ChefSteps Aims To Create A World Of Better Cooks

In a world where everything has become digital and interactive, the standard cookbook seems a bit quaint and out-of-date. What if you could combine the basic idea of a cookbook (teaching various recipes and cooking techniques), and combine it with the interactivity of an ever-growing and shifting online community? That idea is what's at the core of ChefSteps, the part interactive cookbook, part cooking school, part chef community that attempts to unlock, and make approachable, the science of cooking.

Since their beginning in 2012, ChefSteps has grown to a community of 450,000 users, from professional chefs to amateur at-home cooks.

"Why should you have to guess how long your eggs should cook for? Why can't we have a bunch of people all over the world collaborate on making the perfect Neapolitan pizza?" ChefSteps CEO Chris Young, who has a background in mathematics and cooking science, said. "This service is free because there's no monopoly on great ideas."

ChefSteps offers tutorials, classes (like how to create the perfect au jus burger, and how-to's for cooking by exact measurement and weight), as well as an online forum where people can freely post questions and ideas. But there are also larger projects like the egg calculator which determines the exact temperature and time at which to cook your eggs based on your preferences. 

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Joanna Fantozzi is an Associate Editor with The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter@JoannaFantozzi