Ready to impress your family and friends with your cooking skills?  Want to take your cooking talents to the next level? Here’s the rundown on a few of the best online cooking classes out there. 

Masterclass

Let’s begin with one of the best-known high-end options: Masterclass. This forum allows you to learn from such talented culinary experts as Gordon Ramsay, Thomas Keller, Gabriela Camara, Massimo Bottura, and Yotam Ottolenghi. Their offerings aren’t limited to cooking, either—Alicia Keys has given songwriting tutorials on Masterclass, and Neil deGrasse Tyson has shown up to teach scientific thinking. 

While you might think this makes Masterclass seem intimidating, the truth is that it’s the ideal forum for beginners. Even if you barely know how to turn an oven on, you’re bound to come away with an impressive knowledge of ingredients and technique. The video quality is great, too. In fact, you might find yourself watching them just to be entertained. 

The bad news? Masterclass can be expensive. A single class can set you back $90. Fortunately, they also offer an $180 “All-Access Pass” that allows you to access any of the classes for an entire year. Obviously, if you plan on taking more than two lessons per year, this is the clear choice. 

Boqueria Restaurant

If you’re looking for an immersive cultural experience as well as a cooking lesson, take a look at Boqueria’s site. This eatery offers live cooking classes that focus on Spain’s natural beauty and history, tying these aspects into what makes the cuisine so unique. 

Boqueria makes it possible to book private lessons for guests of 20 or more, which could make for an unforgettable evening with family and friends. However, the regular cooking classes, which include kits for the necessary ingredients, typically start at about $100, so it could also be a very expensive outing. We would recommend this option for serious home chefs who are looking to expand their palates and their horizons. 

Sur la Table

This Seattle-based organization offers classes starting at just $29 per household, making them an excellent choice for couples or families who want to shake up the nightly routine. With Sur la Table, you’ll be learning from instructors who have solid backgrounds in teaching as well as the culinary arts. If you’ve ever worked with a professional chef before, you’re bound to appreciate their patience and attention to detail. 

Classes run from 90 to 120 minutes, and the experience is fully interactive, inviting attendees to ask questions as the lesson progresses. Sur la Table offers a broad range of topics, from Chinese Stir-Fry Classics to Sizzling Fajitas to Spring in Sonoma. No matter what your age or experience level might be, you’re bound to find something of interest here. 

Airbnb

Yes, this vacation rental hub also offers online classes—and most of the ones with a cooking bent focus on the type of comfort food you can easily make at home. Topics include “Make Mexican Street Tacos with a Pro Chef,” “Spice it Up With Dancing Indian Chef,” and “Cooking With a Moroccan Family.” There are even a few courses that focus on wine and craft beer culture. 

Prices for Airbnb classes are generally reasonable, usually in the vicinity of $9-$30 per person for each session. As far as skill level goes, these classes can be enjoyed by beginners and those with intermediate cooking ability. Experts might become frustrated by some of the earlier instructions, which they may perceive as too obvious. For families, however, this can be a great resource. 

Cozymeal

Unlike some of the other resources listed here, Cozymeal is dedicated entirely to online cooking classes. As such, it has a sleek, professional vibe, with an interface that’s easy to follow. 

You can customize your experience by filtering the classes by subject. “Date Night,” “Sushi Making,” “Baking,” “Asian,” and “Vegan” represent a few of the topics on offer. Individual classes might included “Chef Made Master’s Beginner’s Guide to Making Sushi,” “Chef Li’s Classic Chinese Soup Dumplings,” or “Chef Angela-Michelle’s A Vegan African Feast.” 

Cozymeal’s offerings are pricey, usually in the vicinity of $85-$100 per person. However, for that price, you’ll receive a ton of benefits: a hands-on lesson that lasts two to three hours, as well as all the ingredients you’ll need to prepare the meal. The prices typically include tax, and you can sign up as many guests as you’d like. The instructors offer comprehensive details about each offering, so you’ll know exactly what you’re getting into. 

Cocusocial

Cocusocial is one of Cozymeal’s direct competitors, with a focus on specialized recipes taught by experts. Wannabe chefs may choose from a list of classes like “Italian Date Night,” “Pride of Peru,” “Homemade Empanadas,” or “Risotto and Wine Tasting.” 

The best part? Cocusocial’s classes are generally much cheaper than Cozymeal’s. Some of the courses are priced as low as $25 per person. However, because the classes are taught entirely online, you’ll need to supply all the necessary ingredients yourself. All experience levels are welcome, but we think it’s a better fit for people who have at least some experience in the kitchen. 

18 Reasons

This is a nonprofit community cooking school with a welcoming online atmosphere. 18 Reasons is based out of San Francisco, but thanks to their approachable website, you can book a class from anywhere in the world. 

Some of the classes on offer include “The Indian Pantry: Celebrating Ghee,” “Mother Sauce Mondays: Hollandaise,” and “Saint Patrick’s Day Feast.” Each page offers details about the equipment and ingredients you’ll need to attend the class. Prices are reasonable at about $50 per person, but members receive an additional discount. 

