Kickstart Your Kitchen

Revolutionize your cooking skills in as little as a weekend

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Hey there.

Welcome to the course that will level up your confidence in the kitchen. Allow us to introduce you to what the heck it’s all about with this video.

Learn faster and the right way by us intelligently teaching you instead of you haphazardly browsing through recipes and random how-to videos.

You want to ooze charm & capability as a home cook, but sometimes you just can’t take the heat!

Then you and your "hanger" make a beeline for a restaurant to pay too much money for food with too little nutritional value and too many calories. That’s a ton of missed opportunity, my friend.

We want to help you save money, time, and effort in the kitchen. So first, find your experience level below and watch the video we’ve customized just for you.

Which of these sounds most like you?

(Or, if you’re considering gifting this course, which one of these sounds like them?)

Click around to find your fit & watch the video to see how KYK will help you based on your experience.

CONFUSED

I definitely don’t know how to cook.

  • I rarely, if ever cook.
  • I can make a microwave meal!
  • The most impressive thing I’ve cooked is a packet of hot chocolate.
  • I don’t even know where to start when it comes to cooking.

Sound like you? Watch this.

OKAY

I can cook, but just basic things.

  • When I cook, it’s usually the same handful of things.
  • I could definitely cook something easy a like a one-pot meal.
  • I can follow a simple recipe.

Sound like you? Watch this.

CONFIDENT

I’m a pretty good home cook.

  • I feel very comfortable in the kitchen.
  • I have a decent amount of experience under my belt.
  • I’ve cooked multiple courses or hosted parties with multiple dishes that I cooked.
  • I can tell you what at least some of these words mean: braise, butterfly cut, sous vide, barbecue, deglaze, blanch, chiffonade, and brine.

Sound like you? Watch this.

BOSS

I have a really good grasp on cooking.

  • People like my food. And they don’t just tell me that because they have to.
  • If you gave me some ingredients, I could make a meal for you.
  • I have used multiple of these techniques: braise, butterfly cut, sous vide, barbecue, deglaze, blanch, chiffonade, and brine.
  • Honestly, I probably don’t need this course.

Even the greats must continue to learn.

We're confident that most if not all people have learned some things the wrong way in the kitchen - KYK will help correct that. Plus, KYK teaches a lot of stuff about the kitchen that isn't strictly cooking, so come learn it!

Keep in mind that there's a 30-day money back guarantee, so there's no risk to you!

Watch the video on the "Confident" tab, read more about the course, and make sure to check out the Course Curriculum.

But, if you decide this course isn't for you, surely you at least know someone who could use the knowledge.

 Gift KYK today

...and revolutionize someone else's cooking skills.

CONFUSED

I definitely don’t know how to cook.

  • I rarely, if ever cook.
  • I can make a microwave meal!
  • The most impressive thing I’ve cooked is a packet of hot chocolate.
  • I don’t even know where to start when it comes to cooking.

Sound like you? Watch this.

Like what you see?

Share this page on social media! Thanks

Studies show that people who eat home-cooked meals are more likely to have healthier diets and normal levels of body fat.

- Studies by Newcastle University and University of Washington (among others)

 
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“...if you go out [to eat] more, you have a less healthy diet at a higher cost," according to a study by the University of Washington.

- Adam Drewnowski, director of the UW's Center for Public Health Nutrition ( quote and study)

What to expect inside this course

HIGH-QUALITY VIDEO LESSONS

160+ video lessons that take you through each topic in detail. That’s over 10 hours of entertaining and educational instruction.

BONUS VIDEOS

In addition to every lesson having its own video, you’ll also get 5 bonus “Cook with Me” videos that show a peek behind the scenes of Reid actually making a meal in real-time.*
*with only some repetitive segments sped up so we’re not forcing you to literally watch water boil. You’re welcome.

SHOPPING LISTS

Need to gear up your kitchen, stock the staples, or organize your space? We’ve done the legwork for you by providing thorough lists of what you need - links and all.

DOWNLOADABLES

PDFs of every recipe we’ll make together, and meal-planning worksheets to win at kitchen mastery on the weekly.

