Taste of Home Online Cooking School Review

For over a year now, I have had the honor of partnering with Taste of Home as Taste Ad Network Publisher and Taste of Home editorial partner.  I've been a long time fan of Taste of Home, so I am thrilled be a part of their network of Bloggers!  Pretty cool, right?  I think so.

I'm sure that you know Taste of Home is all about delicious recipes, but did you know that there are Taste of Home's Cooking School events happening nationwide?  At the LIVE Cooking School shows, Culinary Specialists engage with participants and share their favorite home cooking tips and tricks while demonstrating step-by-step recipes for the season’s best dishes.  Sounds like lots of fun to me!  You can check out to see if there's a Cooking School Live Event in your area here.

If you can’t make it to a live show or if online school is more your thing, well, I have good news for you!  On October 1st Taste of Home launched their new Taste of Home Cooking School ONLINE!


I was recently asked to try out one of the online classes and then write about my experience.  Of course I said YES!  Actually, my first thought was more like:

Oh, man.  I haven't been to school in almost 15 years.  Maybe I shouldn't do it.  Will they test me?  Oh, god.  That's a little stressful.  But wait.  This is a class about food.  I love food.  I might actually enjoy a test about food. Okay.  Let's do this.  Momma's going back to school!

And I did.  And you know what?  I really enjoyed it!  (And no, no tests.  There's a short quiz, but only you see the results. so it's nothing to sweat.)

If you'd like to join in the fun enroll in Taste of Home's Online Cooking School, I have a GREAT discount code you can use:

Use COUPON CODE: TENOFF to get a $10 discount!

Woot!  That makes for an AWESOME deal.  I hope you'll join me!  You're gonna love it!


Let me tell you how it works:

First, you choose from the gorgeous image index of online courses that feature 5 of the most popular and requested Taste of Home cooking classes:

• Weeknight Dinners in 30 Minutes - I need this in my life.  Who doesn't?
• Comfort Food Classics - Comfort food and me are like peas and carrots.
• Slow Cooker Favorites - I <3 my slow cooker!  Yes!
• Everyday Healthy Cooking - Got to balance out that comfort food!
• Tips, Tricks & Techniques from the Test Kitchen - There's always something new to learn when it comes to cooking! 

I had a hard time choosing which I'd take first, but finally I decided I'd go with the Slow Cooker Favorites course...because I <3 my slow cooker.



What comes with my course?

I was happy to learn that my course included:

• Easy access to the course at any time using a computer, tablet or smartphone. - Tech savvy.  Love it.
• Recipe videos, quizzes and step-by-step instructions with a Taste of Home Culinary Specialist for a truly interactive learning experience. - I have to say, having the option to watch a video of the recipe being cooked, see the recipe in text form, OR watch step-by-step slides was awesome.  I did all three.  I'm a very good student.
• Unlimited access that lets me take as many courses as I'd like, at my own pace. - This was a BIG deal for me.  Doing anything on the computer for a lengthy amount of time is virtually impossible with a 2-year-old.  You can exit your course and log back in later to finish up. Easy peasy.

What I loved:

1. Everything was clearly laid out and super easy to navigate, complete with a course syllabus and Instructor bio.  I set up my Student Dashboard, enrolled in the course, and I was on my way!
2. I navigated my way through the course and, I have to say, it was really fun!  I was reminded of lots of basic cooking techniques and I totally learned a few new tips and tricks. (Like a new way to peel ginger.  I've been doing it all wrong!)   My mouth was watering watching the video instruction of each recipe.  It was kind of like watching a cooking show, which I love to do, so that was really cool!
3. I had the option to join discussions with other Students, the option to add my own notes to a recipe, and even an option to print a shopping list for each recipe covered in the course.

Lucky for me, my little guy was napping, so I got to take the entire course (a little over an hour) in one sitting.  I liked it so much that I started another course when I was done!  I decided for round two I'd go with Everyday Healthy Cooking.  I even made the Dijon-Honey Pork Chops recipe from the class that night!  I served them with Crispy Parmesan Roasted Broccoli and mashed red potatoes.  They were SO good.  My whole family loved them.

At the beginning of the course the was a short Orientation Video, which ended with: "Hope you enjoy your learning experience!"  I like that.  Because cooking really is a learning experience, don't you think?  There's always new recipe ideas, tips and tricks to learn, no matter how long you've been cooking.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Taste of Home. The opinions and text are all mine.