Cooking can be fun at any age, and learning new skills exercises your mind, especially as you get older. Whether you’re just finding your way around the kitchen or you’re a seasoned home chef, online cooking classes are a wonderful way to spend your day! From free courses featuring various dishes to lessons led by celebrity chefs, there are vast opportunities to satisfy just about any culinary curiosity.
Plus, the great thing about taking a virtual cooking class is you can learn to whip up meals from the comfort of your kitchen. That way, there’s no pressure to deliver a mouthwatering masterpiece in front of fellow classmates. Of course, with a little patience and practice, even novice cooks can serve up something sublime in no time!
Here are seven fabulous online cooking classes you should sample the next time you want to explore your culinary side. Bon Appetit!
America’s Test Kitchen
America’s Test Kitchen’s award-winning cooking show has aired for 20 seasons. You can attend the ATK Online Cooking School on multiple digital devices and choose from over 320 courses to hone your cooking skills! Sign up for one or multiple classes, including cooking basics, technique lessons, recipe lessons, and more. Do you want to learn how to make flavorful Thai Dinners? Or how about baking some crusty baguettes or sharpening your Advanced Knife Skills?
There’s so much to learn via expert instructors, 5,000 photos and 200 videos – and even classes you can do with your kids. Check it out with a 2-week free trial or grab an unlimited access paid membership.
Pasta with the Grandmas
Who can resist the palate-pleasing comfort of pasta – especially when you learn to make traditional Italian dishes from a village of women in Palombara, Sabina, Italy?
In Pasta with the Grandmas, a grandma and granddaughter team up to teach you a different recipe each night in a scheduled live stream class via Airbnb Online Experiences. Class fees are per person with group discounts according to the size of your group. Learn their recipe secrets while making dishes like Fettuccine Ragu, Ravioli with Ricotta and Spinach, Gnocchi Pesto, and Classic Lasagne. Fun extras include suggested wine pairings, Italian music selections, and more!
Gordon Ramsey’s Ultimate Cookery Course
World-renowned chef, restauranteur, and star of multiple TV cooking shows, Gordon Ramsey, demonstrates how to cook a wide range of easy, delicious dishes in his free online Ultimate Cookery Course on YouTube. Not only does he teach you to cook, but Ramsey gives tips like the best and easiest way to slice peppers (spoiler alert: slice them on the flat side!). Overall, his goal is to help viewers learn to “cook with confidence” in a multi-video series featuring “100 Recipes to Stake Your Life On.” You’ll bake, pan sear, chop, dice, fry, and more.
kate_sept2004 via gettyimages.comChefSteps
If you’d like to learn some fun, unconventional cooking methods from a group of chefs, writers, and video professionals, check out ChefSteps. A monthly Studio Pass fee of $7 or $69 annually grants you access to new cooking guides, “scientific food insights,” a wealth of behind-the-scenes videos – all to help you “level up” your cooking.
Studio Pass members can access a large lineup of step-by-step instructional recipes and Premium Classes. Have you ever wanted to make homemade milk chocolate bars? Why not take a tasty spin on a Tornado Omelet? Or you can get really creative with a “Reuben-Esque Smash Patty Melt.” Only one word sums up these culinary delights – yum!
The ChefSteps crew films videos from the famous Pike Place Market in Seattle - a perfect spot for virtual lessons that will help you serve up some incredible food!
Publix Aprons Cooking School Online
National grocery store chain Publix teaches you how to make various scrumptious dishes in its online Publix Aprons Cooking School. Watch cooking lessons on YouTube that contain recipe ingredients you can buy at a local grocer. Some of the easy-to-make, delicious offerings include Chicken Scaloppini, Spicy Fried Shrimp Tacos & Avocado Salsa, and a lesson on building an amazing Fresh Cheese Board.
CakeFlix
No online cooking class list is complete without a baking specialty course like CakeFlix. You’ll learn how to make and decorate an array of gorgeous cakes and luscious desserts, ala some of the dazzlers on “The Holiday Baking Championship.” Choose your skill level from Easy, Intermediate, and Advanced, then learn via a series of easy-to-follow tutorials. There are Free, Premium, and Pro memberships.
MasterClass
Taking an online cooking MasterClass means you’ll learn from a lineup of renowned master chefs, including Gordon Ramsey, Wolfgang Puck, Alice Waters, and Gabriela Cámara. Each famous chef teaches with a unique culinary flair or specialty. The great thing about learning via MasterClass is that you can watch the lessons On-Demand, and a monthly fee billed annually allows access to the entire Masterclass online course library.
We’ve armed you with some great choices, so let’s get cooking!
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