I’ve been heavily into cycling for probably 6 years or so now, and whilst my mechanical skills have improved in that time, I’ll be the first to admit that it isn’t something that comes naturally.

During that time however, my bike has needed a wide variety of tweaks and repairs, whether it’s fitting a new chain, adjusting the dérailleur or relatively straightforward tasks such as a regular clean.

A regular port of call over the years have been the plentiful supply of tutorials that are posted on YouTube that walk you through the best way to do all of these things.

Whilst they’re useful, what they don’t really offer is any kind of interactivity, so I’d often have the videos open on the laptop whilst also Skyping my dad (who I think was born with grease on his nappy!) for some live advice.

Which seems to work quite well.  A new platform is taking a similar approach, albeit this time for wannabee chefs.  The service, called Talk to Chef, aims to help enthusiastic bumblers (like myself) succeed in the kitchen.

As with my homespun cycling solution, Talk to Chef connects you up with one of a network of chefs who will guide you through your dish via a Skype like call.

As is common these days, the service is app based, but also comes with a web based option too.  Once you’ve created a profile, you can search for an available chef according to the type of cuisine you’re attempting.

Once you’ve made your connection, a two way video chat is established and you can receive some guidance as you attempt your dish.  As with most services, at the end of the session you leave a rating for your mentor.

Interestingly however, there appears to be no fixed fee for the service, with users invited to donate a sum to the chef that they feel reflects the advise they’ve been given.

It’s a nice idea that is currently in Beta mode as it recruits a sufficient number of chefs, hopeful chefs and supporters to help spread the word.

Maybe it’s an idea that would work well for bike maintenance too.