Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Epicurious.com is one of my favorites. They have recipes from Gourmet and Bon Appetit along with community submitted recipes.

ruhlman.com Michael Ruhlman is a writer who has a nice blog.
hungrymag.com great features and interviews with chefs.
egullet.org all kinds of interesting stuff inc. recipes.
offalgood.com chef Chris Cosentinos world of offal cookery.
charcuteire.com the art of the pig.

All are good to check out, as a beginner however this web community Serious Eats is one of the better ones for reaching out and getting some good advice quickly. With the exception of a few nuts (Raises Hand High) the advice and recipes you'll find here are solid and reliable.

I like Simply Recipes, 101 Cookbooks, Kalyn's Kitchen, Bitchncamero (a fellow SE'er :P), and Smitten Kitchen. Those aren't the only ones I read, but they span a pretty good gammut of food and aren't, overall, difficult or un-beginner-friendly.

I prefer food blogs to cookbooks these days because you get so much more feedback on them, great ideas for variations, and a variety of opinions on what the recipes look like out of different kitchens.

We are all learning to cook. Even the most accomplished cook still says there are things yet to learn. So welcome to the club. How you learn depends on whether you're a word person, a I-have-to-see-it person, or what. Figure that out and you'll be ahead of the game. Me, I'm a book person. I read cookbooks I know I'll never cook from. I even buy some like that. (Thank you, public library, for all the others.)

Ask your friends. Ask your acquaintances. Ask the produce manager or the guy who sells you your seafood.

Welcome to the club.

If you are the grasshopper, Jerzee is the master. Listen to Jerzee. She knows all.
Seriously, you'll learn more and get more inspiration from watching. And then when you wonder why they did something or you didn't see something and wonder, ask us. We know everything, right Pavvie?
Even if we don't we'll have loads of advice and helpful tips. And we're fun!
So, welcome novice cook, jump in and have fun =)

Welcome to "the family"!
You'll find you can get most, if not all, of your questions answered right here at SE...but I also love Epicurious and Foodtv and recommend them highly.

you could also try eric ripert's blog, aveceric.com

he has short videos and accompanying recipes -- they are easy and simple (made in a toaster oven!) but i've made two to great success, the rasberry clafoutis and herbed chicken tenders. by watching the videos you can actually see what he's doing so it's easier to replicate the recipe.

Pavie if you know everything I want the Mega millions numbers for tomorrow.
Another thing to do is to go shop a farmer's/produce market and butchers.
Cook the old fashioned way, let the ingredients call you and then you make something great with what you are inspired by.
Give yourself realistic goals. Then once you get yourself up to a level reward yourself. Buy a gadget, small appliance, cookbook, special ingredient.
Take notes I am describing my addiction to you. You need the microplane grater....
Also budget money for your addiction.

@ Jerzee, I've said it before and I'll say it again... I don't know Jack Schmitt when it comes to cooking and I have been cooking for going on 34 years! My first cooking experience ended in ruining 2 of my mothers sauce pans (when the recipe for old fashioned pudding calls for constant stirring.... They ain't kidding!) and to this day there are miscues. But it's all part of learning the joy that is cooking. If you have never made a mistake cooking, you really haven't cooked.

BTW Jerzee....2,8, 25,34,44,45* call it a gift!

(*Disclaimer- Pavlov nor any member of pavlovs family, his friends or business associates or aquaintences thereof shall be held liable in any manner or cause for failure to prognosticate the winning lottery numbers in the state of NJ or any State U.S. or otherwise, territory of the aforementioned and parts of the E.U. due to the fact that Pavlov is nuttier than squirrel turds.)

A really good primer (actually two: one for baking and one for cooking) comes from (heart beating faster) Alton Brown: I'm Just Here for the Food, and I'm Just Here for More Food. Both help to explain the reasoning behind why you do certain things in cooking/baking.

Also, a couple of years ago a got a great old standard for Christmas: The Betty Crocker Cookbook, and I love it. It's a great way for people getitng started to leearn various recipes, techniques and variations. Also, it providees great explanations for various situations that might arise, for instance if you use too much or too little flour in a cookie recipe, or forget an ingredient and don't realize it until the middle of a roast. I would highly recommend that one, too.

