Baking has become one of the most popular hobbies—at least it seems to be from all of the bread and cakes you’re probably seeing on your social media. How did these people all become all-star bakers and chefs overnight? Well, the answer probably lies in one of the internet’s best online cooking classes. You can take everything from online cooking classes to online interior design classes, and we love them because they’re easy, convenient, super affordable, a great family activity, and you don’t even need to get dressed up to attend them. They’re also a fun last-minute holiday gift idea for people who like to cook, but want to learn more. 

Baking and cooking are one of those hobbies that can seem overwhelming until you dive in and actually start doing it. Yes, you will make mistakes, but that’s half the fun, and you’ll learn a lot from those mistakes along the way. Luckily, tons of chefs and bakers’ best tips and tricks are available to us with just one click. Just look at all of the online schools offering online baking and cooking classes right now:

Because navigating this new world of online baking and cooking classes can seem daunting, we’ve highlighted the best classes the internet has to offer below — whether you’re looking for something to do over with your kids or just want to refine your own skills.

Online Cooking Classes

Gordon Ramsay Teaches Cooking

$10/mo+

Buy Now

Learning how to cook from Gordon Ramsay might seem kind of terrifying, but the truth is that he’s a gentle, informative, and kind teacher, not always the hot-tempered chef you see on TV. This class covers his essential methods, ingredients, and recipes, so you can work your way toward becoming a Master Chef.

---

Gabriela Cámara Teaches Mexican Cooking

$10/mo+

Buy Now

Are you tired of suffering through another boxed taco night, all while craving the tender tortillas, moist tamales, and fresh salsas you get at your favorite Mexican restaurant? Then try out this Mexican cooking class from celebrated chef Gabriela Cámara.

---

Lynnette Marrero and Ryan Chetiyawardana Teach Mixology

Buy Now $10/mo+

We all know that one person who constantly talks about quitting their job to become a bartender instead. Give them a leg up on their dream with a gift subscription to MasterClass, so they can take this mixology primer from world-class bartenders Lynnette Marrero and Ryan Chetiyawardana.

---

Mashama Bailey Teaches Southern Cooking

$10/mo+

Buy Now

From a cozy plate of creamy grits to the spicy kick in a bowl of robust gumbo, James Beard Award-winner Mashama Bailey’s Southern cooking class will teach aspiring chefs how to make their favorite dishes.

---

Niki Nakayama Teaches Modern Japanese Cooking

$10/mo+

Buy Now

You may have seen Niki Nakayama of the two-Michelin-starred n/naka on the Netflix show Chef’s Table, and now, aspiring cooks can learn the essential techniques, ingredients, and recipes of modern Japanese Cooking from the chef herself in this MasterClass.

---

Madhur Jaffrey Teaches Indian Cooking

$10/mo+

Buy Now

Madhur Jaffrey has more James Beard Awards to her name than we can count, and for good reason. She’s been teaching the masses the secrets of Indian cooking for decades in her much-lauded cookbooks, and now, you can learn how to make 30 South Asian recipes from her on MasterClass.

---

Online Baking Classes

Sophisticated Baking & Cake Design

$9.99/mo

Buy Now

You don’t have to be a top pastry chef to whip up some wow-worthy cakes. International Open Academy serves up a bunch of fun online baking classes, including this fun cake class that’ll make you feel like a pro. Through five easy-to-follow modules, you’ll learn all the basics pros know—from how to make buttercream to how to choose between icing or fondant. You can even get certified if you score at least a 55% on the exam at the end of the course!

---

Fundamentals of Pastry with Dominique Ansel

$10/mo+

Buy Now

Dominique Ansel, also known as the creator of the Cronut, is one of the finest pastry chefs in the world. In this class offered on MasterClass, he will teach you the fundamentals of pastry and before you know it, you’ll be serving up fruit tarts, mini madeleines and croissants right in your own kitchen.

---

Udemy Sourdough Bread Baking 101

$16.58/mo+

Buy Now

Bread making is one of those hobbies lots of people want to try, but don’t really have the time to really get into. While we’re all staying indoors during winter, there’s no better time than now to delve into the wonderful world of artisanal bread with Teresa, baking instructor and author.

