Discover the Best Basic Cooking Classes Online
The art of cooking begins with the addition of heat to one or more ingredients to prepare them for consumption. Once humans learned the power of fire, it was leveraged to make eating a more enjoyable experience. Cooking predates recorded history, and people of all cultures all over the world have cooked food using the resources available to them. Basic cooking skills have evolved over time, and now boiling, baking, toasting, and cutting are among the most fundamental food preparation skills.
Why You Should Learn Basic Cooking Online
With eating being a fundamental human need and experience, basic cooking is an essential life skill that can improve your quality of living and health outcomes. When you cook your own food, you are in control of what goes into it. You can choose the quality of your ingredients and vary things like salt, sugar, and heat levels to your preferences and dietary needs. While you’re improving your health, you’ll also be relieving stress. Cooking means body movement, which equates to moving stress out of the body. And some of the repetitive motions can be very soothing and meditative.
Dining out every day can get expensive, but having basic cooking skills also makes eating more economical. In addition to saving money, learning how to cook can open up your eyes to different cultures and their cuisines, causing you to appreciate them in a different light. And because both cooking and eating are such communal experiences, you may discover that learning to cook creates stronger bonds between you, your friends, and your family. You might even make new friends and discover a new network of people as you learn more and more about cooking and food.
It’s a very real possibility that a basic cooking class could pique your interest and push you further than you expect to go in your culinary journey. If it becomes a passion for you, you could find a new line of work or perhaps a side hustle that brings you joy and fulfillment.
Virtual Basic Cooking Classes
Online cooking classes have gained a lot of popularity in recent years, and their forward momentum doesn’t seem to be stopping. People enjoy the freedom and flexibility that comes with virtual classes. Perhaps the most appreciated advantage of online classes is being able to learn wherever you are in the world. Another advantage is not having to contend with traffic or be bothered by the bustle of commuting to class. Taking online basic cooking classes will save you time that you can put back into practice in the kitchen.
Although you have an instructor present on camera, you don’t have the benefit of hands-on help from them. You also will likely need to bring your own supplies and ingredients to fully participate in class. The downsides to virtual classes hinge more on your preferred learning style and your expectations of the experience. Many individuals find virtual cooking classes engaging and fun and are pleasantly surprised at just how engaging the classes are given the location and proximity constraints.
If you’re into trying new cuisine from around the world, perhaps you’ll want to enroll in Indian Cooking w/ Yamini. This virtual course is for participants as young as 11 years old and features a virtual dinner party. All participants will receive a packet full of Yamini’s family recipes and a recording of the class. Students will be making three recipes in addition to some simple sauces and tips on how to make your homemade Indian cuisine amazingly delicious.
Are you looking to try your hand at desserts and baking? This Virtual Cook Along: Tropical Fruit Dessert Workshop could be perfect for you. Adults of all experience levels can join in to explore the flavors of the tropics. Ingredients like fresh pineapple and passion fruit pulp are going to bring the island vibe straight to your kitchen. This class includes teaching how to select tropical fruit, make cake batter, and prepare a frosting.
In this New York Style Bagel Workshop, participants ages 16 and older will learn the art of homemade bagels. Although these bagels are a twice-cooked slice of comfort, this class makes it easy, approachable, and fun. And you’ll even learn how to make flavored cream cheese and butter to really set off the flavor of your homemade bagels. Class learning objectives include mixing and proofing dough, shaping bagels, boiling, and baking. At the end of class, you’ll have a dozen bagels, and you’ll know how to make dozens more to share with family and friends.
Those who are interested in learning how to prepare one dish well will enjoy Virtual Chicken Parmesan. In this class, adult learners will learn how to make delicious and savory chicken parmesan. This class is great for a date night activity or for you to showcase your skills on a future date night. You’ll be cooking with the chef in real-time and having fun as you go. You’ll learn basic skills like selecting chicken and determining doneness, sautèing vegetables, and pan-frying chicken.
Virtual Vegetarian Sushi Rolling is fun and adventurous. Students of all levels ages 12 and older can get their hands sticky with this class. You’ll have the chance to learn and improve your knife skills as well as make properly seasoned sushi rice. The goal of this class is to teach participants how to make their version of a perfect uramaki roll. This class even includes preparing a spicy mayo sauce and a miso soup to pair with your vegetarian sushi rolls.
Private Online Group Basic Cooking Classes
Is your business or organization having a team-building event? If you’re interested in booking private online group basic cooking classes for businesses, CourseHorse offers engaging live online group classes with professional and knowledgeable instructors. Because cooking is so much fun, your team will be getting to know more about one another in an environment that inspires sharing, free communication, and a good time.
Something like this Virtual Apple Pie Workshop (w/ Optional Appletini) could be a good fit for your team. Participants will be learning how to make an apple pie with all of the trimmings from scratch. This includes making pie dough, pie filling, caramel sauce, and apple cider whipped cream. The optional appletini is a nice distraction from waiting for the pie to rise and bake. The group size is capped at 225 people and runs for about two hours and 30 minutes.
And in Virtual New York Style Pretzels, your team can get a taste of one of New York City’s most popular street foods made in their own homes. One of the great things about this class is that the instructors send all of the necessary materials directly to the participants to ensure that everyone has what they need to succeed. They even offer a gluten-free option. Your team will learn how to mix, roll, and shape pretzel dough, bake them, and add toppings. This class can handle groups of up to 225 persons and is about 90 minutes long.
If you’re looking for a specific class and do not see it listed, just reach out to CourseHorse on their contact form on the website to find out what your options are. Even if you don’t see the class you’re looking for, private group classes are a service they provide. And once you've booked your event, you’ll be able to change the group size if needed. You’ll receive confirmation within 24 hours of booking, there are no booking fees, and multiple platforms are supported.
Online vs. In-Person Basic Cooking Classes
Because online basic cooking classes often require you to have your own ingredients and tools to fully participate, it’s important to have what you need before the start of class. This is less of a worry in most in-person classes. You may only need to bring an apron or a bottle of wine to share. But if you’re unable to find high-quality cooking classes in your area, or you’re unable to commute to an in-person class, choosing an online class is a great option.
The two styles of traditional learning will help you to grow in your cooking journey, but you’ll have to decide which is best for you. Some people would much prefer the comfort of their own home, while others want to be able to touch the chef and smell the smells. There’s no right or wrong answer here, only what works for you. So be sure to take into account your learning needs and your unique situation.
Can I Learn Basic Cooking for Free Online?
The short answer is, yes. It is possible to learn basic cooking for free online. The Internet has an answer for just about everything, and there are a lot of platforms that showcase cooking skills online for free. YouTube is perhaps the most popular option. Although you’ll find a lot of home chefs sharing their love of cooking and personal recipes, you’ll also find professional chefs with professional quality videos doing the same thing. You can take the on-demand, impersonal route to learning basic cooking, but formal instruction is the fastest and more complete way to go about learning how to cook.