1-ON-1 ACCESS TO YOUR INSTRUCTOR AND THE KYK COMMUNITY

Got a burning question? You’ll get to ask the one-and-only Reid directly as he’ll interact with each & every student who wishes to reach out to him. Find him lurking in the comments section of the lessons, which is also where you can compare notes and swap recipes with the other students enrolled.

PLUS... BLOOPERS

Because there’s most definitely comedy in cooking.

LIFETIME ACCESS

Yessiree Bob, you heard right! You'll have everything in this course for the rest of your life. Unlimited access across any and all devices you own.

Your life now

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  • Being a regular at your favorite fast-food joint, and that other restaurant, and that delivery place, ooh and pizza!
  • Wondering how you spend so much on food and wishing you could spend it on more useful or fun things.
  • Using your stove solely as a countertop - something to hold your cereal bowl, microwave dinner, or ramen.
  • Not even knowing where to start in the grocery store. Prepared and processed foods that are likely unhealthy? Yes, please.
  • Having more cobwebs and dust than pans and utensils
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  • Always.cooking.the.same.dang.things.
  • Throwing a meal together that mayyyybe is a little healthy?
  • Wandering through the grocery store, taking forever, buying unhealthy crap, and probably spending too much money
  • Having to look up a recipe and/or go shopping EVERY TIME you want to cook
  • Kindaaa knowing what you're doing?
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  • Doing things in the kitchen because that's how <insert friend, family member, or TV chef here> did it. Maybeee it's the right way?
  • Cooking decent food, but often ending up with the same meals on the table.
  • Being unsure of new techniques and scared to try new things.
  • Having to make meals exactly as specified in a recipe or how you've always made it.
  • Plopping your food on a plate, with minimal thought as to how it looks, MUCH LESS how the different elements of the meal work together.
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  • I've got this. I don't need this course.
  • I know how to cook.
  • And my food tastes good.

Your life after Kickstart Your Kitchen

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  • Depending on yourself instead of others for food and then maybe even sharing your creations with others!
  • Creating healthier & tastier versions of your restaurant favorites
  • Know how to CORRECTLY do basic techniques and have the base knowledge and confidence to learn advanced techniques.
  • First meal planning food that is well-rounded and nutritious THEN dominating the grocery store, saving time and money while doing it
  • Having your kitchen geared up and your food staples stocked!
  • Being able to confidently cook from a recipe, knowing the terminology and techniques.
  • Finally viewing cooking as a PLEASURE instead of a pain
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  • Utilizing your solid base of kitchen knowledge to cook a variety of delicious, healthy meals week in and week out.
  • Opening your fridge and pantry WITHOUT SHOPPING and then confidently creating a meal WITHOUT A RECIPE
  • First meal planning food that is well-rounded and nutritious THEN dominating the grocery store, saving time and money while doing it
  • Being confident enough in your cooking to TRY NEW THINGS!
  • Combining your new knowledge of cooking techniques with some frameworks KYK provided and your newfound flexibility to easily create countless new meals.
  • Providing an amazing, beautiful dining experience for yourself and any others that you want to impress.
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  • Confidently cooking, knowing that the myths have been busted, you’ve learned the right way, and had your cooking questions answered.
  • Taking your cooking to the next level, empowered to try new techniques and foods you haven’t cooked before.
  • Using that solid base, new terminology, and confidence to try more advanced techniques.
  • Knowing WHAT makes a good meal as well as the techniques HOW to make it, no recipe needed.
  • Being flexible with meal planning and being able to make something based on what’s for sale or what you have already.
  • Not only creating your own recipes but delighting yourself and others with them.
  • Creating a dining experience that wows. Not only does the meal look incredible, but the different elements elevate the meal to a whole other level.
  • Being a master of the entire kitchen, not just cooking…stocking the staples and gearing up your kitchen as well as keeping it clean and organized.
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Now, you might say, "Reid, I know how to cook, I don't need this course." But to that I say, ah, young grasshopper, but you just might.

As Albert Einstein once said, “The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don't know.”