Home Cooking New York

This vibrant and eclectic resource offers a multitude of options, but one of the most enticing ones we’ve found is Culinary Bootcamp. When you enroll in this course, you’ll learn everything from basic knife skills to sophisticated braising techniques. They’ll even teach you how to make fresh pasta and break down a whole chicken. 

You can choose from either “Part 1” or “Advanced Skills,” with each option offering 5 to 6 weeks of 2-hour classes. Both are fairly pricey, but considering what you’ll get for the money, it’s a bargain. The “Part 1” option costs $295 per person, while the advanced course runs $350 per person. 

America’s Test Kitchen

America’s Test Kitchen isn’t the most interactive option, but it is one of the most affordable ones. A standard annual membership costs just $39.95 per year, and you’ll have access to a variety of helpful, easy-to-follow videos. 

In addition to courses such as “French-Inspired Comfort Food,” you’ll receive professional tips on subjects like “How to Buy Mozzarella” and “How Many Vinegars Do You Really Need?” The courses are fairly basic, but if you’re looking for a low-cost alternative to the pricier offerings, this is a good choice. 

The Chef and The Dish

This culinary experience invites top chefs to conduct virtual cooking classes via Skype. To get started, make sure you have high-speed internet and access to a device with quality sound, then sign up for your online class. Once you’re all booked, you’ll meet with a Kitchen Assistant in a private session to prep you for the experience. During your class, you’ll have opportunities to interact with your online mentor in an experience lasting two to three hours. 

The Chef and the Dish offers classes in a multitude of categories, with cuisines ranging from Creole to Italian to Peruvian. Because of the personalized attention you’ll receive, they’re also quite expensive—in the $300 range. Looking on the bright side, you’ll get plenty of enticing food for the cost, but this is a resource for serious epicures. 

Skillshare with Kelis

Yes, songwriter Kelis teaches cooking classes online–and they’re both fun and informative. You can follow along easily in your own kitchen, and the sessions usually run for a little less than one hour. “The Creative Kitchen–Sauces to Elevate Every Meal” is one recent example, but you can access the courses whenever you’d like if you have a Skillshare Premium membership. 

As of this writing, the service was offering a 7-day free Premium trial to new members. After that, the cost is $15 per month, or $99 per year if you sign up for the annual plan. You can also opt for the regular plan just by providing your email address, but you won’t have access to the same services. 

Culinary Institute of America

The Culinary Institute of America is a prestigious New York-based university that has trained some of the world’s finest chefs. A few of its graduates have gone on to work for Dole and the Hilton resort group, while others have chosen to blaze their own paths by opening their own restaurants or food trucks. 

Unlike most of the other courses listed here, these are designed for budding chefs who are serious about turning their passion for food into a career. The school is fully accredited, so you’ll have an actual diploma to show for your efforts. As you can imagine, the experience will set you back financially, but if cooking is more than just a hobby for you, it could be a worthwhile investment. 

Rouxbe

With Rouxbe, you’ll learn tips and techniques along with full-blown recipes. A membership grants you access to 13 courses and 74 technique lessons, as well as the occasional live event. The courses can be accessed from any device and teach things like “Knife Skills” and “Plant-Based Cooking,” while the technique lessons are more specific–“How To Make Veloute Sauce,” Eggs-Frying, Basting, and Poaching,” and the like. 

Rouxbe offers a free 30-day trial to new members. Once the trial period is up, you can either pay $9.99 per month or invest in an annual membership for $59.99. Clearly, you can save money by paying the annual fee, but it’s only worth it if you’re diligent about taking advantage of all the site has to offer. 

Top Chef University

This online culinary school follows a path similar to the Culinary Institute of America, but it’s suitable for casual home chefs as well as devoted foodies. When you sign up, you’ll gain access to virtual courses such as “Cooking Techniques I: Saute, Boil, Grill” and “Poultry/Pig,” and receive regular reports from the experts. If you stick with it, you’ll be granted “Top Chef” certification. 

Your progress will be followed by former “Top Chef” champs and finalists like Brian Malarkey, Carla Hall, and Richard Blais. Along the way, you’ll have the opportunity to ask them detailed questions to better benefit from their experience. The University costs $25 per month, or $200 for an annual membership. 

Ayesha’s Online Indian Cooking Class

Ayesha’s Kitchen bills itself as an “Indian culinary boutique,” but it’s actually not affiliated with a real restaurant. Instead, Ayesha invites attendees to follow along as she creates authentic Indian cuisine from scratch. Enrollment is encouraged for chefs of all skill levels, and the atmosphere is lively and quick. 

The pre-recorded online classes cost $50, but you can spring for the whole package that includes a Spice Kit for $95. We would recommend this option, as it should stock your spice cabinet beyond what you’ll need for the courses themselves. 

The Bottom Line

Whether you’re hoping to brush up on your cooking skills to impress the family and friends or make a career out of it, there is an online program out there that will help you get the job done. Best of luck, and bon appetit!