Discover the Best Cooking Classes in NYC
Cooking is a fun hobby that can help you meet people, continue family traditions, and save money. Signing up for cooking classes is a great way to learn a new skill or expand a long-standing interest. You can choose between in-person classes, virtual live online sessions, and on-demand videos to learn about an unfamiliar cuisine or master new techniques. Start your cooking journey today!
Why You Should Learn Cooking in NYC
New York City is the perfect place to learn to cook. You can find ingredients from all over the globe in the city’s many markets and specialty shops, get together with other people who like to cook, go on food-focused neighborhood walks, or start a side hustle baking cakes and cookies.
Taking a cooking class is a good introduction to the many places to buy ingredients in New York. An option for fresh ingredients in New York is one of the many farm markets set up in the boroughs across the city. You will find fresh produce, artisanal cheese, local honey, grass-fed meat, and other products produced locally for your cooking and eating pleasure. The city is full of specialty grocery stores that carry Indian and Middle Eastern spices, chorizo and olives from Spain, peppers from the Caribbean, and much more.
Enrolling in a cooking class can put you in touch with other people who like to cook or it can be a fun activity for an established group of friends. Another foodie group activity in New York is going on a neighborhood food tour. There are many sections of the city, each with its own character, culture, and restaurants to explore.
New York is also a good place to start a small side hustle that involves food. Make jams and jellies, salsa, or chutney and sell it at a farmers market or online. Start a food truck, ghost kitchen, or pop-up restaurant. Meal prepping for others is another way to make extra cash with cooking skills. Or start a blog that chronicles your journey from kitchen newbie to experienced cook.
In-Person Cooking Classes & Schools in NYC
Here is a selection of in-person classes to explore. Most classes are for participants 16 and up and last an hour or two. Ingredients and equipment are provided for in-person classes, but comfortable footwear is up to you. Chefs stand a lot!
Duck is truly the beginning cook’s best friend. In How to Cook Duck withHome Cooking New York, you will learn to make easy and delicious dishes that make use of every part of the bird in this all-level cooking class. The menu includes crispy duck breast with cherry-thyme jus, duck confit over frisee salad, crisp potato galettes cooked in duck fat, and quick duck stock.
Mozzarella is one of the easiest cheeses to make, so start your cheese-making journey with Mozzarella Making, an in-person cooking class for all skill levels from Murray’s Cheese in Greenwich Village, one of the oldest cheese shops in New York. The class will taste different cheeses accompanied by house wines, then get to work on making a batch of fresh mozzarella!
Discover how to make handmade chocolates for yourself or to give as gifts in this Make & Take Truffle class offered by Roni-Sue’s Chocolates. Roni-Sue’s uses organic rainforest grown cacao from a sister company in Belize to create their confections. Learn to make rich chocolate truffles in this in-person chocolate-making class for cooks of all abilities. Start with chocolate ganache, then learn to make chocolate dipped strawberries and hand-rolled truffles. You will go home with a dozen truffles and a container of ganache to experiment with at home.
Become a more confident mixologist with CocuSocial’s in-person Classic and Creative Cocktails class for beginners. You will learn how to stock a bar and create several versions of
popular drinks including martinis, margaritas, and old fashioneds. Participants will get to taste the different drinks, plus learn how to make simple syrup and choose the right garnishes.
Pork is a versatile meat and a good starting place for beginners who are just learning to cook. Home Cooking New York’s Pork Lovers Workshop will cover many ways to cook this versatile meat. The menu includes brined and braised pork chops with red cabbage, bacon, and onions; porky bolognese with prosciutto and pancetta over parmigiano polenta; roasted pork tenderloin with apple cider pan gravy; and Korean glazed pork belly.
Virtual Cooking Classes & Schools
Maybe your idea of a chill evening is to take a cooking class from your home. Live online cooking classes run very much like in-person sessions, with an instructor demonstrating techniques and answering questions about ingredients and recipes. The difference is the instructor is in another kitchen and the students join in on a video conferencing platform like Zoom. You can attend from anywhere with internet access and don’t have to worry about commuting to class. You will usually need to supply your own materials and equipment, but this is a good way to build up a collection of kitchen utensils and supplies. Here are some live online options to learn to cook:
Zinfandels of the World is a class for students 21 and older from the San Francisco Wine School. Learn about zinfandel grapes, where they grow, and their characteristics. This online wine class will include tasting zinfandels from different regions and discussing the differences. Participants can pick up tasting kits before class or have them delivered.
The Good Food Project offers a French Macron Step-by-Step Class. Learn to make beautiful and delicious French macarons in this live online baking class. These little cookies can be a challenge, but the instructor will walk you through mixing, piping, baking, and filling your macrons. The class will also address different flavors you can use. The Good Food Project teaches people to improve their health and well-being by learning to cook.
Professional baristas will show you the process of Bubble Tea Making in this fun online cooking class from Food Craft, a team that teaches people to make homemade meals from scratch. The class is open to anyone age 12 and up of any skill level. Learn to make the tapioca pearls and make three different flavors of tea: layered passion fruit jelly tea, mint taro milk tea, and matcha brown sugar. This class includes a kit that will be delivered to participants before class begins.
Private Group Cooking Classes in NYC
Convince your friends to learn to cook, too, and you can take a class together. Private group cooking classes are a good team-building activity, party idea, or night out with friends. Most of CourseHorse’s classes can be booked as private events and you can choose from a network of over 1,000 providers with no booking fees. Contact us for help with booking your next event.
Instructors from the bakery Atelier Sucre in East Harlem will teach participants to make this classic French pastry in Bake Your Own French Croissant. Your group will make traditional croissants, pain au chocolat (chocolate croissants), and ham and cheese croissants. Participants receive a recipe booklet to take home.
What better way to learn to cook with friends than a do-it-yourself pizza party? In CocuSocial’s Handmade Pizza Party, your group will learn to make a quick-rising dough, including tips on how to get the best crust. Then turn this crust into a traditional Neapolitan-style New York pizza. All ingredients and equipment are provided.
Chinese Dumplings, another CocuSocial cooking class, explores the delicious world of handmade Chinese dumplings. This beginner’s Chinese cooking class goes through the process of crimping, making fillings and dipping sauces, and pan frying. Equipment and ingredients are provided. No experience necessary!
