Whether you aspire to be the next Julia Child or Jacques Pépin, or simply want to elevate your home cooking game, there has never been a better time to attend online cooking classes. There was a time when you had to scour through a cookbook to find a recipe, or when cooking shows could only be found on obscure public television channels; fortunately, the internet has changed everything, for the betterment of all of us.
What are the best online cooking classes for home cooks? The following online cooking courses are highly rated due to their design, instructional content, and most importantly, specifically geared toward the home cook:
- Rouxbe
- Masterclass with Gordon Ramsay
- Bluprint
- Udemy
- America’s Test Kitchen’s Online Cooking School
- Life at the Table
- Longbourn Farm
We will compare these courses side by side to see how they stack up against each other. While some offer slick, highly polished video productions, others take a more down to earth, earnest approach to culinary instruction. Ultimately, each of these sites has much to offer to the home cook, but there is one that rises above the rest as far as elevating one’s culinary knowledge and skill set.
What is the Best Online Cooking School?
Each of the seven online cooking schools on our list is outstanding in their unique way. For example:
- The production quality of the offerings on Masterclass is undeniable.
- America Test Kitchen’s Online Cooking School draws upon 20+ seasons of public television broadcasting to draw culinary material from.
- Life at the Table utilizes a technology we have all become familiar with during the past few months to provide live, interactive content.
When it comes to providing a comprehensive education in the culinary arts, however, Rouxbe offers the complete package of structured coursework, thoughtfully selected subjects, and even the academic rigors that one would expect from formal training.
1. Rouxbe
Originally founded in 2005 with a tablet-like device called Ruby through which cooking videos were made available, Rouxbe (pronounced “roo-bee”) has fully evolved into a premium digital content platform offering culinary instructional programs for individuals and organizations. There are over 300,000 Rouxbe students around the world, and large corporations, including Marriott and Whole Foods, have trained their team members through the site.
Unlike many sites that simply offer online cooking content, Rouxbe holds itself out as an online culinary educational institution. This academic emphasis is evident in the syllabus for one of its courses, which demonstrates its structured approach to the culinary arts, starting with foundational knowledge such as food and kitchen safety and knife skills before advancing to actual cooking instruction.
Rouxbe’s professional cook certification program is a condensed version of multi-year curricula offered by brick and mortar culinary schools. It covers a broad range of culinary categories, including vegetables, dry and moist-heat cooking, proteins, baking, and many more. There are graded quizzes, and a certificate of completion is only granted if the course is completed within six months. Then, you are well on your way to being a formally trained chef.
By enrolling in one of Rouxbe’s online cooking courses, you will become a culinary arts student rather than a content subscriber. For home cooks who are not quite ready to take the culinary leap, Rouxbe also has an extensive library of how-to videos on specific cooking topics. With something for everyone regardless of objective, Rouxbe has all the culinary bases covered and is our top choice for best online cooking classes for home cooks.
2. Gordon Ramsay’s Masterclass
Masterclass is an online collection of digital classes covering a broad range of topics grouped into nine categories. These instructive videos are highly polished, Hollywood studio caliber productions featuring prominent presenters and celebrity instructors. There are over 80 classes with an average of 20 lessons per class; each lesson lasts roughly ten minutes in duration. The nine Masterclass disciplines are:
The Culinary Arts category is headlined by Gordon Ramsay’s cooking courses (there are two of them, Gordon Ramsay Teaches Cooking I and Gordon Ramsay Teaches Restaurant Recipes at Home). Chef Ramsay is presumably more refined and subdued in his Masterclass courses than the abrasive, profanity-laden persona we have all grown accustomed to seeing on television.
Gordon Ramsay Teaches Cooking I consists of 20 individual lessons totaling nearly four hours of video content. Of the 20 videos, six are dedicated how-to pieces focusing on preparing specific dishes, while the others dabble in Gordon Ramsay’s cooking philosophies, some kitchen basics, and teaching about particular ingredients such as vegetables and meats.
The Masterclass modus operandi seems to be gathering industry icons to provide easy-to-digest (no pun intended), high-production-value pieces, thereby creating engaging digital content. Judging from the popularity of the Masterclass site and the incredible roster of A-list talent throughout its nine categories, it does appear to be a recipe for success, with Gordon Ramsay’s stamp of approval no less.
How Much is Gordon Ramsay’s Masterclass?
