Best cooking classes around the world
I found on my trip that taking a cooking class was not only a great way to learn how to cook a region's cuisine, it could also be a great way to meet other travelers, find out from the teachers what the best restaurants are to visit in town, and sometimes have a meal that's even better than at any restaurant. I was lucky enough to have taken six cooking classes around the world in five months; here's the very best and a run down of the rest.
The Best: Baan Thai Cookery School, Chiang Mai Thailand
This was by far the best Thai eating I've had anywhere in the world, since the ingredients were so fresh (we did buy them in the morning after all) and knowing about each ingredient that went in heightened the flavors overall. Here are the highlights of Baan Thai:
* The best market visit, with thorough explanations of each ingredient - now when I eat Thai or Lao food for example, I know that the tiny green things are pea eggplants.
* 100% hands on - each student gets their own workstation and prepares their own ingredients (with the exception of curry paste which everyone makes together). This helps you better learn the different techniques like cutting limes to avoid seeds or thinly slicing kaffir leaves, and also allows you to tailor the spiciness to your personal preference.
* The menu is up to you - for each course, you get to choose one of three options. Even if you're the only one to choose an option (I was the only student to choose the water chestnut dessert), a teacher will still help you make that one dish.
* Fun teachers and convivial atmosphere.
Click here for the full write-up.
The Rest
- Melbourne, Australia: Savour Chocolate and Patisserie School. The most hardcore class I took, this was one where I felt like actually working towards mastering a new skill. Full review here.
- Istanbul, Turkey: Cooking Alaturka. You didn't make everything on your own, but each student got to practice specific skills like roasting and peeling an eggplant. Definitely learned some recipes I'd want to make regularly. Full review here.
- Sydney, Australia: Sydney Seafood School. The only class I took that wasn't full of tourists, this was a surprisingly authentic lesson in Chinese-style seafood. The best part was learning how to clean, take apart ("hold the flaps in a tight little death grip"), and cut the squid ("put your fingers over the eyeballs as you cut..."). Full review here.
- Luang Prabang, Laos: Tamnak Lao. On the bright side, I got to make larb which has become one of my favorite dishes - clean tasting, light, spicy, protein-packed. On the downside, the instruction was lacking and there were too many concessions to western taste. Full review here.
- New Orleans, Louisiana: New Orleans School of Cooking. The only cooking I class that was 100% demonstration with no hands-on component, it was more like being in the audience of a TV cooking show. Entertaining, with a great meal in the end, but some things like praline-making are hard to replicate and I would have loved to have had some hands-on practice with that. Brief write-up here.
