About SelfMadeCook

Hey — Curtis here. Curtis Shaw. If you've ever watched one of my videos, you already know how this works: I walk you through it, one step at a time, and if it ever feels like a lot — don't worry, I got you. That's not just the name on the cover. That's the whole deal.

How this started

Three years ago I posted a short video of smothered chicken and rice. It's now been watched over half a million times on YouTube — and the same comment kept showing up under it, and under the lasagna, and under the gumbo: where's the written recipe? So I wrote them all down. This site is that answer: the dishes that built this kitchen, all in one place.

Where these recipes come from

Every recipe on this site is one I've cooked on camera — three years of videos, a hundred-plus uploads, and a channel that's closing in on ten thousand subscribers. The photos on these pages are frames from my own footage, the quantities are the ones I cook these dishes with — written out properly here, because on camera I often season by eye — and the tips are the things I said out loud while cooking it. Nothing here is theoretical.

How I cook

One pot whenever we can get away with it, because nobody's here for the dishes. Prep everything before the heat comes on — chop it, measure it, keep it within arm's reach. And taste as you go. Every time. The seasonings here are a starting point, not the law. If you like more garlic, add more garlic.

How the recipes are written

Ingredients in the order you'll use them. Every step is one action — no paragraph-long steps where you lose your place with raw chicken on your hands. At the end of each recipe you'll find my tips from the video, and a link back to watch it happen before you cook it.

Got a question about a recipe, or something didn't come out right? Get in touch — I read everything.

Pick a recipe, get everything in arm's reach, and be the cook that you want to be. Let's eat.
— Curtis