Unlike many of the online cooking class sites on our list, individual Masterclass lessons or classes cannot be purchased or viewed a la carte. Instead, Masterclass operates on a subscription model with two annual passes available for $180.00 (the site touts this as a two for one opportunity). Purchasing a subscription provides unlimited access to all classes on the Masterclass site, including two courses from Chef Ramsay.
| CATEGORY/DISCIPLINE | NOTABLE CONTRIBUTORS |
|---|---|
|
Culinary Arts |
Gordon Ramsay, Wolfgang Puck, Alice Waters |
|
Business, Politics & Society |
Business, Politics & Society |
|
Sports & Games |
Serena Williams, Stephen Curry |
|
Film & TV |
Martin Scorsese, Natalie Portman |
|
Writing |
Dan Brown, James Patterson |
|
Science & Technology |
Neil Degrasse Tyson, Chris Hadfield |
|
Music & Entertainment |
Christina Aguilera, Penn & Teller |
|
Lifestyle |
RuPaul, Kelly Wearstler |
|
Design, Photography & Fashion |
Annie Leibowitz, Frank Gehry |
3. Bluprint
This is a site that caters to the interests of crafters and hobbyists with four major categories: fabric and fiber, food, art, and living. The content contains diverse course offerings that include quilting, knitting, crocheting, drawing, painting, woodworking, home and garden, baking, and of course, cooking. While its library of digital content is extensive, Bluprint has the look and feel of a streaming service rather than an instructional site.
As far as the cooking category, there are over 100 online classes with topics ranging from particular types of cuisine to specific dishes to practical themes like weeknight cooking tips. Unlike Rouxbe, there is no formal structure to Bluprint’s culinary instructional offerings. Instead, Bluprint relies on offering an impressive library of videos with a something-for-everyone approach.
Bluprint’s cooking content does offer classes taught by notable instructors such as celebrity chef and restaurateur Scott Conant teaching the pasta class and Al Roker offering backyard grilling tips. As a practical matter, incorporating an online shop where kitchen tools and essentials may be purchased is not a bad idea, and some of the free articles on the site, such as the one covering knife basics, are worthwhile to read.
With that said, Bluprint is an ideal online resource for home cooks who already know the basics of cooking. It is an excellent means of expanding one’s culinary repertoire while picking up a valuable tip or two along the way. Although classes or recipes may be purchased individually, the smart move is to commit to an annual subscription and gain unlimited access to all Bluprint content. (Perhaps you can learn to crochet your own oven mitts while you’re at it?)
4. Udemy
With over 100,000 online video courses, Udemy is an incredible digital resource for those seeking to learn something new at their own pace. There are 13 main learning categories on this site (with many, many more sub-categories), including Development, Business, IT & Software, Design, Office Productivity, Music, Health & Fitness, and Lifestyle to name a few.
As far as the online cooking classes (which can be found under the Lifestyle category), the video offerings are extensive and include beginner courses geared for true kitchen novices and more advanced courses teaching specific dishes or cooking techniques. Many of the cooking courses consist of several hours of digital instruction broken down into numerous short videos ranging in length from a few minutes to over ten minutes.
Although Udemy rivals other online cooking sites as far as the sheer quantity of content, it does not offer a comprehensive, structured format for learning how to cook. Rather, it is a valuable resource for those willing to search through the content library for particular topics of interest and paying for them individually, as the entire Udemy site is designed for piecemeal content purchases (similarly themed videos are bundled together at special pricing).
The undeniable strengths of Udemy are subjects falling under hard sciences and technology. For instance, the module on Microsoft Excel is a comprehensive beginner-to-expert instructional course that includes nearly 17 hours of video instruction and 38 downloadable resources. If Udemy were able to offer culinary instruction at the same level, it would truly give Rouxbe a good run for its money.
5. Online Cooking School
This site is affiliated with America’s Test Kitchen (ATK), the long-running (20+ seasons) cooking show that is nationally televised throughout Public Broadcasting Service’s (PBS) television station network. America’s Test Kitchen is a media conglomerate that publishes magazines (Cook’s Illustrated, Cook’s Country), operates websites (www.americastestkitchen.com, www.onlinecookingschool.com) and publishes cookbooks.
ATK’s Cooking School is an ambitious online culinary program that has over 340 digital courses on its site, with new content added every month. Much of this digital content wealth can be attributed to the fact that the America’s Test Kitchen television series has taped over 480 episodes (and counting). Many of the online courses are taught by the TV show’s host Bridget Lancaster and other ATK cast members.
The ATK Cooking School’s course catalog is easily searchable. It includes search filters such as main ingredient, level of difficulty (beginner, intermediate and advanced), and by type of recipe (e.g., appetizers, desserts, Italian). However, as far as the beginner home cook is concerned, there are only a handful of introductory courses. The catalog includes over 200 recipe videos, and over 80 videos relating to techniques, but less than 20 videos relating to “basics.”
