Online Cookery Courses 2021

Learn to Cook Online With Professionals

Have you been looking to sharpen your cookery skills? Searching for an online cooking course for beginners? If so, you’re far from alone. The delight of being able to prepare a meal or particular dish from scratch is undeniable; the feeling of accomplishment, achievement, and – of course – the fact you can then enjoy your creation is almost unmatched. However, cookery is not something that ‘comes naturally’; it has to be learned – an artistic process that requires a scientific understanding of every possible ingredient and how they will interact – and it’s now possible to learn these necessities with a range of online courses. 

Online courses are a great choice for anyone to deepen both their practical and theoretical understanding of cooking. There are courses that are suitable for beginners who are looking to embrace creating their own meals from scratch for the first time and – on the flip side – classes that are targeted towards those who are looking to build on their existing expertise, teaching new styles, new recipes, and new types of cuisine. This wide range of courses are offered by a number of different providers and the choice of provider will likely influence the quality of the course – which is where we at Online Classes come in. 

We’ve analysed all the online cooking course providers out there to determine the best of the best; the creme de la creme; the online course equivalent of three Michelin stars. So if you’re looking to find the best cooking courses with the best possible providers, we’ll definitely be able to help.

Best Course Provider for Cookery:
MasterClass

A wide range of courses available taught by star chefs such as Gordon Ramsay and Thomas Keller.

Cookery Courses | What Are We Looking For?

When it comes to deciding the best possible course provider, there’s a lot that has to be evaluated. We always start this process by verifying the reputation of a provider to ensure that they have sufficient experience to deliver courses excellent courses to their students, every time. If all is well, we will look to the professionals who are offering the courses, and their credentials and experience within the field.

We also consider the cost of each of the provider’s courses and what students receive for that fee, assessing whether we believe that the course offers the best possible value. We are particularly interested in finding providers with courses that meet the criteria of costing relatively little, but while still offering a high-quality experience to their students. One such example of this is Gordon Ramsay’s Masterclass course, which is highly regarded. 

To assess quality, and gain an overall deeper understanding of the provider overall, we also make sure we check peer reviews; the input of former and existing students can help to ascertain a realistic understanding of the provider and their courses that is otherwise difficult to ascertain.

Lastly, we also look to see if a provider offers courses that cover a range of different subjects – such as unique cuisines, or courses designed with specific culinary skill levels in mind.

When all of the above assessments complete, we have a solid understanding of the individual provider and what they are able to provide to anyone who enrolls on one of their courses.

Top Course Providers for Cookery

We have scoured the internet to find the best cookery providers that are currently available, critically examining each option to determine which deserve a place in our top five cookery course provider list. It doesn’t matter if you’re looking for an online cooking course for beginners, or if you’re already an expert looking to hone in on your skills, here are the providers that provide courses anyone wanting to learn more about cookery should find useful:

Masterclass Logo
MasterClass Review
£14.66
Per Month
udemy logo
Udemy Review
£9.99
Avg. Per Course

Learning to Cook: Is It Possible Online?

Cookery seems like the kind of subject you would have to be physically present to learn to do, so it’s natural to wonder if it’s really possible to learn to cook online. The good news is that it very much is; preparing a dish is essentially a scientific process that involves blending ingredients in the right order and understanding what to do at each individual stage – and that’s the kind of information that can be learnt from anywhere.

Pros

Cons

What’s more, many people find that learning to cook online is actually hugely advantageous when compared to attending a brick-and-mortar institution. For one thing, you will be able to choose exactly what you want to study; online classes are highly niche and specific, so you’ll be able to focus in a way that can be challenging (if not outright impossible) with offline study. You also won’t need to find time in your schedule to attend a class, and you’ll be able to study at your own pace, from the comfort of your own, familiar kitchen – all facets you should find extremely useful during the learning process. 

There are, of course, a few downsides to contend with; nothing in life is ever 100% perfect. Taking an online cookery course means that there’s no expert “in the moment” opinion; if you’re mid-dish and something isn’t going according to plan, you’ll have to fix it yourself rather than asking for advice – though many would argue self-fixing is actually more useful to your cooking experience, in the long run, than being able to ask for assistance. You may also have to wait for responses to any questions you have about the course, which can temporarily slow your progress through the course. However, these “cons” are easily managed, and shouldn’t hamper your ability to learn to cook online.

