New websites are a boon for home cooks, mixologists and undecided Valentine's

February 13, 12:13 AMBoston Food ExaminerJacqueline Church

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How to make Salmon en Papillote Photo Credit: Matthew Demers

In the world between YouTube and full fledged cooking shows lies a land of opportunity. After all, when The Joy of Cooking turned 75 last year, editors were in a stew, so to speak. The debate was about how much they'd need to "dumb down" cooking terms because so many buyers of their iconic cookbook simply did not know the difference between a boil and a simmer...or whether "grease the bottom of the pan" meant inside or out. No kidding. Read about it here.

Meet How2Heroes.com a new website aimed at the slightly challenged in the kitchen American home cook. Those of us eager to do better, or needing a little inspiration even if we have solid skills will find answers here.

How2Heroes is a how-to online video destination that celebrates people’s passion for food – the flavors, the presentation, the secrets to success, the cultural inspirations.

Answering the growing interest and the need for hands on help, this site offers expert instructional videos and recipes on everything from Jacky Robert's French Onion Soup to Frank McClelland's Orange Chocolate Souffles. It's free, too! See this entire Valentine's Day Menu!

Cocktail experts are How2Heroes, too. The lovely Lupec founding member, Kirsten Amann shows us her recipes for the Pink Lady and Tom Schlesinger-Guidelli of Craigie-on-Main demonstrates his Amor Floriciente.

The videos are fun to watch and cover a broad range of topics. Take a look at their "Romantic Menus You Can Make at Home."

Other New Resources:

1. This is a local version of Cookstr.com which also aims to provide home cooks with how-to help, mostly from famous chefs. Unlike How2Heroes, Cookstr simply provides the recipes. Think of it as an all-star Epicurious.
    
2. Another excellent and fun video demo site is Vahrehvah.com. This guy is like the Indian José Andres - so enthusiastic! He really enjoys showing you how to make delicious Indian food from many regions at home. The site is chock-a-block with recipes, too many from home cooks sharing their own tips.