One feature of the ATK Cooking School that may be appealing to home cooks is the opportunity to interact directly with a cooking instructor to ask specific questions or solicit feedback on a particular dish. It should be noted, however, that such interaction does come at a price. This site operates on a monthly membership model, and the level that includes instructor access is twice as expensive as the level without this access.
6. Life at the Table
Founder and Chef Sandra Lewis has created an online cooking site that emphasizes live, interactive culinary instruction versus the static experience of pulling up a video and watching it from the comfort of your bed in the middle of the night. Life at the Table is the ideal learning platform for home cooks who seek personalized instruction and thrive in educational settings where student-instructor interaction is prioritized.
Chef Lewis conducts her virtual cooking classes using Zoom (online meeting program), which means that they occur live and in-person (digitally speaking). When purchasing a class, you are asked to confirm a date and time, much like an in-person class that you would sign up for at your local community college. In addition to personalized instruction, participants are encouraged to participate in each class, which is followed by a Q&A session.
Whereas the other online cooking class sites on our list offer extensive collections of on-demand digital content with access fees that are either membership or subscription-based, Life at the Table seeks to replicate the classroom experience with the student-instructor dynamic front and center. This is as personalized as instruction can get in a digital space, and for a subject matter as subjective as food, this can make all the difference in the world.
The other cooking sites on our list may offer more extensive collections of on-demand digital content, but as far as personalized content with a human element, Life at the Table may be just the thing for home cooks who are looking for the closest thing to live, in-person instruction that they can get without leaving their kitchens.
7. Longbourn Farm
Blogger Alli Kelley’s Longbourn Farm website offers tips on rustic life in the areas of cooking, gardening, and farm animals. Based on her own life experiences and educational background, through her recipes, articles, and posts, she provides more than just a glimpse into real farm life, pulling back the curtain to show the types of skills that are needed to make this lifestyle choice work.
The Longbourn Farm cooking course is a straight forward collection of lessons that covers practical topics such as knife skills, grocery shopping basics, and stainless versus non-stick cookware. Rather than focusing on a handful of elaborate dishes that would surely impress guests at a dinner party—but would never be prepared for a weekday supper—Ms. Kelley composes her lesson plans to provide a road map for home cooks to navigate the many facets of cooking on their own.
For instance, the Longbourn Farm cooking course devotes two lessons to grocery shopping, which is an often overlooked aspect of cooking meals at home. There is also an entire module (three lessons) devoted to creating a meal plan that is designed to be frozen for long term storage and ease of preparation when it is time to feed the family.
Perhaps because she is a parent herself, Ms. Kelley also brings children and family into the kitchen during meal prep. While the course offerings and digital resources of the Longbourn Farm cooking class pale in comparison to the large stores of online content of other culinary sites on our list, it does carve out a unique niche for itself and stays true to its simple approach; for this, it deserves credit.
What Should a Beginner Cook?
We have spent the bulk of this article reviewing online cooking classes for home cooks, revealing the rich resources that exist in the digital space for aspiring chefs. Without question, culinary skill is a function of time and experience. This is not to say, however, that a beginner cannot create dishes that are delicious, nutritious, and worthy of sharing.
Here are a few ideas for meals that are well-suited for the novice chef:
- One-pot dishes – Sometimes referred to as casseroles, one-pot dishes can be made on the stovetop or baked in the oven. As the name suggests, the idea is to place ingredients into a single vessel, set the temperature, and walk away until it is done. A perfect example of a one-pot dish is a stew where large chunks of vegetables are placed in a pot along with a protein (typically stew meat) and a liquid (water or broth). Time does the rest.
- Stir frys – Although they require a bit more prep work than one-pot dishes as far as slicing vegetables and other ingredients, the cooking process itself is fairly straightforward, and the results are simply delicious. The keys to a successful stir fry are having all of your ingredients prepped and ready to cook, and properly heating your cooking vessel (the hotter, the better).
- Pasta dishes – Surprisingly, restaurant-quality pasta dishes can be prepared in your own kitchen, with simple ingredients and basic cooking skills. The key to good pasta is properly seasoning the water in which the noodles are cooked (add enough salt to the water so that it tastes like the ocean). A sauce can be as simple as olive oil and sliced garlic sautéed over low heat, perhaps with sliced cherry tomatoes added.
- Salads – more than any other dish, a salad will be as good as the ingredients it contains. The hardest part of preparing a good salad may be picking or buying fresh vegetables and other ingredients. A basic salad dressing is nothing more than oil (for emulsification), an acid (vinegar or lemon juice), and some seasoning (salt and pepper).