---

The Perfect Cupcake Class

$34.99

Buy Now

This 7-episode series will teach you the basics of cupcake making and offer fun tips to take your decorating skills to the next level. You’ll learn everything from piping techniques to working with fondant.

---

All About Cookies Class: The Soft and Indulgent

$69.99

Buy Now

Le Cordon Bleu-trained professional pastry chef Meytal Limony guides you through the basics of cookie making in this easy-to-follow class. Ropke’s class covers basic measuring and equipment information as well as twelve cookie recipe tutorials.

---

The Ultimate Cake-Baking Toolbox

$11/mo

Buy Now

This class covers how to bake delicious cakes and how to decorate them. Instructor and pastry chef James Rosselle provides you with everything you need to start making Instagram-worthy cakes in no time.

---

Before you go, check out these Ina Garten-Approved holiday gift ideas:

Watch: How to Make Reindeer Feed With Elizabeth Chambers

Sometimes, the thought of heading to the grocery store is more than we can bear — and we’re not just talking about battling our way through crowded aisles and parking lots. Whether you’re busy with work, school, family, or are dealing with health issues, sometimes ordering groceries online and having them delivered straight to your door feels nothing short of miraculous. And these days, there are plenty of grocery delivery services to choose from. Score a delivery window, then bingo — you can get fresh groceries delivered to your doorstep without having to leave your home.

Target

You can get groceries, household staples, toys, and more delivered to your house thanks to Target’s same-day delivery service. It’s just $9.99 per delivery, or you can sign up for an annual Shipt membership for $99 and get free delivery on orders $35 and up all year long.

Target Same Day Delivery

$9.99+

Buy Now

---

Thrive Market

Thrive Market does require a membership to use (starting at $5/month for an annual membership, or $12/month), but in return, you can choose from healthy and nourishing groceries to be delivered to you at any zip code in the lower 48, getting an estimated 30% off retail price of each item. We love using Thrive Market to order wholesome snacks, and they have a great selection of eco-friendly personal care and beauty products, too.

Thrive Market

$5+

Buy Now

---

HelloFresh

HelloFresh takes grocery delivery one step further by actually planning your meals for you and shipping you all of the required ingredients. Boxes full of ingredients and nutritious recipes start at $45.96 for two meals for two people per week but you can order up to six recipes per week for four people. You can also choose vegetarian or pescatarian food options or even family-friendly meals! Simply choose the meals you’d like to cook and then wait for your box full of fresh ingredients to arrive straight to your door.

HelloFresh Subscription

$9.99+ per serving

Buy Now

---

Amazon Fresh

If you have Amazon Prime, you can order groceries through Amazon Fresh — with free delivery on orders that meet the minimum requirement for your area. Where available, you can get your groceries delivered within two hours, though depending on demand, your available delivery window may be further out. Amazon Fresh is currently available in most major US metropolitan areas, and in some places, you can also get delivery from local grocery stores through Amazon Fresh, like Bristol Farms in the Los Angeles area.

Amazon Fresh

$1+

Buy Now

---

Whole Foods

In some areas, you can get Whole Foods grocery delivery through Amazon Fresh. Just note that when you’re ordering groceries, your Whole Foods order will be in a separate cart and will be delivered separately from any Amazon Fresh orders. You can choose 1-hour or 2-hour delivery, or opt to pick up your order at the store.

Whole Foods Grocery Delivery

$1+

Buy Now

---

Instacart

Instacart is an online grocery shopping service that lets you order groceries from local grocery stores. You select the store you want to shop from, and an Instacart shopper will go and pick out the groceries from your list for you, and deliver them to your door the same day your order. Instacart is available almost every state in the US (sorry, Hawaii), and, depending on your location, they even deliver groceries from stores like Costco, Publix, BJ’s, and Aldi. You will need to order and schedule deliveries for each store separately.

Instacart

$1+

Buy Now

---

Postmates

Postmates is primarily a site for ordering takeout meals, but in some locations, they also offer delivery from local grocery stores through Postmates Fresh. Postmates delivers in cities large and small across the country, from Los Angeles, Cali. to Ogden, Utah. To order, create an account with Postmates. You can also sign up for Postmates Unlimited to get free delivery on every grocery order that’s more than $30, for $9.99/month.

