Grandma, Mom, and Big Sis at Your Side
Cooking.com
Cooking.com is like having Grandma, Mom, and Big Sister all in one place at one time to help navigate the world of pots, kitchen tools, and recipes. You can buy cast iron pots for old-fashioned dishes like pineapple upside down cake, pick out a stand mixer but in better colors than the one living on Mom's counter top, and even find recipes like wings for a Super Bowl Party at Cooking.com.
Cooking is not my favorite thing to do, but I love eating so much that I do cook a lot now. In fact, I am considered a darn cook around here, which proves that you can teach an old dog new tricks.
When I was growing up I was the official dishwasher, and my brothers whipped up great homemade dishes. This was kind of an unspoken way to deal with some of the things I burned or messed up over the years. It was easier to put me in charge of clean up than to have to re-cook and then double clean up after. No one else liked to clean up anyway, so I had a sure spot in the hearts of all as long as I stayed out of the way until after the eating commenced.
Given my slow start in the world of getting things from stove to table in a form actually digestible, a site like Cooking.com is much appreciated. Although the site is fabulous for those naturally gifted in the area of kitchen goddess-hood, it is also a space where the hopelessly inept kitcheneer crowd can click in and muddle through with thumbs-up results.
The right tools do make a difference, and cooking.com has EVERYTHING you can think of. If you want to make cookies, then you will find all kinds of items under "cookies" in search. Actually, I don't know what to do with all the items like parchment paper. I can click on that and find out that it makes the pan stick proof. Just put that on the pan, and then you can take the cookies off like magic. That search also pulled up the cooking sheets (pans) and the cooling racks with information about those too. If I am planning to make cookies, then I am in business here.
As far as products, Cooking.com carries the big name brands. For example, they have Lodge in cast iron and Wilton in baking. Sometimes you get lucky with a cheap, off-brand, but more often you just get a dusty pan in the back of the cabinet. It really works out to pay just a little more and get something that works and lasts than to buy the Blue Light specials and then never use them.
Cooking.com has a 100 percent guarantee, so you know that they are sending the best. I have never had any problems with items, so I have not had to call in that guarantee. Still, it is nice to know that I am covered if something is not top notch. When a company says that they stand behind the products, then I am willing to check them out. When they have a real phone number and email contact, then I figure that they mean what they say.
Online companies make money by selling products and some companies draw the line there. That is not the case with Cooking.com. You don't have to buy a thing to benefit from the expert help at the site. Although solid products like those available at Cooking.com do mean that you are more likely to turn out tasty food, you can pull out your warped cake pans and margarine "storage containers" and take advantage of the tips and recipes at the site. They update those on home page depending on what you might be thinking about cooking. For example, they have soups in the winter. YUM! Recipes range from gourmet to back yard fun. Even if you are not in the kitchen-shopping mood, you can visit and get great information at Cooking.com.
Overall...I would give top marks to Cooking.com. The web site is easy to follow and understand. You can tap in whether you buy or not and get help on supplies and also on cooking in general. The products are terrific. Prices are reasonable, and they offer frequent specials and sales. Shipping is fair and quick. This one is book-markable all round. Keep Cooking.com in mind if you need to pick up some items, if you are getting married and want an online buy space for friends to click in, and even if you just want to cook with what you have on hand. They cover all the bases and do it with class.
