Ditch the takeout containers and cook up your own gourmet meals from home, no matter your cooking abilities.
Cooking classes are a great idea to spice up your recipe repertoire, host a girls’ night, add some flavor to date night or Valentine’s Day, or even get the whole family in on the fun.
While in-person studios may be off-limits for a while longer due to the coronavirus pandemic, the show must go on. Or, should you prefer to use your own pots, pans and knives, then a virtual class really is the best bet.
Virtual and online cooking classes are a great boredom solution that many are craving as winter continues and keeps us at home. There are so many options — streaming right into your own kitchen — that range in price, time frame and even dietary preference, including vegetarian.
Whether you want to learn cooking skills from the masters like Gordon Ramsay and Wolfgang Puck, or keep things nice and simple with a one-time step-by-step cook, there is something for you.
Check out our picks below, grab your apron and a laptop and get cooking.
Best cooking class from celebrity chefs: MasterClass
Learn how to cook from the actual professionals, and at your own pace, too.
MasterClass is the best platform for e-learning some of the toughest skills made easy and accessible through a series of online videos. The cooking section of MasterClass is chock-full of amazing teachers, from Gordon Ramsay to Wolfgang Puck with many more in between. Whether you want to just learn the basics, savor wine or craft cocktails or learn the art of home cooking, there is a class for you.
The platform runs on a subscription model at $15 per month, billed annually. Once you’re done cooking, check out the other hundred-plus videos on the site, covering everything from basketball skills to how to make it big in Hollywood.
Best date-night cooking class for couples: The Chef & The Dish
Cooking with your significant other is as romantic as it gets — well, as long as you know what you’re doing in the kitchen, that is.
Take a cooking class from the pros, turning date night into a learning experience that is as fun as it is tasty. The Chef & The Dish classes are perfectly priced for two people, making it a breeze to book for you and your love. Choose any dish from their large menu of cuisines from across the globe, and then schedule a date and time that work for you. Via video, a professional chef will be there the whole time, cooking alongside you every step of the way.
Best cooking class for a one-time lesson: Cozymeal
Get cozy and get cooking with Cozymeal.
The online database of cooking classes is perfect for a one-night class, or if you get hooked, take all of them. You can sort the classes by dietary preferences like vegan and vegetarian or even by cuisine type like Asian, Italian, French and more.
The cool part of Cozymeal is that many of the classes are streamed live from all over the world, like this Italian baking class that connects you to the pastry chef in Florence, Italy.
To get the ingredients, Cozymeal makes that easy as well by partnering with local grocers nationwide that offer online ordering and delivery. Classes start at just $29 per device, which also means you and your whole household can watch together for a low price.
Best cooking class for the whole home: Sur La Table
Get your pots, pans and now kitchen skills all at Sur La Table, making it a one-stop shop for all things home cooking.
The kitchenware brand is offering online classes, fun for the whole family to take together. There are a ton of options, too, perfect to satisfy the tastes of any family member. The “In Season” classes are great for holiday treats and seasonal recipes. Try the “Global Favorites” courses to take a trip around the culinary world, or satisfy your sweet tooth with the “Freshly Baked” classes of baked goods and desserts.
The classes are priced per household, starting at just $29. Pick a class and time, or check out the calendar of classes to best schedule you and your family for a virtual cooking party from home.
If you’re still on the fence, take it from our own journalists at The Post, as two of our writers did an in-depth review of both the online and the in-person classes, found here.
Best healthy cooking class: Udemy Healthy Cooking Fundamentals
Eating healthy doesn’t have to be boring, and neither does cooking it — especially with a class from Udemy.
The e-learning platform has a huge library of content from marketing to personal development and, of course, the art of food and drink. For healthy cooking tips and tricks, turn to the Healthy Cooking Fundamentals class, taught by Chef Nic DeMuth. In his 1½ hour class, you’ll learn to read a recipe, practice knife skills and kitchen safety and learn to plate up food like a pro.
Udemy classes are a one-time purchase, priced at $19.99 for this class. You’ll get lifetime access to the video as well as corresponding articles and a certificate of completion at the end.
Best baking classes: Skillshare
If you’ve yet to make your pandemic sourdough starter or just have a hankering for homemade sweets, the baking classes from Skillshare are for you.
The e-learning platform spans a variety of topics, but if baking is something you’d like to master, strap on your apron and get to work. Within the baking umbrella are class options from the simple chocolate chip cookie to more advanced ones, like a lesson on French macarons.
