Cooking vs Baking is very much an art. I have tried following some of the cooking recipes to a tee, but found that they are all a bit generic and bland for my southern NOLA lifestyle (love Alton too but also find his actual recipes a bit generic and bland) but I have taken many of the techniques learned and applied to some of my classic recipes. No one guide is the end all be all. I too have seen those magazines in fancy stores and just pass them by knowing that the web is a cornucopia of info.