Whether you want to up your holiday baking game or just cook more healthily, the Jessamine County Public Library can help.
Learn how to bake the perfect loaf of bread or make vegetables that taste great with our free online video courses. Search for recipes in our online databases, or download cookbooks.
Access all these resources from the comfort of your own home, 24/7.
Free, Self-Paced Video Courses and Databases
Library resources The Great Courses and Universal Class offer free, self-paced video courses that can help you become a better home chef.
Need to find a quick recipe or want to learn about the history of a particular dish? Try the databases AtoZ Food America or AtoZ World Food.
Read on to learn more, or watch the video below.
The Great Courses
Offered through Kanopy, The Great Courses provides self-paced video courses taught by world-class professors.
Some of the cooking courses offered include:
- Cooking with Vegetables
- Everyday Gourmet: Making Great Meals in Less Time
- Everyday Gourmet: Baking Pastries and Desserts
To get started with these courses, sign up to Kanopy with your library card number and PIN. If you aren’t directed to The Great Courses after signing in, type it into the search bar at the top of the page and choose Suppliers: The Great Courses, as shown below.
Universal Class
Universal Class offers over 500 self-paced, online courses for patrons interested in the lifelong pursuit of knowledge for either personal or professional reasons.
Courses include:
Most courses in Universal Class are offered in Normal Mode or Video Only Mode. In Normal Mode, you can earn CEU (Continuing Education Unit) credits and interact with the course instructor. You’ll need to complete the lessons in the order in which they’re presented and pass quizzes and tests before moving on to the next lesson.
If you choose Video Only Mode, you can view lessons in any order that you wish. However, you won’t be able to contact the instructor or earn CEUs.
To get started with Universal Class, enter your library card number to create an account.
AtoZ Food America and AtoZ World Food
If you want to find a recipe or learn more about the history and culture of food, try the library databases AtoZ Food America and AtoZ World Food. Search for a specific dish, or browse by ingredient, ethnic group, state, or country.
Both databases have a reference section where you can find food quotes, information about dietary philosophies, and even brief videos on food techniques. To login, enter your library card number.
Virtual Veg Out
Let JCPL and the Jessamine County Extension Office help you eat your veggies and love them more than ever with this YouTube video playlist. Learn to prepare vegetarian and vegan versions of classic dishes and holiday dishes.
Download Cookbooks
In addition to our print collection of cookbooks, our eLibrary provides many cookbooks that you can download to your computer or mobile device. Click on the books below to check them out.