Postmates

$1+

Buy Now

---

Walmart

Walmart offers grocery delivery at more than 1,600 stores nationwide, mostly concentrated in metropolitan areas. To order you’ll need a Walmart.com account. Then, choose your store, and see if there are any time slots available before filling your carts with your desired items. If you see yourself using the service often enough, you can sign up for Walmart Plus ($8.17/month, $98 annual), for free delivery on every order.

Walmart

$1+

Buy Now

---

FreshDirect

FreshDirect sources food for you, instead of having you go through a separate grocery store to select your products. They offer name-brand and in-house products in all standard grocery categories, including beer, wine, and spirits, depending on your location. They deliver to select locations in the New York Metro area.

Fresh Direct

$1+

Buy Now

---

Omaha Steaks

Stocking your freezer is an easy way to reduce your trips to physical stores while ensuring you have lots of different meats for a wide variety of meal options. Our favorite place to order meat from is Omaha Steaks and don’t let the name fool you because they offer a lot more than steak. This freezer filler package contains everything from chicken to filet mignon and even caramel apple tartlets!

Omaha Steaks Freezer Filler Favorites

$239.92

Buy Now

---

Kroger

Kroger makes grocery shopping as easy as possible. Choose all of your favorite items, check out, select a delivery time and that’s it! All you need to do is wait for your items to arrive.

Kroger Grocery Delivery

$9.95+

Buy Now

---

Before you go, check out our slideshow below:

A version of this article was originally published March 2020. 

There are two things in our lives that remain constant: our love of Costco, and the need to have dinner every single night. But if we’re being honest, sometimes coming up with new ideas for dinner can be a struggle, especially on nights when we’re pressed for time. So how can we resist the urge to spend a ton of money on take-out on those evenings? Load the freezer, fridge, and pantry with delicious international and internationally-inspired foods from Costco, of course! Because a last minute dinner doesn’t have to mean a spoonful of cottage cheese and bowl of cereal. Costco has tons of exciting foods to add to your repertoire, from microwaveable noodle bowls to croissant pockets and more. Take a look at these items, and the next time you head to Costco (you can sign up for a Costco membership here) add a few to your cart so you’re not left out to dry on those nights when the dinner inspiration just won’t come.

It’s almost time for new shows to hit your favorite viewing platforms, and if you’re anything like us, you’ll be popping lots of popcorn to nosh on while you binge. But what good is popcorn without popcorn seasonings? Nothing, that’s what. Lucky for you, we spent hours researching the heck out of popcorn seasonings so that we could bring you the tastiest blends on the internet. And you’re only a few clicks away from ordering some straight to your door step.

From classic flavors, like cheddar cheese and ballpark salt, to sweet and savory flavors like birthday cake and creamy ranch, take a peek at the best popcorn seasonings we found online.

It’s hard not to fill up our shopping carts to the top every time we head to Costco, but even though we’re usually satisfied with the majority of our purchases, every now and then we get something we’re not thrilled with. But with so many products on the shelves, how are Costo members supposed to know what’s a must-try, and what’s a leave-behind? Thankfully, some Costco shoppers recently took to Reddit to share the products they think are best left at the store. We were seriously surprised by some of the answers, but take a look for yourself below and see if there are any items you think should be added to the Costco no-gos list — or if any of your favorite products are being unfairly slandered.

What are your Costco “no gos”?
byu/Mavroks inCostco

Chicken Breasts

Why are some customers avoiding Costco’s chicken breasts? It’s not about quality — it’s the price. The original poster shared that “My local King Soopers (Kroger, but in Colorado) sells chicken breast for $2.49 a lb while my local Costco sells them for $3 a lb.” If you’re buying a big pack, that extra $.51/per pound adds up.

Soda

Several people mentioned that they can get cans of soda cheaper at grocery stores than at Costco, especially if they buy whatever soda is on sale that week.

Avocados

A few commenters mentioned that the Costco avocados are a no-go, especially the Peruvian avocados, which apparently have a lower fat content than Mexican avocados. “They NEVER ripen,” one person shared of the Preuvian avocados, “they just go from hard to black mush.”

Desserts

When we first read that some people considered Costco desserts to be a no-go, we were shocked. But it turns out it’s not because the desserts aren’t delicious — it’s because they’re so big. “It’s just two of us and we can’t possibly finish one of those massive baked desserts,” one person said. Many others jumped in to share that, thankfully, the bakery desserts freeze well, so you can buy what you want then thaw as needed.

