Thinking about signing up for a cooking class? Unsure if you are a good fit or whether you will enjoy your time in the class? Fear not, for cooking classes do truly meet the needs of a wide range of people. Step into a typical cooking class and you will be greeted by a diverse representation.
This may include a married couple looking to improve their family’s cooking skills, a mother-daughter combo bonding on their off time or two best buddies enjoying a common activity while feeding their social media feed. In short, there really is no wrong reason for joining a cooking class, and anyone can benefit from being in one.
Yet there is no shortage of cooking classes to choose from. As such, how do you then pick one that fits you best?
What Are You Looking to Get Out of a Cooking Class?
Most cooking classes will assure you of delicious food and good social company for the duration of the class. However, you will get more satisfaction if the class teaches a particular dish or cuisine that you are interested in. When you learn about a cuisine, you are also learning about the associated culture. Likely, you will walk away from the class having expanded your horizons and with new appreciation for the culture.
Sign Up For The Right Style of Class
Generally, there are three categories of cooking classes – demonstration, hands-on and workshops. Each offers its own advantages and disadvantages.
Demonstration classes involve an instructor standing in front of the class and demonstrating how to cook a dish. As such, you will get a very thorough breakdown of the dish’s process and technique from the instructor. However, in return, there is little or no hands-on experience. For some participants, this may be a turn off as they get bored or do not earn the ‘muscle memory’ needed to replicate the technique. Typically, demonstration classes either fit experienced home cooks who want a detailed breakdown or beginners looking to just observe a cooking class.
Hands-on classes allow you to learn by doing instead of merely watching. In actually cooking the dish, you will be making mistakes or finding yourself filled with questions that can be asked in real time to the instructor. However, the downsides of hands-on classes are the chaotic nature of the program, with instructors often being pulled in several directions. In addition, since more space is needed for accommodate cooking activities, limited slots are available per class. This means that you should be prepared to pay considerably more for a class.
Workshops differ from the first two types of classes in that they typically last for a whole day or more. This gives the time for the instructor to teach before allowing the class to practice on not just one dish, but a whole menu.
Choosing the Right Level
Cooking class Singapore providers will often label whether a class is meant for beginners, intermediaries or for advance learners. As such, you are free to choose a skill level that fits your goals. This helps you to have an enjoyable lesson where you can keep up while learning new skills.