mother and grandmother taught me some things and then it was just trying out new recipes.

Learned the basics from stepmom, then ventured further on my; own.

I was kind of forced to learn to cook in 2nd grade when my mother went back to work. My brother and I had to figure things out for ourselves. We started with pretty simple pastas and such and worked our way up. My mother would fill in on some things and just watching her gave me some technique. Then my father taught me everything I ever needed to know about grills and grilling various meats!

self taught

My dad and the TV. Jamie helped a lot.

You know, it's funny. I'm not really sure where I learned to cook. I guess if I had to pinpoint a source, it would be TV chefs. I started watching cooking shows as a child and could easily out-cook my parents by the time I was a teenager. Which TV chefs? People like Sara Moulton. And Emeril before the bam.

I taught myself.
I then made sure that my 3 sons learned and then, later in life, they taught their wives.

Both of my Grandmas and my Mom. They showed me how to make things taste yummy, use leftovers in an interesting way and use what you have! cookiecutter72 AT hotmail DOT com

My Mom, Granny and Grandma. They're all great cooks.

Self taught -- I don't really have any home cooks in my family.

I learned a few basics in Home Ec and taught myself the rest through cookbooks and cooking shows.

Combination of my husband and cooking shows.

My aunt taught me how to cook.

My grandmother

The glorious and oh so patient internet!

my mother, my grandmother, my best-friend's mother

My mom filled me in on the basics but the person who really taught me to cook was my husband. He has showed me how cooking can be an art, fun and experimental instead of just boring and simply needed to be done to feed a family.

I taught myself, because my mother is a bad cook and I wanted to be better.

My grandmother and mother taught me to cook. They let me choose the menu. I loved spending time with them in the kitchen as a child. I still have my grandmother's favorite apron.

Hmm, I'm not sure who taught me more about cooking, my mom or my dad. When I was growing up, they both cooked a lot and taught me how to cook, and since they're better at different things, I learned a lot. If pressed, I'd have to choose my dad, though, since he's the one who taught me how to clean the kitchen as I cooked!

Mom showed me a few things, but mostly myself.

my mom

My Mom taught me a few basic things, but for the most part I taught myself.

my mother who is Slovak

I learned from my Dad. He also gave me the confidence to experiment so I could learn more on my own.

Mainly my mom, and the Betty Crocker cookbook

Mostly self-taught with a lot of advice from my grandfather, who just turned 89 and is still cooking strong.

My father, he is a famous chef from Napoli, Italy.

I've been teaching myself to cook for the last 10 years! It's still a work in progress and I aspire to be as good as my sister. I started by subscribing to Cooking Light and making it a habit to try 1-2 recipes per issue. I doubt I'll ever consider myself an amazing cook because when you stop aspiring to be one, you lose that drive that makes it so much fun and educational!

Nobody. When I left home I didn't even know how much coffee with how much water let alone how to cook food. Cookbooks and asking lots of questions as well as friends bearing with me while I learned helped.

food network and the internet!!

An obsession with reading cookbooks is how I learned to cook.

My grandmother and my mother.

mom and julia child on pbs

I taught myself to cook at 5 years old. I received a children's cookbook as a gift and made scrambled eggs as my first "recipe."

Starting when I was about four, my mother and her sister, my Aunt Mary, taught me the basics, especially in my family's summer house in Lakeside, Ohio.

My mother, who was a fantastic cook. Although really I taught myself more from observing her and remembering some of my grandma's cooking, too (she was also a great cook), since my mom and I never really worked well together in the kitchen! LOL! I have all of my mom's old recipes, though, and still make many of them myself now that she's gone and I even have a few of my grandmas.

Mostly my Mom and myself. I am from the generation where daughters were supposed to learn to cook, so it was not an option.

My dad got me started by teaching me how to make oatmeal and toast (Poor dad, bless him. Wasn't much of a cook himself). But I really learned through Food Network and cookbooks.

Believe it or not, The New York Times Dining Section, which I have been reading religiously for years.....great recipes over the decade...

My mom and also by just trying recipes from cookbooks.

While my Mum did all the cooking in our house, I would have to say that my Dad was the one who reallly taught me how to cook. Once a year, in preparation for Mother's Day, my Dad would start scanning Chinese cookbooks for dishes he could serve at his Mother's Day banquet. He would write himself lists of ingredients, itemizing by butcher, or greengrocer or Asian food market. He would start preparing days ahead, making dumplings and dim sum and what would become fried ice cream balls. His mise en place was exemplary. He was so well prepared that when the magic happened everything was in its place. He never set a foot wrong.

For a man who literally did not cook at any other time during the year he really did demonstrate some serious skill. It was his passion for detail and organization that really pushed me to more complex and higher order food preparation. I couldn't thank him more.

Hands on with my Mom, watching my Aunt

Betty Crocker and my home economics teacher. My mother cooks but I was never interested in learning while still at home.

My dad!

I taught myself to cook -- it was definitely a lengthy, error-filled process though!

