Cook Smarts

When Jess Dang started Cook Smarts in 2011, she didn't entirely realize what she was getting into. At the time, she was working a corporate desk job by day and unwinding in the kitchen by night, mastering the skills she would soon introduce to the digital world. Her culinary hobby became a blog, then a catering service, and then a supper club for her friends. Cook Smarts was a way for Dang to make cooking a full-time gig, and started as kitchen lessons for home cooks and high-school students. But one thing became clear the more lessons she gave: most Americans simply don't have a firm grip on the fundamentals of the kitchen—from knife skills to food storage to making the most of a limited budget.

That's where meal plans come in. By designing simple, delicious, and healthy meal plans in week-long increments, Dang makes it easy for even beginner cooks to earn their kitchen legs. These plans take into account such lifestyles as vegetarianism, paleo, and gluten-free diets. Even better, the plans build off of each other by reusing ingredients and incorporating leftovers to simplify grocery shopping. Supplemented by Dang's informative online lessons, meal plans demystify the kitchen from the pantry to the broiler.