Improve your home cooking with these 10 (mostly free) online classes

It’s time to finally learn how to make bread, pouch an egg and perfect your knife skills. These 10 online cooking courses will teach you everything you need to know.

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Has there ever been a better time to learn new skills and pick up new hobbies? Cooking allows you to not only maximize the ingredients you’ve stocked up in your kitchen, but also helps diversify your meals so that you’re not just eating the same dish every night.

Plus, cooking is a relaxing activity whether you’re alone or sharing that time with your family.

Recently, a lot of online cooking classes have begun offering their classes for discounted rates, they’ve extended their free trials and some are even completely free! Whether you’re trying to learn how to master a complex dish or are looking to pick up a few fundamental cooking skills, here are 10 online courses for all levels of home chef.

Open Culture’s Food Courses

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If you’ve read some of 10Best’s food editorial, you’ll know that we get excited to share the historical and cultural cuisines of the foods we cover. For the home chef looking to learn a thing or two about foodways and the science of cooking, we recommend the scholarly classes offered by Open Culture.

There are several classes of Edible Education offered by Michael Pollan of UC Berkeley, and even a fun course from MIT called “Speak Italian with Your Mouth Full.” Best of all, these courses are free!

Take a class through Open Culture’s Food Courses »

Massimo Bottura on Instagram

This Michelin-starred chef has always risen to the occasion during any challenge. From reducing food waste at Milan’s Expo 2015 by developing a gourmet soup kitchen, to developing a recipe that saved 360,000 wheels of Parmigiano-Reggiano that was damaged by earthquakes in 2012, Bottura always has a creative solution.

And in the face of a global pandemic, when most of us have to stay in our homes, Bottura is graciously offering free cooking classes, cleverly named “Kitchen Quarantine,” on his Instagram.

Join Massimo Bottura live on Kitchen Quarantine »

The Kitchn’s Cooking School

If you’re just starting out and some of these cooking classes are daunting, don’t worry, the Kitchn’s Cooking School is for you. These classes show you the basics of cooking and apply it to easy dishes that are delicious. You’ll be feasting in no time!

Explore Kitchn’s Cooking School »

BBC Food Techniques

From foundational techniques to gourmet methods, BBC Food Techniques is a glossary for whatever skill you’re trying to pick up. Just scroll through their vast list of skills, pick the technique you want to master, and learn from the very thorough videos produced by the BBC.

Learn new cooking skills through BBC Food Techniques »

New York Times Cooking

@alexaweibel’s Creamy Chickpea Pasta With Spinach and Rosemary was one of our most popular recipes last year — and it just so happens to be made with lots of pantry staples.⁣
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Ingredients⁣
• Kosher salt⁣
• ¼ cup olive oil⁣
• 1 (14-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained⁣
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary, plus more for garnish⁣
• ½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper, or 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes (optional)⁣
• Black pepper⁣
• 1 large shallot, finely chopped⁣
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped⁣
• 1 cup heavy cream⁣
• 1 (6-ounce) bag baby spinach⁣
• 12 ounces spaghetti or bucatini⁣
• ½ cup finely grated Parmesan⁣
• Lemon wedges, for serving⁣
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Step 1: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high. ⁣
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Step 2: In a wide, deep skillet, heat the oil over medium-high. Add the chickpeas, rosemary and Aleppo pepper, if using. Season generously with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until chickpeas start to caramelize at their edges and pop, 5 to 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer about half the chickpeas to a bowl. Reserve for garnish.⁣
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Step 3: Reduce the heat to medium, add the shallots and garlic to the skillet, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until shallots are softened, about 3 minutes. Add the heavy cream and cook until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Turn off the heat, stir in the spinach and season to taste with salt and pepper.⁣
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Step 4: Add the pasta to the boiling water and reduce the heat to medium. Cook the pasta until a couple minutes short of al dente according to package instructions, about 5 minutes. Do not drain the pasta, but using tongs, transfer the pasta directly from the pot to the spinach and cream sauce. Add 1 cup pasta cooking water and the Parmesan, and cook over medium-high, stirring vigorously with the tongs, until the sauce is thickened and the noodles are al dente, about 2 minutes. Add a splash of pasta water to loosen sauce, if needed.⁣
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Step 5: Transfer to bowls, and top with reserved chickpeas, rosemary and black pepper. Serve immediately, with lemon wedges for squeezing on top.

A post shared by NYT Cooking (@nytcooking) on Mar 19, 2020 at 9:06am PDT

One of the nation’s best resources for food is opening up their online recipe database for a 30-day free trial. You’ll have access to a multitude of dishes that cover a wide range of cuisines. Best of all, these recipes are easy to follow. You’re sure to learn a few new spice blends, sauces and cooking techniques along the way.

Explore recipes in New York Times Cooking »

Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Cooking School

Milk Street’s Christopher Kimball is fluent in the language of cooking, and his travels have further broadened his vast lexicon of culinary skills. The classes offered at Milk Street are intuitive and improvisational. These are great classes for people who already know the basics of cooking and are looking to explore more ways to experiment in the kitchen.

Learn more about cooking with Milk Street »

America’s Test Kitchen Online Cooking School

You’ll never be at a loss about what to cook tonight with America’s Test Kitchen Online Cooking School because they’ve got over 230 courses to choose from. There’s a class for everything you need, whether it’s making cocktails for a party or cooking up a weeknight meal.

Classes range from how to cook full meals to being focused on an element of cooking such as making spice blends and upgrading your knife skills.

Take a course with America’s Test Kitchen Online Cooking School »

Tastemade

🎥: @tastemadebr

A post shared by Tastemade (@tastemade) on Feb 15, 2020 at 9:04am PST

Tastemade brings cuisines from around the world into your kitchen with their classes. There are even classes that cover food for entertainment, like craft cocktails for your guests and bites for the ultimate party. And you can sweeten things up by learning how to make homemade donuts and fritters.

Learn more from Tastemade »

Michael Symon on Food Network’s Facebook

Cleveland’s celebrity chef and former host of “The Chew,” Michael Symon, is hosting live cooking classes on Food Network’s Facebook page. The interactive classes take you through how to turn common items found in your pantry into delicious dishes.

If you like these classes, the Food Network Kitchen is offering a free 30-day trial to their classes which offer 25 live lessons and about 800 classes on-demand.

Watch Michael Symon’s live cooking classes »

Texas A&M Dinner Tonight

Whether you’re a college student, or you just eat like one, Texas A&M Agrilife Extension’s Dinner Tonight is the perfect solution. They’ve got healthy recipes and meal solutions for people who are juggling a life full of long work days and school activities.

The meals reviewed on Dinner Tonight are quick, healthy and aren’t that expensive. It’s also a great lesson in meal planning.

Make a delicious meal with Texas A&M’s Dinner Tonight »

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