Yes, absolutely. The core skills required to prepare meals do not require in-person teaching; you can learn the theoretical online, and then try the practical in the comfort of your own kitchen.

Prices vary depending on the length and complexity of the course,  as well as the expertise of the person leading the course. There are, however, online cookery course options that are compatible with most budgets.

There are many high-quality providers of cookery classes, but we believe that MasterClass are the best provider of all, thanks to their immense range of courses taught by recognisable celebrity chefs.

How Much Are Cookery Courses Online in 2021?

The fact that there are so many online cookery courses available is great when it comes to finding the exact course for your needs – but it can also mean that finding the best price is tricky, as there’s simply so many different options to research. As time spent going through each individual pricing plan is time not spent learning to perfect your cookery skills, the need for research is far from ideal. We therefore thought it would be helpful if we reduced your need to scour every operator’s course costs by highlighting three options you may want to keep in mind…

MasterClass

Classes from the experts.
£ 85 per class
  • Individual Courses With Celebrity Chefs
  • Well-Designed And Easy- To-Follow Classes
  • "All Access" Pass Offers Unlimited Classes

Udemy

Broad range of price points.
£ 50 per course (on average)
  • Course Prices Vary Depending On Duration
  • Huge Range Of Cuisines Covered
  • Frequent Discounts and Promotional Deals

Is learning cookery online expensive in 2021?

Learning cookery online is not free; as we have seen above, there will be course costs involved, and these can vary extensively depending on the type of course and the provider you choose. However, all of the courses offered by the providers we have discussed offer excellent value for money, and most importantly of all, are usually lower in overall costs than attending an offline course in a classroom. 

Travel costs are one of the most significant reasons why learning online tends to be the preferable financial choice. If you have to attend a class in-person, you will need to fund your travel to your chosen location, either by taking public transport or driving – neither of which are free. Over the duration of an entire course, the cost of transport really adds up; but this cost can be entirely avoided by choosing to learn from home, where the only travelling you need to do to get to class can be walked in a matter of seconds.

There are further costs associated with offline learning, too. For example, if you are a parent, then you may need to hire childcare so you can attend an offline class – another expense that will be sustained for the duration of the course, but one that is not necessary if you opt to learn online instead.

How Many Modules Does An Online Cookery Course Have?

The exact modules found within an online cookery course will naturally depend on each individual course, but there are a few modules that are fairly universal. You can, for example, expect modules detailing common ingredients, how they work together, and how they should be cooked to produce the best results. 

The exact modules found within an online cookery course will naturally depend on each individual course, but there are a few modules that are fairly universal. You can, for example, expect modules detailing common ingredients, how they work together, and how they should be cooked to produce the best results. 

Furthermore, there will also usually be safety tips found within the basic information, as well as explanations of the equipment required and how it should be used.  Many courses now also include suggestions as to how the recipes they have discussed can be substituted to account for dietary requirements, such as gluten-free and vegan options – which can be very helpful if you are intending to cook for others. 

The above information is, however, only a guideline – there’s such a plethora of courses available, all with their own unique selection of modules. It’s always important to check each individual course you are considering in order to ascertain that all the modules you are hoping to find will actually be covered; you can usually find this information on the course description page, or you can contact the course provider for more information if required.

How Long Do Online Cookery Courses Take To Complete?

There is a significant difference between online cookery courses and the length of time needed to complete them. Even courses offered by the same provider may differ significantly in terms of how long the course takes to complete or how long you have to finish the course after first signing up, so it’s always helpful to read the exact specifications for each individual course. 

Speaking more generally, we can say that providers offer something for everyone in terms of duration. Whether you’re looking for a short course that you can complete in a few hours, or would prefer hours of dedicated study (perhaps even to the point where you can qualify for a professional certification, there’s definitely an online cookery course that will meet your needs. 

When it comes to deciding how long you have to complete a course, this varies between providers: some provide “lifetime” access to the course, so you can complete it at your own pace, while others will have a set finish date. In addition, also consider the scheduling of the course: most often, cookery courses allow students to go at their own pace, with no specific time requirements to complete certain modules – but there are a few exceptions to this rule, so if you need flexibility, keep this in mind when reading through the course details.

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