Find me a class that really cooks

December 14, 2005 11:01 AM

Please recommend good cooking classes in Seattle. I would like to give a friend a cooking class as a holiday gift. Said recipient is an omnivore (no dietary restrictions), has strong beginner (I wouldn't quite say intermediate) skills in cooking, loves both "American" and a wide variety of ethnic cuisines, and (just a random fact) is a fan of the Food Network.

I already know about Whole Foods and NuCulinary but would like to widen my net.

posted by matildaben to food & drink (11 comments total)

My wife recommends Cook's World. She's done a few classes there and has loved them; together we did a sushi class that was a lot of fun.
posted by xmutex at 11:04 AM on December 14, 2005

Sur la Table has lots of good classes. I think they have a location at Pike Place.
posted by luriete at 11:04 AM on December 14, 2005

Culinary Communion is the best! Chef Gabe runs it in his home in West Seattle, though they now have an Eastside location too. Classes are small (if not cheap) and very personal. You make a meal, and then sit down and enjoy it with the class at the end of the night. We've made some cool friends in his class. Absolutely head and shoulders above most cooking classes I've taken, and as a food editor, I've taken plenty.

They offer classes for all skill levels and all kinds of topics. My husband and I took a starter series together and learned a lot.
posted by GaelFC at 11:26 AM on December 14, 2005

A couple of general points on cooking classes, though I know nothing of Seattle's offerings. There are, in my experience, three types of cooking classes:

1) General skills classes. These are always hands on, and include things like learning the basics of stockmaking, or knife skills or sauces or some other core cooking skill. They aren't culinary school level of detail and practice, but they focus on the kinds of things you would learn in a real chef training course.

2) Hands on specialist classes. These are focused on specific recipes, usually themed. 'A Night in Tuscany' or somesuch. These classes don't really reinforce core skills, as there's no expectation on the basics (things like stocks will be pre-made, and if your chopping sucks, no one cares). It's basically a personalized walk through 3 to 5 recipes, and how to make those 3 to 5 recipes is what you'll learn. In a good class, you'll also get some background information on the style of cooking that will help you make other recipes in that style, or how to put together menus in that style.

3) Hands off specialist classes. These are basically entertainment only events. You don't get to cut, you don't get to do, you just get to watch and taste. You might learn some interesting information in these classes, including things like putting menus together in a particular style, but you won't learn any actual skills.

It's worth considering what kind of cooking your friend does, and where their interests and existing skills lie, when choosing between these classes. If someone just likes to make stuff and get it done, a knife skills class might be torture, and they'd be better off in a Hands On Specialist class. But for someone who is all about the process of cooking, knife skills might be heaven, while they'd come away from specialist wondering why they bothered. If they're really a huge Food Network fan, but watch it more than they actually cook, they might like the Hands Off classes - they're like Food Network come to life.
posted by jacquilynne at 11:39 AM on December 14, 2005

Some discussion about the Culinary Communion courses here, here and here.
posted by trip and a half at 12:04 PM on December 14, 2005

My wife loved the class she took at Sur la Table (which she got as a gift, even).
posted by agropyron at 12:13 PM on December 14, 2005

The ASUW Experimental College has some classes that look great. Their catalog is PDF only, but is linked to on their website.

I haven't taken any of the classes but have been planning on it pending other academics. These classes have the dis/advantage of being both cheap and short.
posted by stet at 2:57 PM on December 14, 2005

jacquilynne: Type 1.
posted by matildaben at 3:33 PM on December 14, 2005

The Nancie Brecher classes that the Experimental College offers are at Cook's World. I've had friends take those classes and they really liked them. It might be easier to get a class as a gift through Cook's World directly.

After looking at their site, I think that's almost certainly the case.
posted by sevenless at 9:27 PM on December 14, 2005

Uwajimaya (the Japanese grocery/everything store in the International District) does cooking classes - my aunt and grandma took one last year and loved it. It covered a wide array of Japanese cuisine, not just sushi, and my grandma loves to make several of the dishes they learned. It was just a 1-time deal, so you should probably contact the store about class times etc.
posted by salad spork at 10:56 PM on December 14, 2005

The 2006 class schedule for the Puget Consumer's Co-op (PCC) will be available here around the first of January. I'm told they're very good, and there are a few different locations for the classes. Probably too late for your gift, though.
posted by msbrauer at 9:49 AM on December 15, 2005