No cook (or baker) is an island, and I owe a lot of my recipes and ideas to a lot of different sources. Not only my extensive cookbook collection, but a large variety of very good websites. Read on a for a fairly comprehensive list of cooking resources.
Alton Brown -- I owe a tremendous amount to Mr. Brown. He really got me hooked into thinking about cooking and therefore baking, and a lot of my know-how comes from him. You'll see me refer to him often, especially when explaining a technique or the science behind a certain recipe. While I greatly admire the man, some of his recipes are a little too off-the-wall for me (sorry, Alton, your apple pie is weird and chocolate chip cookies are NOT muffin method...). I strongly urge you to look at a lot of his work.
Good Eats Fan Page: This has a comprehensive list of episodes with links to recipes and videos. http://www.goodeatsfanpage.com/GEFP/EpisodeByOrder.htm
Alton Brown (the website): His official website, can't say it has much impressive material but still good to know. http://www.altonbrown.com/
I'm Just Here For The Food: His first cookbook, an excellent study of heat and how it affects the food we eat. On my must-have list. http://www.amazon.com/Im-Just-Here-Food-Version/dp/158479559X/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1290396111&sr=1-4
I'm Just Here For More Food: His second book focused on baking, which of course automatically endears it to me more than his first. He focuses on baking by methods (creaming, muffin, biscuit, etc) and it is a priceless source of knowledge. Again, can't say I love his recipes, but reading this book made my baking so much better and has helped me with every recipe I've tried since. http://www.amazon.com/Im-Just-Here-More-Food/dp/1584793414/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1290396111&sr=1-6
Alton Brown's Gear For Your Kitchen: I own it, I enjoyed reading it, not sorry I bought it, and it has a lot of solid advice. http://www.amazon.com/Alton-Browns-Gear-Your-Kitchen/dp/1584796960/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1290396111&sr=1-5
Good Eats: The Early Years: One of his newest publications, I have to say it is very good but if you want it for strictly recipes I'd say check out the website listed above. But nice to have a lot of the other notes and such for each episode. http://www.amazon.com/Good-Eats-Early-Alton-Brown/dp/1584797959/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1290396111&sr=1-3
Good Eats 2: The Middle Years: Ditto, except I haven't bought it yet - it's on my Christmas list. http://www.amazon.com/Good-Eats-2-Middle-Years/dp/1584798572/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1290396111&sr=1-1
Cookbooks:
Taste Of Home - Baking Book: If you buy no other single book I suggest, get this one. I have yet to make a single recipe from it that hasn't turned out well, and I have a thousand bookmarked because they just look that good. There is also a good amount of solid knowledge in it too, so it is the ONE baking book to have. I'm serious - buy it now. http://www.amazon.com/Taste-Home-Baking-Book/dp/0898215285/ref=sr_1_11?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1290396602&sr=1-11
Websites:
Joy Of Baking: I just found this website in the last year, but I really do love it. Not only does every recipe have a delicious photo, but she has a nice explanation of each and lists her ingredients in both weight and volume measurements. A woman after my own heart, please go take a look. http://www.joyofbaking.com/
Allrecipes: A nice solid collection of recipes, both cooking and baking. http://allrecipes.com/Default.aspx
Bakerella: Not always a lot of recipes, but if you lean towards the artistic side go check her site out for inspiration. If, like me, you're not so skilled, you can still go ogle all the beautiful treats. http://www.bakerella.com/
