Learn A Crucial Life Skill Through Online Cooking Classes

The COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown forced us to think beyond our fast-paced and fast-food lives. A large amount of the population lived from one food order to the next one. Before the pandemic, we were all about convenience and speed. But along with the coronavirus came the need to slow down, reassess our priorities and address issues of hygiene and safety. People were forced to eat healthier and home-cooked food as there was no online delivery or house help. It taught everyone that cooking is an essential life skill, the basics of which we all must know to survive.

While working from home and cooking can get hectic, people have slowly developed a passion and appreciation for cooking. With a lot of time on hand and digital windows open, people have turned into food bloggers while whipping up attractive dishes and uploading them. The urge to try something new has also pushed people to take online cooking classes. 

Also Read: Have you tried these brilliant food hacks?

Changing Times In India

According to an article by The Indian Express, the most searched keywords by Indians during February and March are how to cook rice, how to cook pasta, how to cook quinoa, and how to cook broccoli. With the rise of keywords like how to bake and how to bake bread at home, there are indications that different families are trying to become self-sufficient. According to another report by the New Indian Express, it was observed that food vlogging channels and sites received subscriptions in large numbers in June 2020. 

Learning Skills

Home cooks and food bloggers have had requests and questions from people cooking for the first time or trying different cuisines. These online cooking lessons on Zoom or Instagram Live have helped many beginners build their confidence in cooking. At these free online classes, the recipes are made in a simple and cook-along format to make it easier. Cooking also serves a sense of satisfaction and achievement when done right. 

What Are The Professionals Doing?

Chefs have also adapted to the changing times during the pandemic and have gotten accustomed to virtual classes and social media. The inability to travel and lack of customers have put most of the chefs in trouble. Some are busy with initiatives of community, cooking classes, and Zoom meetings. Andi Oliver, in an article by Vogue, said that she has been working on filming a research project about Caribbean food and its heritage. Along with projects, some chefs have also dedicated their time to penning down their recipes and authoring a book like Angela Dimayuga. They have felt the need to have a strong online presence. 

Flexible Virtual Cooking Classes

It is always good to acquire a new skill especially if it’s a life skill like cooking. The online world is filled with free tutorials, apps, social media, videos, and other resources. Improving your culinary skills through online cooking classes requires low investment. There are free online cooking classes (or video tutorials) and paid ones that help you acquire a level of expertise. Some of the online cooking classes also help you how to cook with leftovers or whip up something delicious with available ingredients.

With the easy-to-follow recipes taught at various online cooking courses and classes, you can make something that sounds expensive and is also delicious. These recipes are also sensitive to allergies and different diets. While some might choose simple, others might want to prepare something elaborate. There are online cooking classes that teach you to take up the challenge of intricate recipes like lasagne. There’s something for everyone and you can choose what you want without having to worry about the venue.

Some Of The Top Online Classes

MasterClass offers online cooking classes and interaction with the best chefs across the world. With a payment of USD 180, MasterClass has cooking courses with top chefs like Gordon Ramsay and Wolfgang Puck. There are different types of cooking courses and the chefs make it simpler and suggest substitutions when the required ingredients are unavailable. Some of the best episodes are “Modern Italian Cooking “with Massimo Bottura, “Cooking I” with Gordon Ramsay, and “The Art of Home Cooking” with Alice Waters.

Udemy also offers online cooking courses with certificates like “Essential Cooking Skills” by Viorel Copolovici and “Healthy Cooking Fundamentals” by Chef Nic DeMuth. If you want to learn right from the basics like knife skills and planning a dinner, then The Kitchen teaches 20 lessons in 20 days. Other online cooking classes include BBC Food, America’s Test Kitchen Online Cooking School, Little Cheflings, and Chef Ranveer Brar’s online cooking classes. 

Also Read: 8 simple and easy recipes from around the world you can try at home