Learn to cook at home, one skill at a time
An online cooking class in ten written lessons, from holding a knife to timing a whole dinner. Read a lesson, cook a real dish that uses the skill, and find out what to change next time.
Lesson 1 is free, with no account · lessons 2 to 10 come with Pro
About the course
Cooking basics is an online cooking class in ten written lessons, for adults who never really learned to cook and for anyone who knows a few recipes but still feels unsure at the stove. Each lesson teaches one basic cooking skill properly, such as dicing an onion, telling when a pan is hot enough, seasoning a soup or timing a whole dinner so it reaches the table at once.
You read the lesson, answer three short questions, and then cook a real dish that uses the skill, chosen from recipes you can make with what’s in your kitchen. Afterward, a short checklist asks what happened in your pan and tells you what to change next time.
The first lesson, Knife basics, is free for everyone. You can read it, take its quiz and use its checklist without an account, so start there and see whether learning this way suits you.
The ten lessons
Knife work, about 45 minutes including the practice cook. Hold a chef’s knife with a pinch grip, keep your fingers safe with the claw, and dice an onion, mince garlic and chop herbs evenly.
Heat control, about 40 minutes including the practice cook. Preheat a pan, tell when the oil is ready, read the sizzle, and give food enough room in the pan to brown.
Seasoning, about 40 minutes including the practice cook. Learn when to add salt, how acid wakes up a flat dish, what fat does, and how to taste and fix food while it cooks.
Eggs, about 40 minutes including the practice cook. Cook soft scrambled eggs, fried eggs with set whites, and boiled eggs with the yolk you want, and learn to store and handle eggs safely.
Rice and pasta, about 45 minutes including the practice cook. Cook fluffy rice by absorption, boil pasta in salted water until al dente, and use the starchy cooking water to make sauce cling.
Roasting, about 50 minutes including the practice cook. Roast vegetables at high heat with enough oil and space to brown them, and learn which ones need longer so the whole pan is done together.
Searing, about 50 minutes including the practice cook. Sear meat or fish to a deep brown crust, cook it to a safe temperature, rest it, and turn the brown bits in the pan into a quick sauce.
Soups, about 75 minutes including the practice cook. Build a soup on onion, carrot and celery, keep it at a gentle simmer, season it at the end, and cool and store the leftovers safely.
Stir-frying, about 50 minutes including the practice cook. Prep every ingredient before the heat goes on, cook in a very hot pan in the right order, and finish with a sauce that coats everything.
Timing, about 90 minutes including the practice cook. Plan a main and sides so they reach the table hot at the same time, with a written timeline, food that holds, and cleaning as you go.
How it works
- Read the lesson. Each one explains why the skill matters, walks through it step by step, and describes what you should see, hear and smell when it’s going right: the shimmer of hot oil, the color of a good sear, the bite of al dente pasta. Common mistakes come with their fixes.
- Answer three questions. They check that the main ideas made sense, and every answer comes with an explanation.
- Pick a practice dish. Each lesson suggests recipes that use the skill, and Well Stockd shows which of them you can make with what’s already in your kitchen.
- Cook it in cook mode. Follow the recipe step by step in Well Stockd’s cook mode.
- Answer the checklist. A few yes-or-no questions about your own cook, such as whether the onion pieces came out the same size or the pan stayed dry enough to brown. Each answer tells you what went right, or exactly what to change next time.
- Pick up where you left off. Your progress is saved to your account, lesson by lesson.
Lesson 1 works without an account: you can read it, take its quiz and use its checklist. Cooking the practice dish in Well Stockd and saving your progress need a free account.
What it costs
Lesson 1. Read it, take its quiz and use its checklist without an account. A free account, with no card, lets you cook its practice dish in Well Stockd and save your progress.
Lessons 2 to 10, with Well Stockd Pro: $7.99 a month or $79 a year, starting with a 7-day free trial.
Questions about the course
Are there videos?
No. The lessons are written, and every step describes what you should see, hear and smell, like the shimmer of hot oil or the color a sear should reach, so you can follow along on a phone or tablet beside the stove.
Do I need to buy special ingredients?
Usually not. Each lesson suggests several practice recipes, and Well Stockd shows which of them you can make from what you already have. If the one you want needs something you’re missing, pick another or add it to your shopping list.
What equipment do I need?
A chef’s knife, a cutting board, a large skillet, a pot with a lid and a rimmed sheet pan cover the whole course. An instant-read thermometer is worth buying for the searing lesson, and for checking meat safely from then on.
How long does each lesson take?
Between about 40 and 90 minutes, including cooking the practice dish. Most of that time is the cooking, and each lesson shows its own time.
I’ve never really cooked. Is this for me?
Yes. It’s cooking for beginners from the very first step: lesson 1 is how to hold a knife. From there it builds one skill at a time, through heat, seasoning, eggs, rice and pasta, roasting, searing, soup and stir-frying, to timing a full dinner.
How do the quiz and the checklist work?
Each lesson has three questions. You pass with two right, and every answer is explained. After your practice cook, the checklist asks a few yes-or-no questions about how it went. A lesson is complete once you’ve passed its quiz and sent in one checklist.
What does it cost, and do I need an account?
Lesson 1 is free. You can read it, take its quiz and use its checklist without an account. Cooking its practice dish in Well Stockd and saving your progress need a free account, with no card. Lessons 2 to 10 come with Pro, at $7.99 a month or $79 a year, with a 7-day free trial.
Start with lesson 1
Knife basics: hold a knife and dice an onion. Hold a chef’s knife with a pinch grip, keep your fingers safe with the claw, and dice an onion, mince garlic and chop herbs evenly.