Produce

Some folks said that Costco’s produce wasn’t worth it. “Produce, generally speaking, is Costco’s weak spot,” one commenter shared. Others agreed that specific items, like the bananas and spinach, weren’t worth buying at Costco, with one person sharing that Costcos produce “always spoils within the same week.” But others said it must be regional, because their Costco had produce of a higher quality than local grocery stores.

Do any of these Costco no-gos shock you? Is there anything you would add to the list of must NOT buys? If so, you can check out the rest of the commenters’ Costco no-gos on Reddit.

Before you go, check out our gallery below:

Watch: A 5-Ingredient Grilled Pizza That’s Easier Than Ordering Takeout

What do pan-roasted chicken thighs, thick juicy steaks, and frittatas all have in common? They’re often cooked starting on the stovetop, then get slid into the oven to finish cooking. That means that you need to use a pan that’s stovetop and oven-safe, and if you have Pioneer Woman cookware, you might find yourself wondering — is The Pioneer Woman’s cookware oven-safe?

The good news is that almost all of The Pioneer Woman’s cookware can in fact go from the stove to the oven with no problem. From our research, the only Pioneer Woman cookware that isn’t oven-safe is the Cast Aluminum cookware. This set is dishwasher-safe, but there’s no mention of it being oven-safe, which might be because the pots and pans have wooden handles and knobs.

But the Pioneer Woman Frontier Speckle Aluminum cookware, the Pioneer Woman Porcelain Enamel Classic Ceramic cookware, the Pioneer Woman Enamel on Steel cookware, and the Pioneer Woman Timeless Beauty Enamel on Cast Iron cookware are all oven safe, though the sets have different temperature limits. You can see some of our favorite oven-safe Pioneer Woman cookware below, along with information about what oven temperatures are safe for each specific variety.

The Pioneer Woman Frontier Speckle 24-Piece Aluminum Cookware Combo Set

$119.00

Buy Now

The Pioneer Woman’s vintage speckle cookware features an 8-piece alminum cookware set, each piece of which is oven-safe up to 400 degrees. The cast iron skillet is also oven-safe up to 400 degrees, as are the cast iron au gratin dishes.

---

The Pioneer Woman 12-Pieces Porcelain Enamel Classic Ceramic Cookware Set

$99.00

Buy Now

One of our favorite things about this porcelain enamel ceramic cookware set from The Pioneer Woman is that it’s PFOA- and PTFE-free while still being nonstick. What else do we love? The fact that this cookware is oven-safe up to 350 degrees.

---

The Pioneer Woman Fancy Flourish Enamel on Steel 6.4-Quart Dutch Oven

$29.97

Buy Now

What can you do with The Pioneer Woman’s enameled steel Dutch oven? You can braise, bake, slow cook, and stew, both on the stove and in the oven, because this piece is oven-safe to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

---

The Pioneer Woman Timeless Beauty Enamel on Cast Iron 6-Qt Dutch Oven

$44.97

Buy Now

What cookware can you use if you need the temperature to go a little higher, like if you’re baking a loaf of crusty, country style bread, or trying to get an ultra-crisp exterior on a roast? Look no further than The Pioneer Woman’s enameled cast iron Dutch oven, which is oven safe up to 500. The Bakelite knob is heat resistant up to 350, and the stainless steel knob might discolor when used in an oven about 400, but you can either unscrew the knob when you need to cook at a higher temp, or just leave the lid off and cover your pan with foil if needed.

---

Before you go, check out these chic cookware brands that give Le Creuset a run for its money:

Watch: How to Clean a Cast Iron Skillet

It seems like everyone has a reason why they finally decided to join Costco. For some, it’s the convenience of shopping in bulk, so you don’t have to go to the store as often. For others, it’s the savings you can get on staple items like laundry detergent and paper towels. But sometimes, the thing that finally gets someone to sign up for a Costco membership is one item so good, they just couldn’t go without. And commenters on Reddit are currently sharing the Costco items they realized the just couldn’t do without.

In a post started by user Brayder, they shared that “I saw a post about the Kirkland almonds, I remembered them being /that/ good so I decided to finally grab my own membership.” If there’s one thing Costco shoppers love to do, it’s evangelize about their favorite products, so the comments in reply are basically like a premade shopping list for the next time you head to the warehouse store.

