Activecooks.com launches video cooking community

Cooking enthusiasts now have a platform for starring in their own cooking videos on Activecooks.com, a new website that allows home cooks to showcase their talents and share their passion for food.

ActiveCooks is a free online community where users can easily upload videos of themselves or their friends preparing their favorite recipes. The website includes videos from users, blogs, photographs and recipes. It also allows users to connect with other home chefs from around the world.

ActiveCooks founder Tommy Huynh said he created the site when he realized existing food and cooking sites did not have videos that showed realistic food preparation. "For those few recipe videos I could find, they were prepared by highly trained professionals. Of course, it would come out perfect everytime, which is not how most food looks in a home kitchen," Huynh said.

"Most people prepare food for family and friends -- not customers. The best way to learn home cooking is in a kitchen, not a television studio," he added.

Said one ActiveCooks.com member, "I learned to cook the way most people do: by standing on a kitchen stool and watching my mother and grandmother. I love Activecooks because it reminds me of spending time at someone's side and learning about something they love to do."

Huynh said ActiveCooks allows home cooks to bring that "kitchen stool" into homes across the globe. The site currently offers more than 1,200 videos by home cooks.

Huynh said ActiveCooks brings distinct flavors into the homes of its members in a way that can only exist among a grassroots community. "We bring together the different cultures, techniques, styles and personalities of cooks from all over the world into one community of home chefs," he said.

"There are a lot of home chefs who can make great meals and we want to give them their 15 minutes of fame for the world to see," Huynh said. "On our site, every home cook has something to share and teach others about food, their techniques and their culture."