I taught myself to cook, but I learned how to bake by watching my grandmother.

mommy dearest and good ol' BettyCrocker

It started with my mom, but my skills were honed by spending years and years watching cooking shows on television. Jaques Pepin, Julia Child, Jamie Oliver, Ina Garten... on and on.

My folks taught me to cook as a child. Food TV got me interested as a young adult. Now I read any food book I can get my hands on.

I was under the impression that I didn't know how to cook at all. Thanks to my dad I could do some things with chorizo or make a pretty decent carne asada burrito, but when I moved away to become a nanny for my brother's family I had to learn to cook. I was taking care of my two little nieces and they were constantly hungry for strange things. Watching the Food Network and experimenting in the kitchen led me to have the excellent culinary skills I have now.

Good ol' Mom (the basics, recipe sharing, menu preparing), my grandmother (Southern food), and my boyfriend's uncle (Jewish holiday meals).

I taught myself to cook.

My Mom, Peg Bracken (the I hate to cook book) and Julia Child. Weird combo I know but each influenced me at the right time to learn the next thing.

Myself which is why I am a lousy cook

Who said I knew how to cook? That's why I need this cookbook!

My Mother

myself

My wife has always been the best cook I've ever known and I've known a few good cooks and chefs. But in recent years I've retired and have watched my wife come home after working all day and she would fix a delicious meal when I thought there was nothing in the kitchen to fix. So I wanted to take this chore off her hands and I asked her to teach me to fix the meals. She gives me ideas for a meal and then leaves it up to me. I am learning even if slowly. She has given me two cook books and I've been told about the book, "Cook with Jamie". It would be I think, a good addition to my cooking library.

Runyon

I learned a lot at home from Mom. The rest were the results of extensive experiments in college.

My Mum, and my Dad. Since I was shared between them from a young age, I picked up different things from both of them. Primarily my Dad to start with, as Mum when I was younger, was very much a working Mum and started fare was steak & boiled vegetables, whilst Dad was making Lamb Korma from scratch. Mum taught me how to bake though, and this was the most important thing I could have learned. How to throw in the ingredients for a cake, and have it turn out great. I have memories of getting up on a Sunday morning, having the house to myself, and making a batch of brownies, being all of 8 or 9 at the time.
Now I've started my own food blog, and bake constantly!

my mother

Learned some from my mom and some from Home Ec class, but mostly self taught.

I learned how to cook from both my grandma and my mom. They both are great cooks, and it was from them that I learned many great recipes. But I have also learned how to experiment, and to not be afraid to try new things.

My grandmother

the internet

My 8th grade Home Ec teacher taught me the basics and a wedding gift of the Betty Crocker cookbook helped to speed that along. I'm a cookbook fanatic since I have no creativity of my own.

both my mom and my grandmother, bless their hearts!

My mom went back to work when I was 10. Everyday, I would come home from school and call either her or my dad and they would talk me through cooking dinner. On weekends, it was pretty much side by side with my mom.

My sister and I watched my dad make some stuff...nothing like spaghetti logs, fried bologna hats & chili with pickle juice ;)

Later we practiced on our own and when I worked for someone, she's give me some of her recipes.

I am not a great cook, but I have some good moments! :)

Mom taught me the basics and Dad taught me what not to do.

Grandma, many cookbooks and experimenting. :)

my grammom :)

the moosewood cookbook and a lot of trial & error

My mother taught me how to cook.

My Grandma taught me how to cook!

My mommy taught me to cook :)

My mom! I remember she would always let me measure the ingredients, and I felt so special :-)

i hope i win

my own

I taught myself mostly.

mom

My mother never let me in the kitchen because she hated to see the mess. LOL My husband taught me how to cook his favorite foods. The rest I learned by trial and error, favorite recipes of friends and relatives, and a multitude of cookbooks. Thanks for giving us the chance to win.

My sister....she's a chef and the best I know!

Food Network, especially Good Eats. My mother was a great cook but was never very good at the teaching aspect, so I learned the basics from Food Network, and then once I understood those, I could finally stand next to my mother while she cooked and learn from observation.

i think i taught myself to cook, so that's a lot of terrible meals before i could get it right.

my mom taught me some very basic stuff...but pretty much taught myself through trial and error in college

My Mom taught me via telephone after I moved out and got sick of fast food

My Mamma taught me

I taught myself.

I learned mostly about baking from my mom...and cooking from my dad. Thanks for this opportunity.

My grandfather taught me how to cook!

My Mother taught me to cook when my father became very ill and she had to go to work for our family, at the age of 8, I learned to cook whole meal for the family so my Mother could come home to a hot healthy meal.

My grandmother taught me to cook. Her and my grandfather raised me, and when she got cancer, I was 13. She taught me lots of things over the next four years before she finally passed.

My parents both hand a hand in teaching me to cook. Even if my dad's biggest contribution was chili-from-a-can on spaghetti.

Cooking with my mother growing up...

Mom, of course!

My grammie num nums (grandmother). God rest her soul.

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ricedream24
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annette21
Sarajahii
skokefoe

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