Skillshare has both a free membership as well as a premium plan, giving you access to everything the platform has to offer for $19 per month, or $99 per year.
Best free cooking class: Publix Aprons Cooking School
Cooking on a budget can be hard, but don’t turn to take out just yet!
Publix grocery stores are here to help, offering free-to-watch cooking classes as part of their Aprons Cooking School. On YouTube and their own site, Publix breaks it down for you, from how to cook with basics like chicken or seafood, to how to have a taco Tuesday from home.
The classes are always free to watch online, and the store also offers in-person classes at select locations, following COVID-19 guidelines.
Best cooking class for kids: Craftsy Kitchen Invasion
Learning to cook is a great skill for any age, so get your kids into the kitchen and tell them that —just this once — they can bring their iPad with them.
Craftsy is a great platform for all things DIY and e-learning, and it even has a cooking class just for kids to learn how to take control in the kitchen. Taught by cookbook author and winner of “Food Network Star Kids” Amber Kelley, it shows your kiddos how to slice and dice like the pros while having fun and making delicious kid-friendly meals.
This class is four episodes long, so when done go ahead and pick a new skill to learn from the Craftsy site. It runs on a membership platform, as well as offering a la carte options for individual classes. This lesson costs $9.99, or join on a monthly plan for $7.99 per month or $79.99 per year.
Best Japanese cooking class: Udemy Japanese Popular Dishes
While we’d all love to book a flight to Japan right now, transport your tastebuds instead with a Japanese cooking class right from your own home.
Taught by chef Fumiyo Okamoto on the Udemy e-learning platform, the Japanese Popular Dishes class will show you how to make five popular dishes over a 1½ hours of instructional videos. The course also comes with downloadable resources, articles and a certificate of completion once you’ve mastered your dishes.
This class costs $59.99, granting you lifetime access to stream the videos and browse the resources as often as you please, on both mobile and smart television devices.
Best Italian cooking class: Nonna Live
Say, “Buon appetito,” to your new Nonna, as she teaches you how to make Italian food just like grandma used to make — as Nonna literally means grandmother in Italian!
Nonna Live is taught by real Italian grannies, live-streamed from their homes in Italy and across the world right to you. Classes are constantly changing, but can include cavatelli pasta class, pizza and potato croquettes class and even a seafood lesson to name a few specialties.
Want to host a larger pasta party? Nonna Live also offers large private classes in which multiple screens and households can participate, making for a fun group activity without boarders.
Best subscription-based streaming classes: YesChef
Are you ready to cook? YesChef!
These online cooking classes are always ready for you, as they are presented on an on-demand, streaming way. Simply subscribe to the service for $15 per month and then watch endless videos from famous chefs across the world. The best part is that you get unlimited access across your devices, so you can start making dumplings in the kitchen on your laptop and finish up with dessert on your tablet from the bedroom.
The best cooking classes to gift: UncommonGoods
For the home chef that has everything, this is the perfect present.
UncommonGoods not only sells adorable kitchen gadgets and gifts, but they now serve up cooking classes that you can gift to a fellow foodie (or take for yourself!) The UncommonExperience lessons vary in price, starting at just $25 for a lesson.
Choose from different cuisine like Caribbean, African or Swedish, or narrow it down to a specific dish like dumplings, risotto, pizza and even a treat for your dog.
The best online cooking and mixology classes: ClassPop!
You know what really makes a meal pop? The cocktails you serve with them.
Since every meal deserves a drink pairing, these ClassPop! classes with mixology included are perfect for those who are 21+ and enjoy a great cocktail. You can also opt for a mocktail for those that don’t drink alcohol and still have great food and drinks that you made yourself.
Classes vary in price, and typically start at $25 per device, meaning you can have a family cooking night with just one screen. Plus, some of the classes are fully interactive, allowing you to ask questions and chat live during the lesson.
The best YouTube cooking classes: ChefSteps
Even the best chefs need to take it step by step.
For those looking for an easy way to learn how to cook, or just enjoy relaxing and watching other’s cook, this YouTube channel is perfect. ChefSteps walks you though how to cook basic and advanced dishes, with playlists for cooking techniques, meat dishes, vegan and vegetarian meals and more.
Plus, since YouTube is free, what’s stopping you from following along right now?
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