Otherwise, just experiment. It's all a learning curve, and you will really have fun and expand your skills just by doing that in whatever manner you like. And remember, we are always here to help - heaven knows that that is a big reason why I come here. I am always still learning, and I learn so much from everyone here. It's wonderful!

I thought I was the only person who still owned a Betty Crocker Cookbook. I got it right after I got married in 1977. Wow, that makes me old!!!!! It has the best info for anyone starting out.

Also, this site is very helpful and informative. I live in the South and I think alot of the folks that post here live North of the Mason-Dixon line but the info is still relative. Hey, we all have to eat.

Oh and btw thanks to all you for all of your wonderful advice

the amateur gourmet often has really easy and delicious recipes on his website. for some reason i have often been moved to cook the things that he features, over any other online source, and most of them have been terrific. in fact i made the broccoli recipe he posted a few weeks ago for dinner this evening.

Funny, someone just asked me this today. I'm new to SE and this is my first post, so hopefully it's especially helpful!

I suggest you identify your favorite raw ingredients and search for recipes that include them. This will open you up to all kinds of cuisines right from the start. Read the recipe all the way through to make sure you either have or want to buy the ingredients, and that there are no surprises -- like overnight marinating or deep-frying -- that you might not be prepared for. Over time, you'll become comfortable cooking the things you love most, and have the confidence to branch out to unfamiliar ingredients and cooking methods...

Happy Happy Cooking!

humph. She wanted it. I have it.

I generally like the "America's Test Kitchen" shows and have learned a lot from them. They are a bit geeky though.

I second Simply Recipes : www.elise.com/recipes
she is so quick to write back, the stories are wonderful, and her recipes are great. Especially if you're looking at budget menus, she has a whole section for that now.

Also, Julia Child is wonderful if you want comprehensive instructions on how to do techniques to learn more difficult things or just delicious recipes!

Smitten Kitchen is great, especially when it comes to bread.

Also check out Cooking Light - it's the only magazine I get and I love it.

As much as I love the sites, the books are gong to be what you return to.
The Betty Crocker has saved my crocker more than a few times. If it was good enough for my Grandma then it's good enough for me.
I picked up "How to Boil Water: for my husband and we both use it as it is instructive without being pedantic, with lots of photos and simple but delicious recipes for basics.
Get one really exhaustive book on baking if you don't bake a lot but are still interested. Culinary textbooks are excellent finds as well.
Make soups! Making stock and then experimenting with whatever is in the cabinet is one of the best ways to learn to trust your instincts and your taste buds.

Try thepioneerwoman.com. She has a lot of good recipes with pictures to show you how.

Don't be afraid to experiment. Don't be afraid to make mistakes. Buy an item that you have never eaten before, and then scour the internet for a good recipe. The more you cook and especially the more varied ingredients pair with others, the better understanding you will have about what ingredients go well together. I am 23 and relatively new to cooking as well. My greatest gains have come from buying some random produce item that was never served in my parents house and playing with it. In doing so, I found some of my most loved veggies: asparagus and brussels sprouts!

From blogs and online sources, I've had the most consistent success with recipes from Elise at Simply Recipes. They not only please me, but my family as well. While I enjoy reading thepioneerwoman.com and her recipes always sound good, I've had more misses than hits with her recipes. In fact, one went straight to the garbage disposal -- no one would eat it.

In terms of cookbook authors, Mark Bittman, Ina Garten (aka The Barefoot Contessa) and of course, Betty Crocker. One of my favorite gifts for new cooks is Pam Anderson's How to Cook Without a Book. I also like Fine Cooking's series "Cooking without Recipes."

I've had very good luck with Martha Stewart's Everyday Food -- the magazine, the book (Great Food Fast) and everydayfoodmag.com. Also marthastewart.com/dinnertonight.

Welcome Cope215. Ditto what everyone else has said. I'm new here too and I love it. Just jump in and enjoy.