Perhaps the same is true for you and your knowledge of cooking. It's very possible, if not inevitable that some of what you've learned over the years is just wrong. Either it was wrong when you learned it, or science has since proven it wrong.

Either way, that's what Kickstart Your Kitchen can do for you. Confirm the truths you've learned and bust the myths.

But, perhaps it will do more that. Maybe there's a few things in KYK that you didn't realize you didn't know.

Or maybe KYK will help you master some of the things in the kitchen besides strictly cooking. Be it meal planning, grocery shopping, cleaning, organizing, or one of our favorites - improving the dining experience.

So, give it a shot. Buy the course and try it out. If you do determine it's not for you, remember that there's a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Oh, and even if it's not for you, surely you know someone in your life that could use it. And if that's the case...

 Gift KYK today

Also, scroll back up and check out these sections with 'Confident' selected. Because what is a boss but someone who is super confident?

THE BOTTOM LINE

Will you learn to cook from this course? Yes, obviously.

But even better than that, this course will give you the base knowledge, vocabulary, skills, and confidence needed to learn how to cook anything you want in the future.

This course WILL Kickstart Your Kitchen into the next level.

It can be the launchpad that can inspire you to explore the culinary arts and it can change the way you look at food.

There's literally no risk. There's a 30-day money-back guarantee. Start improving your life today.

 
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“When people cook most of their meals at home, they consume fewer carbohydrates, less sugar and less fat than those who cook less or not at all – even if they are not trying to lose weight.”

- A quote by Julia A. Wolfson, MPP [emphasis added] summarizing a study she did on behalf of Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future.

Watch an overview of the course & FREE previews

The below video will give a brief overview of the course, so check it out! Feel free to also browse the course curriculum (below). Click on the subsections to see the lessons inside.

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There are some lessons you can watch FOR FREE, simply click on the "Preview" buttons. Try it before you buy it, baby. Make sure to check out the subsections labeled "(FREE preview inside)."

Course Curriculum


  Welcome, let's get started!
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  Prep your setup
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  Plan and shop
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  Cook your food
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  Clean up & storage
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  Future food fun
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  Course feedback
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Of course eating at home is often cheaper than eating out. When you eat out, in addition to paying for the food, you’re paying for the building, all of the employees, all other business costs, and profit. And that’s not even including tip or delivery fees!

 
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Cooking can give you a sense of control, is a great creative outlet, and can raise your self-esteem. All good things, all good things!

Who is Kickstart Your Kitchen for?

who-me

Complete beginners AND more advanced home cooks.
If you want to feel better equipped to meal plan and cook, then this course will give you the plan, skills, and knowledge you seek. It will help you actually know why you do something one way versus another and how to tweak recipes to make them mo’ betta’. No matter where you’re starting from, there’s lots to learn and everyone will get something out of Kickstart Your Kitchen.

People who want to improve, or master even, the craft that is cooking at home.
You want to save money (and maybe calories) while upping the deliciousness. We got you.

People who want to exponentially increase their confidence in creating their own recipes.
We start by teaching you the necessary components for a healthy meal. We then teach the methods & techniques of how to cook each component. On top of that, we provide you with easy-to-remember frameworks for plug-and-play recipes. All of this will empower you to become a creative home chef who graces their guests with one-of-a-kind fare.

People whose lack of competence in the kitchen is negatively affecting their life in any capacity.
Going broke on restaurants and delivery? Spending far too many hours of your week meal planning and prepping and cooking and cleaning? Fear no more.

People who have no choice but to finally learn how to cook for themselves seeing as they're locked inside due to a global pandemic.
Because, relevant.

THINK OF THE SAVINGS

Well, don't just think of them, LOOK at them!

Calculate how much you will save

# of bought meals/week
Average price of bought meal $
Weekly price of bought meals
Seller's markup on food cost %

Restaurants markup the cost of food so they can make money. A good rough number is 300%.
Price of meal = (Cost of food itself) + Markup * (Cost of food itself).
For example, $10 = $2.50 + 3.00 * $2.50.

So, just by simply removing that markup, you save!