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Can I Teach Myself to Cook?
As we have seen, it does not take formal classroom or classical training to prepare delicious food in your own kitchen. However, cooking by necessity does require certain hardware and minimal know-how to avoid burning down your home or sending yourself or loved ones to the emergency room. Once safety concerns are properly addressed, one can move on to the actual process of learning how to cook food.
As far as hardware, the bare necessities are fairly straightforward and will not break the bank. A decent knife is an indispensable cook’s tool as it will enable you to break down food into smaller, more manageable pieces. The same can be said for metal tongs, as hot food will need to be manipulated frequently. Then there is the cookware: a wide pan, a deep pot, and perhaps something in between should be enough to get you started.
Crucial know-how essentially boils down to keeping you safe and your kitchen intact. The internet is replete with accurate and reliable information, so it is a matter of understanding what you need to know from a food and kitchen safety standpoint. Here are a few suggestions for things you should be knowledgeable of to get you started:
- Smoke points for various cooking oils (these are the temperatures above which oils will burn and possibly ignite)
- Safe internal temperatures for poultry, pork, and beef
- Proper washing techniques for fruits and vegetables
- Safe food storage practices
- Avoiding contamination (i.e.bacteria from raw meat or eggs)
If you are serious about learning how to cook and are determined to do it on your own, then you need to have a structured approach similar to a culinary school’s curriculum. Start with the basics, such as how to sharpen and care for knives, when certain types of cookware are used, and how various cooking methods differ from each other (e.g., braising, frying, sautéing, roasting, etc.).
Fortunately, if you have access to the internet, then you are just a few keystrokes away from thousands of cooking videos and useful tips. The challenge is finding content that will improve your cooking skills and expand your culinary knowledge base. Successfully duplicating an online recipe is one thing; actually learning cooking skills that you can apply time after time is quite another. But with determination and a little savvy, it can be done.
What is a Cooking Class Called?
The term “culinary arts” applies to any discipline that relates to cooking and includes cooking classes. Culinary schools are those institutions that focus specifically on instruction that relates to cooking, nutrition, and management of food-related operations such as restaurants and hotels. Many universities and community colleges offer degrees in culinary disciplines or coursework that emphasizes culinary subjects.
Culinary art is a broad term that can include subjects such as:
- Baking
- Nutrition
- Cost management
- Foodservice (restaurant) and hospitality (hotel) management
- Confections
- Beverages
- Food science
- Pastry arts
It is important to note that not every student that attends culinary school intends to work in a kitchen as a chef (this is known as the “back of the house,” where the food is prepared). In fact, many aspiring restaurant managers and hotel executives also attend culinary school to learn about food cost management and running a complex operation such as a restaurant or hotel (these are “front of the house” positions).
How Much Does Online Culinary School Cost?
Perhaps the most famous and prestigious brick and mortar culinary school in the United States is the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), which has locations in New York, California, and Texas. Attending the California campus is estimated to cost around $18,000 per semester in tuition and roughly $73,000 to graduate with an Associate degree (the CIA claims that over $21,000 in financial aid is awarded to each student).
In contrast, the seven online cooking courses on our list require a fraction of the cost and offer the convenience of virtual or online learning. In many cases, they also provide the freedom to take on as much or as little material as you want. Obviously, the level of instruction you would receive at the CIA versus Rouxbe or Masterclass are worlds apart; but for the home cook, taking an online cooking course makes more sense and is the more reasonable choice.
Here is a breakdown of the costs for the seven online cooking courses we have reviewed:
| ONLINE COOKING COURSE | COST | PROGRAM/SUBSCRIPTION/MEMBERSHIP |
|---|---|---|
|
Rouxbe |
$799.00 |
Professional cook certification course (85+ lessons) |
|
Masterclass – Gordon Ramsay |
$180.00 |
Annual membership; full site access (all disciplines) |
|
Bluprint |
$39.99 |
Annual membership (promo rate); full site access |
|
Udemy |
$12.99 |
Absolute Beginner’s Course only (a la carte) |
|
ATK Online Cooking School |
$39.95 |
Monthly membership with instructor access ($19.95 without instructor access) |
|
Life at the Table |
$39.00 |
Per live interactive class (through Zoom meeting) |
|
Longbourn Farm |
$40.00 |
Beginner’s cooking course (16 lessons) |
Final Thoughts
We live in an increasingly digital world, and this has never rung more true than today: our children are often used to distance learning and we may often collaborate with our work colleagues through a computer screen. While there may be no substitute for one-on-one, in-person teaching, the internet has truly revolutionized the way that cooking is taught, and it could not have come at a better time.
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