Hello and welcome! I'm sure you'll be pleased with your decision to be part of this community. As a home cook myself, I can say that the knowledge and support I've had from the members here (professional and home cooks) has been excellent. While the professionals' forums are 'read only' for us home cooks, there's much to be gained from browsing there.
Besides the discussion forums, we have cooking articles, the photo gallery and archives of discussions with professionals such as Harold McGee, Sid Cook, Rick Bayless, Bruce Aidells and Sarah Molton.
We hope you enjoy browsing the site and participating in the discussions.
Welcome!
Mezzaluna