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Did you know that Kitchn ran a totally free cooking school a while back? It’s true, we did! If you missed it, you can still find it online and go through it at your own pace. (And, you should tell all your friends about it.) But, if you’re looking for a special gift for anyone in your life who loves to cook, we’ve rounded up a handful of amazing online classes to choose from. After all, what better cooking gift is there than a class they can take to learn a new skill and get busy in the kitchen? Ahead, you’ll find online cooking classes that they can take at their own pace (such as MasterClass), as well as live, interactive classes that you can take together, too.
These classes cover a wide enough range that you’ll find something for any food-loving friend, regardless of their skill level or favorite dishes. They can make everything from fresh pasta with an Airbnb cooking class hosted by an Italian nonna to spicy jambalaya with a New Orleans chef. There’s no doubt that these online cooking classes will be a hit.
1. Gordon Ramsay MasterClass
Gordon Ramsay Teaches Cooking has been so popular over the years that MasterClass has added a follow-up course. In the original offering, students learn everything from knife skills and kitchen setup to butchery and pasta. Graduates of the first class can move on to the next level, where lessons cover restaurant-inspired recipes such as crispy duck, cauliflower steak, and sesame-crusted tuna.
2. The Table Less Traveled
For the home cook who wants to learn how to make authentic dishes from around the world, a gift card for The Table Less Traveled is a perfect present. Open-to-the-community classes are live-streamed from chefs’ home kitchens, whether that means your loved one will be learning how to make teriyaki salmon straight from a master in Osaka or gluten-free empanadas from an expert in Costa Rica.
Buy: The Table Less Traveled Gift Certificate, starting at $10
Cake designing, baking, and decorating are intricate art forms, and a gift card from CakeFlix will help your loved one create bakery-level treats, all from the comfort of their own kitchen. Available courses cover everything from how to build bespoke, three-dimensional wedding cakes to making and arranging delicate sugar flowers.
Buy: CakeFlix Gift Card, starting at $99
Veecoco is the go-to option for your vegan friends, or even for those people in your life who just want to brush up on their plant-based-cooking skills. The platform offers more than 1,000 lessons taught by nearly two dozen expert chefs. Says one happy customer, “Just when you thought there couldn’t possibly be anything more amazing, they come out with a new class!” Gift cards are available for one month or three.
Buy: Veecoco Gift Card, starting at $39
5. Wolfgang Puck MasterClass
Chef Wolfgang Puck’s MasterClass covers many of the cooking techniques that this OG celebrity chef incorporated at his famed restaurants Spago and CUT. Each of the 16 lessons covers a different recipe (béchamel sauce, tuna sashimi) or aspect of Puck’s cooking and business philosophies. Classes are available on demand, so your loved one can go at the pace that works for them. (MasterClass has plenty of other cooking class options, too.)
Buy: Wolfgang Puck MasterClass, $15 a month for access to MasterClass
Airbnb has tons of immersive online experiences, including a huge assortment of online cooking classes that cover a range of cuisines. And, similarly to their experiences that take place all over the globe, these online classes are taught by cooking pros from different countries. For instance, your loved one can learn to make authentic Italian desserts with Make Cannoli With a Sicilian Home Chef, or they can inject some unexpected fun into cooking with Spice Up Life With Thai Food. Most classes are under $30 per person and are great for beginners and seasoned home cooks alike.
For another global cooking experience, private classes from The Chef & The Dish are a great option. Date nights, dinner parties, or just weeknights at home will be instantly upgraded by taking a class with their roster of chefs from Italy, Thailand, Spain, Peru, Turkey, and more. The Chef & The Dish team trains each chef and tests every dish to ensure an amazing experience that covers a range of skill levels. You can search classes by country, dietary preference, or even your mood (like family dinner night or a beach-side meal, to name a few). Learn how to make spicy Jambalaya, fresh pasta with ragù, authentic pho, and so much more from the comfort of your kitchen.
Sur La Table is one of our go-to retailers for finding picks from highly coveted brands like Le Creuset, All-Clad, and Staub, so it’s no surprise that they have an amazing line of online cooking classes, too. There are so many expertise areas, cuisines, and dishes to choose from, and the selections are always changing depending on the season. Each class is live so you can ask questions as they come up, and they’re between 90 and 120 minutes long. They’re priced by household, so you can have as few or as many members as you’d like!
11. ChefsSteps Studio Pass
The folks at ChefsSteps are seriously impressive. They’re science-minded and are actually nerdier than Alton Brown (if you can believe it). This pass scores your loved one behind-the-scenes videos, exclusive cooking guides, scientific insights, and online Q&A sessions. Get this for anyone who’s ever wondered why some chocolate cookies are better than others or if it’s actually possible to cook a fish in the microwave (and enjoy eating it).
Buy: ChefsSteps Studio Pass, $69 a year at ChefSteps
12. Dominique Ansel MasterClass
We are INTO these MasterClasses! This series with Dominique Ansel (of cronut fame) covers essential techniques for crafting delectable desserts and pastries. Students will leave the class armed with the knowledge of everything from how to make fruit tart fillings to perfecting croissant-making skills. Get this for anyone who’d love to go to pastry school but can’t swing the time or the money. Trust us — you’ll want to invite yourself over after they complete this course.
Buy: Dominique Ansel MasterClass, $15 a month for access to MasterClass
At-home chefs and newbies alike will find something to enjoy at Udemy, which offers up courses that cover dynamic topics like crockpot cooking and a Thai master class. Classes are led by pro chefs, restaurant owners, and cookbook authors, so you know the info you’re getting is legit.
Buy: Udemy Cooking Classes, starting at $14.99 per class
From basic knife skills to complex cooking techniques (croissants, anyone?), Skillshare has it all. They’ve teamed up with culinary heavyweights like Eataly, Plated, and The Meatball Shop to craft a dynamic library that will keep budding cooks sautéing, braising, and baking for months. Bonus: Amateur mixologists can get in on the fun, too, thanks to lessons like bartending 101 and developing a signature cocktail. Truly, there are so many classes to choose from through Skillshare that you can find something for everyone!
Buy: Skillshare, $13.75 a month
Instead of offering up pre-recorded classes, Cozy Meal touts live one-on-one interaction with chefs and teachers, allowing participants to ask all their burning cooking questions (even if said question is, “Why is my dinner burning?”). Choose from a selection of — you guessed it — cozy meals that include comforting dishes like risotto or Indian curry.
Buy: Cozy Meal, starting at $29 each