Savings per week
Savings per month (4.3 weeks)
Savings per year (52 weeks)
calculateHomeCookingSavings(); Try it
 
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Who the heck and the hay is this Reid guy anyway and why should I listen to what he has to say?

I started out as an electrical engineer before founding Helpful for Life. Using my nerdy analytical skills, I weed through all of the crap and tell you what you need to know.

I’ve striven to be helpful my whole life - initially just to family & friends, but later to coworkers and members of various organizations. I’ve been helping and teaching people formally for over 10 years. But before teaching on a subject, of course, I have to learn it myself.

I've been learning about cooking all my life. I was raised by a Southern momma who "done know her way around the kitchen" and a dad who's constantly creating deliciousness on the grill. On top of that, I have many family members who've worked in the food industry - we're always swapping tips. All of that's to say that I know my way around cooking - and eating - all types of food. I've eaten fancy food that's known worldwide as well as plenty of bar food that's fried.

But more importantly, I've been cooking for myself & entertaining others ever since I was IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL (that's over 20 years of home cooking experience). Also a notable character trait of mine: I refuse to lose the frugality I practiced as a college kid on a budget.

Travel? Now that's something I'll save for and spend on. And you know what's really awesome about experiencing new places? Chowing down on the local food fare. I've taken bites out of 46 states and counting (+ 10 countries). I can also boast of having made a home-cooked meal in most of those states at the stove of the RV my wife and I lived in for 2018 - 2019.

Believe it or not, that was all BEFORE I even started researching and creating this course. And now, through months of tireless research, I've questioned popular kitchen suggestions like, "poke meat to tell its doneness," "combine butter and oil to raise the smoke point," and "put ice in the disposal to sharpen the blades."

Think of me as the little nerd on your shoulder helping you through life. Every time you learn something new, imagine little Reid sitting there analyzing the new thing, seeing if it makes logical sense, searching the interwebs for answers, and calling scientists and government agencies to confirm facts.

And that's not even the best part. The best part is I'm NOT a master chef with years of formal instruction and restaurant experience. There are even some things in the course that I did for the first time ever. This means that I can look at things through the eyes of a beginner, even making some mistakes. The beauty of this is that I analyze the mistakes I make and teach you how to avoid them.

I like to know the “why” behind how things work, and I'm a stickler for trustworthy sources. So you best believe I put on my researcher's cap when I come across a question in the kitchen, and I've packed most everything I know into this course.

If you want to know more about me, check out ReidPGarcia.com

With cooking, you can find out if an idea will succeed or fail in an hour, with tangible results you can eat!

And with Kickstart Your Kitchen, we'll help you succeed!

And what is Helpful for Life?

It started with Reid informally helping family & friends with various things throughout life. Teaching how to “cut the cord” by getting rid of cable, helping people choose the best credit card, and editing resumes, to name a few things.

After doing this for a while and realizing that people all go through a lot of the same things in life, often without a roadmap to good information, Reid started Helpful For Life.

Helpful for Life teaches people what they need to know but didn’t learn in school. We’re the best education you never got. We teach a wide variety of crucial life skills from cooking to finances to relationships and so much more.

Watch the below video to learn more and check out HelpfulForLife.com.

But don't take our word for it...

Jen

Reid's former boss

When Reid worked with me, he was very inquisitive (in a great way). He was constantly learning and he often shared his new knowledge. On top of that, if anyone had a question, he not only gave the simple answer, but also helpful additional information. He provided lessons learned that could benefit many.

Michael

Reid's mastermind partner

Reid's mentorship and friendship have been instrumental in helping me achieve new levels of happiness and success in both my professional and personal endeavors. He has a genuine desire to see those around him succeed in all aspects of life, and he takes an analytical approach to help solve problems for those who have the privilege of working with him.

Aaron

Volunteer educator w/ Reid

Reid and I worked closely to develop seminars and workshops for a large employee base. The material was always diligently researched, prepared, and applicable to life. And he's just irreverent enough to keep things fresh and interesting. Highly recommended!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)


What will I need to complete the course?

All you will need to go through this course is a device connected to the internet and an email account. You can definitely learn by absorbing knowledge from simply consuming the lesson material, however, we believe the best way to learn is by doing. In the first milestone, we will walk you through your options for obtaining cookware, pantry staples, and more so that you can cook along with us!

