The Most Interesting Cooking Classes NYC Has to Offer

Making dinner is not that hard, right? Pasta, some tomato sauce, maybe a salad on the side. Let me rephrase that, making the same boring meal for dinner is not that hard, right? We all need a change sometimes, and to make our lives easier, there are professional chefs in this city who are eager to impart their however many years of experience onto you so that your next meal can be exciting and pleasurable. Food is necessary, but that doesn’t mean it has to be a chore, NYC cooking classes are fun and relaxed and you know no matter what, you’ll come out having learned something useful that you can apply immediately in your own kitchen. That’s why we decided it would be a great idea to go out and find the classes that we think are perfect for anyone looking for a new cuisine or just something a little different. Here are our top picks:

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  The Pizza Parlor

  Institute of Culinary Education

  You'll learn proper baking techniques, and work hands-on to make the following pizzas: Traditional Pizza Margherita (tomatoes, basil and mozzarella); Pizza Bianca (ricotta, mozzarella, Parmigiano Reggiano, and Gorgonzola); Roasted Pepper and Goat Cheese Pizza with Spicy Garlic Oil; Portobello Pizza with Balsamic Vinegar; Pancetta and Cheese Pizza Topped with Arugula and Tomato Salad; Prosciutto and Ricotta Calzone; Southern Italian Home-Style Pizza; Roman Potato Pizza; Sfinciuni (the original Sicilian pizza); Barese Pizza (caramelized onions, anchovies, and olives); and Focaccia.

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  Essentials of Thai Cooking

  Institute of Culinary Education

  So, here at Vimbly, we have what we call “Ethnic Thursdays” where we order lunch from a restaurant we normally don’t order from, such as Brazilian or Malaysian. Well, this time, we took it to the next level, we decided to try LEARNING a new cuisine. We concluded that this was quite possibly our best decision. Ever. For those wanting to learn a cuisine they have zero experience in, like don’t even know the first thing about the cooking equipment (a wok ring, anyone?), or even what the typical dishes are, this is really the perfect class to take. Do not be intimidated like we were by the very professional looking kitchen, this is for any level and we forgot our worries when we got to the good part, cooking the food! There is nothing more satisfying than taste-testing a dish you’re making and thinking it is AWESOME. How many times have you stumbled through a recipe, tasting it and realizing it just wasn’t what you were hoping for? Anyway, we started the class with a tutorial, given by the instructor, on the many ingredients we would be using in the class. Then, it was time to get cooking! We ended up making various authentic Thai dishes like Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce, Hot-and-Sour Prawn Soup, Summer Rolls, Green Thai Curry with Chicken and more. Our favorite was the Green Papaya Salad and Sticky Rice with Mango, YUM! Our instructor was very helpful while we were cooking, walking around and checking in with everyone. We weren’t a really small class, but he was still able to give us all personal instruction and fully answer each of our questions. The aromas of our Thai dishes tickled our noses the entire time in the kitchen and we weren’t completely satisfied until we were all sitting down to the meal we had just prepared with a refreshing regional beer or wine in hand. Most of the Vimbly folks opted for the beers, which we highly recommend as it goes so well with the heat of these dishes.

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