Cheese

One of the most popular items that people mentioned as being a must-buy at Costco is their cheese. Many folks said that the big blocks of cheese were both a better value than what you can find at a traditional grocery store, and that the last longer. But it wasn’t just the standard cheddar and swiss that got rave reviews — shoppers also waxed poetic about the Pecorino Romano, imported Parmesan, Gruyère, and burrata.

Frozen Food

Reading about Costco shoppers’ frozen food favorites might make you want to get a backup freezer for the garage (which you can also probably buy at Costco!). The Kirkland Frozen Meatballs got a lot of love for being a great weeknight meal starter. “Good for a quick dinner with pasta and Kirkland pesto,” one person shared. Several commenters also swore that the Kirkland Breaded Chicken Breast Chunks are “the BEST chicken nuggets.”

Snacks

The original poster said that chocolate covered almonds were the Costco item that finally convinced them to get a membership, and they’re not the only ones who love the snack selection at the warehouse. Edward Marc Coconut Almonds got a shoutout from several people. “Those almonds are freaking dangerous,” shared one commenter. “My husband and I downed a whole bag over a week.” Another person agreed. “Same here. We usually don’t snack. Bought a bag for Christmas. Big mistake. Bought them 3x again,” they said.

Edward Marc Dark Chocolate Coconut Almonds

$19.55

Buy Now On Amazon

---

Some other sweet treats mentioned were the Sanders Sea Salt Chocolate Caramels and the Kirkland S’more Clusters. “Those made me reup my membership,”shared one chocolate-loving customer.

There’s plenty more to love about shopping at Costco, and you can read the rest of the recommendations on Reddit. Then sign up for a membership of your own, and get ready to load the pantry, fridge, and freezer with some of these must-buy Costco items.

Before you go, check out our gallery below:

If you’re about to go pro at cheese grating, then your hands are probably suffering for it. Old-school cheese graters are a workout to use, especially when you’re cooking to feed a crowd. That’s why you need to get this viral TikTok cheese grater that takes all the work out of shredding cheese, saving you time and preventing grating-induced hand cramps.

The rotary grater from Cambom is a staple in the kitchen of TikTok user Mississippi Kween (@MississippiKween) who said in an April TikTok video, “you do need this cheese grater.”

“I’ve used this about a hundred times since I bought it a couple [of] months ago and it’s a great product,” she said, and it’s easy to see how this thing would pay for itself after a single use. Not only does it secure to your work surface (it has a suction cup at the bottom that adheres to smooth surfaces like marble and granite), but all you need to do is turn the hand crank to grate. No more up and down and gripping the handle of the cheese grater like your life depends on it.

And right now, the Cambom Rotary Grater is on sale for under $30.

Cambom Rotary Cheese Grater

$29 $40 28% off

Buy Now

And TikTokers aren’t the only ones going crazy for the rotary grater. It has over 12,400 five-star reviews on Amazon, with reviewers writing that this tool is a must-have for people who grate a lot of cheese or slice up a lot of veggies.

---

“I got so tired of using a box grater and thought there had to be a better way,” one five-star reviewer wrote. “I wasn’t sure about the durability since it’s mostly plastic, but I took a chance and it’s been fantastic … It’s easy enough to use for a single recipe, but I tend to shred a bunch of cheese all on one day every 2-3 weeks or so.”

And although it’s made simply, it does the job well, as another reviewer wrote. “Please don’t be turned off that this is not electric powered. The blades are so sharp it works incredibly fast and I can shred a block of cheese in about two minutes. Carrots go even faster I can probably shred an entire bag of long carrots in about two minutes because they don’t bend as much as the cheese.”

Pick up this easy-to-use rotary grater while it’s on sale to see what all the hype is about and to give your hands a break.

Before you go, check out Ina Garten’s easy weeknight dinner recipes below:

Five years ago, finding vegan and vegetarian products was tough. Sure, you could go to Whole Foods and Sprouts, but other than that, the products were confined to one small section of grocery stores and were limited to the usual suspects, like vegan cheeses, meatless substitutes, and tofu. But over the past few years veganism and vegetarianism boomed, and retailers, in response, rapidly improved upon and increased their vegan and vegetarian offerings, even at Costco.