How long do I have access to the course?

How does lifetime access sound? After enrolling, you have unlimited access to this course for as long as you like - across any and all devices you own.

What if I am unhappy with the course?

We definitely don’t want that! If you are unsatisfied with Kickstart your Kitchen, contact us within the first 30 days after purchasing and we will give you a full refund.

How long is the course?

There are 190+ video lessons totaling over 10 hours of content. The vast majority of videos are between 3 and 7 minutes long. It’s a completely self-paced online course, so you can watch it all in a weekend or plan to digest the material over the course of a few weeks.

Can’t I just learn all of this for free online?

You’re welcome to, but you’ll likely have to cobble together information from a bunch of different sources. And that hodgepodge will probably be all over the place, with overlap, conflicting information, and different instructors. Plus, who knows if you’ll be able to trust all of that to be correct.

Kickstart Your Kitchen provides information you can trust, organized in a logical, linear fashion, teaching you the foundation of what you need to know before moving on to the next steps. And of course, we’re here to answer any questions you have, helping you along the way.

And the cherry on top, you’ll be learning alongside others like you, sharing tips and encouragement as you all revolutionize your kitchen skills.

Why should I use KYK instead of another cooking course?

As you may have heard already, Kickstart Your Kitchen is well-researched. We don’t simply repeat information without first getting to the bottom of it. The same can’t be said for many other courses.

Better yet, the value of this course is unparalleled for this price. Most other cooking courses concentrate on a narrower set of topics, many of them are focused around creating a single meal or dish. Our focus on teaching you the techniques and methods will benefit your cooking game so much more than other approaches.

Additionally, unlike those other sources of information, Kickstart Your Kitchen teaches about a lot more than just cooking. It helps you gear up your kitchen, stock the staples, and organize your space. It teaches how to improve the dining experience and also shares knowledge about food safety and storage. And that’s not even all it teaches!

Kickstart Your Kitchen will teach you the base knowledge, vocabulary, skills, and confidence needed to learn how to cook anything you want in the future. It can be the launchpad that inspires you to explore the culinary arts and it may even change the way you look at food.

However, hands down the most important factor is that you’ll be learning from an amazing, handsome, witty, smart, caring, and all-around stand-up guy. ;)

Is this safe for children to watch?

Kickstart Your Kitchen is pretty safe to watch with kids. It has 5 or so curse words total (no F word) for comedic purposes across 10+ hours of videos and most of them are bleeped out. Other than that, there may be some implied adult humor, but nothing overt (i.e. jokes that only adults will catch).

Cooking is a collection of skills that can be learned, it’s not a natural talent. Start learning today.

Get started now!



Cooking is the main thing that differentiates humans from other primates.

- Paraphrased from a TED talk by Neuroscientist Suzana Herculano-Houzel

shocked monkey

...so quit monkeying around and Kickstart Your Kitchen!

Want to gift Kickstart Your Kitchen?

Awesome, we're glad to hear it! Go to this page to gift Kickstart Your Kitchen.

Gift KYK today

Still not sure if Kickstart Your Kitchen is for you?

Well, the beauty of this course is that it’s virtually risk-free. We’re so confident that you’ll get value out of this course that we offer a 30-day money-back guarantee.

But we don’t think you’ll be returning the course. Let’s look at it two ways, from a strictly financial standpoint, and from a more subjective standpoint.

Financially speaking, you will easily save more than the cost of this course in the matter of a few months, if not sooner.

Between our guidance on creating meal plans, mastering the grocery store, encouraging flexibility, and strategically using leftovers, you will be saving money left and right.

food-tastes-so-good

From a more subjective standpoint, you will be empowered in the kitchen FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE! You will be able to create delicious healthy meals, providing for yourself and others.

You will know the techniques behind the cooking, having the confidence to tweak your meals based on what you have or what’s on sale.

That confidence will make cooking easier for you and less stressful, and it will also likely make your food taste better and be healthier.

So why wait? Get started today.

 
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