Cooking Classes

So you want to go gourmet but you’re not trying to commit your life to it? No problem, just take a cooking class.

Cooking Classes

Live Demonstration and Classes

Cooking Workshops and classes are great for the person who has an avid interest in cooking fine food but isn’t trying to make a career out of it. They’re a good way to gain or improve your skills, learn some new techniques, or explore a new cuisine or kitchen gadget. In the process you could meet people with the same interests, enhance your creativity in the kitchen, and of course, eat some good food.

Unlike formal culinary training, which prepares you for the highly competitive professional culinary world, enjoyment is one of the operative words in a cooking class. Classes tend to vary in skill level, and the instructors tend to tailor their lectures to the proficiencies of the attendees instead of expecting all their students to operate on the same level unless the class is one in a series of progressive courses. Even so, there’s not the same kind of pressure to learn and perform that there is in a professional cooking school.

One of the other advantages of cooking classes is that students can choose them according to their natural inclinations and abilities, and there are classes that cater to virtually anything the students may want to learn. Want to learn how to bake cakes and pies? There’s a class for that. How about learning how to grill the perfect steak? There’s a class for that too. What can you do with that new kitchen gadget you just bought? There’s likely a class for that. The possibilities are endless.

Additionally, cooking classes often offer other kinds of information and tips to make the cooking experience an enjoyable one. Food presentation, cake decoration, wine pairing, and other complementary foods may be information offered during these classes or the subjects of classes in and of themselves.

Cooking classes come in a variety of forms: live demonstrations offered by cookware companies like, courses offered at your local adult-ed or career school for those who want to add a little culinary sophistication into their lives, presentations at local museums that promote the food of one culture or another, or courses at the local recreation center for those who want an inexpensive way of learning how to cook.

Finding out where your local cooking classes are is as easy as going online, or checking with your local adult-ed schools or community centers. Local outlets of cooking-related companies – Williams-Sonoma for instance – may also offer demonstrations meant to promote their products and enhance your enjoyment of them.

Televised and Internet Classes

If you’re not into cooking alongside others, can’t make the classes fit into your schedule, or just want to cook from the comfort of your own home, you’re in luck. The old standby of the television cooking class and the relatively new one of the internet-based video are also great for learning that new skill or technique.

With remote cooking classes, you can also learn at your own pace, stopping and starting the video, rewinding as needed, without having to worry about keeping up with everyone else.

However, unlike public cooking classes and demonstrations that charge a fee to provide materials (food, tools) and the venue with the appropriate appliances, remote classes require you to have all the gear and buy the food to prepare at home. You also won’t be able to get instant feedback or advice from the instructor, and you’ll need to clean up after yourself. But, for the chance to explore your creativity with food, a little dishwashing is worth it.