As an increasing number of Americans adopted the vegetarian and vegan lifestyles — according to the Vegetarian Resource Group in 2019, 4 percent of American adults is vegetarian, with half of those vegetarians also vegan — Costco was quick to add new vegan- and vegetarian-friendly products. Now, Costco has become, much to many vegan and vegetarian shoppers’ surprise, a dream grocer.

Ahead, take a look at the best of the best vegetarian (and, for some of them, vegan) finds at Costco.

]]> https://www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/slideshow/2352613/vegetarian-finds-costco/feed/ 0 2352613 https://www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/articles/2942588/best-dark-roast-coffee/ https://www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/articles/2942588/best-dark-roast-coffee/#respond Wed, 24 Jan 2024 16:01:15 +0000 https://www.sheknows.com/?p=2942588 If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, SheKnows may receive an affiliate commission.

Not to be a stereotype, but once I had a kid, my morning coffee became truly sacred. Not just because I relished the boost of energy from a little caffeine in the morning, but because taking a sip of a toasty, nutty cup of strong coffee felt like a little respite from the world of childcare, something thoroughly grown-up that helped ground me in the mornings. Rather than spending all my money buying coffee at a cafe (and let’s not even talk about how impractical it is to bring a baby or toddler to a coffeeshop and expect it to be relaxing), I decided to figure out how to make my perfect cup of coffee at home, and the best beans I found came from Peet’s Coffee. If you like dark roast coffee and have been trying to make great coffee at home, then these could be the beans for you, too.

Alfred Peet, who started Peet’s Coffee, was actually one of the first people in the U.S. to start selling dark-roasted coffee beans. He was a pioneer of making coffee that actually tasted good, rather than relying on instant coffee or the low-quality coffee that was prevalent at the time, and he even taught the original founders of Starbucks about making good coffee and roasting beans before they started their company.

All that to say that after trying dozens of different coffee brands, from the cheapest stuff on the grocery store shelves to expensive bags of beans from local coffee shops, I’ve settled on Peet’s Coffee Dark Roast Whole Bean Major Dickason’s Blend as the best bang for my buck when it comes to making great coffee at home. It’s also widely available. You can usually find it at the grocery store or Target, and I ended up signing up to get it automatically delivered every two weeks on Amazon. That way, I never have to worry about forgetting to pick it up at the store.

Peet's Coffee, Dark Roast Whole Bean Coffee – Major Dickason's Blend, 18 Ounce Bag

$14.39

Buy Now On Amazon

---

If you subscribe and save, you’ll pay just $13.67 per shipment, or you can test it out with a one-time purchase price of $14.39. It comes in an 18-ounce bag, so it will last a lot longer than your usual 12 or 16-ounce bag of coffee, and since the beans are whole, they also stay fresh and flavorful for longer than pre-ground coffee.

If you’re buying whole beans, you’ll also need a coffee grinder (is it just me or is this starting to sound like an adult version of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie?). My favorite affordable coffee grinder is the Krups One-Touch Coffee and Spice Grinder. It’s less than $20, and I’ve had mine for nine years now and it still works just as well as it did the day I got it.

Krups One-Touch Coffee and Spice Grinder

$18.95

Buy Now

---

Last but not least, you’ll need a coffee maker. I chose an affordable 12-cup coffee maker that can be programmed the night before to brew in the morning. That way, a hot, fragrant cup of dark roast coffee is always waiting for me when I get downstairs. But these affordable dark roast coffee beans work well in a French press, too, if that’s more your style.

BLACK+DECKER 12-Cup Digital Coffee Maker

$34.99 $37.99 8% off

Buy Now On Amazon

---

When you have kids, a lot of times it feels like you’re living in survival mode. But surviving is a whole lot easier when you have a reliable cup of coffee in the morning, especially when it doesn’t mean spending hundreds of dollars a month at the coffee shop. With this setup — affordable dark roast coffee beans, an inexpensive coffee grinder, and a programmable coffee maker — your sleepy mornings may start to feel a little more like thriving rather than just surviving.

Before you go, check out the gallery below:

Watch: Ina Garten’s Spiced Apple Cider Recipe Is the Only Drink You’ll Need This Winter