Online Cooking School Pros and Cons

When I wanted to master basic cooking techniques, I spent many hours looking for cooking classes. I wanted to go to a cooking school, but my options seemed to be to either enroll in culinary school for $30,000 or take beginner cooking classes for $75 to $100 a class, or more.

Neither of those options really fit my needs.

So I looked for online cooking schools that would offer something in between.

Online cooking classes are a great alternative for someone who wants to learn more advanced cooking techniques but doesn't want to invest the time or money in culinary school. Here are the pros and cons that I discovered as I researched and tested a variety of online learning classes. Pros Online cooking classes are very affordable, ranging from free to about $30 per month (for a subscription to a cooking school where you can take as many classes as you want per month). Typically, technique lessons run for 5 to 10 minutes, making it easy to brush up on the skill before you start cooking.
You can watch the videos as often as you want or need.

I like to watch the video, practice, and then watch the video again to make sure I'm doing it right.

If you have a laptop, you can watch the video while you're in the kitchen cooking.
You learn at your own pace and take only the lessons you are interested in.
Cons The quality of the online cooking lessons varies. Some are professionally produced and are terrific, and some aren't. You don't have the instructor watching you, so you don't get feedback on whether you're performing the technique correctly.
You don't have the camaraderie of the other students in a classroom setting, although I get around that by having class nights with friends and we all take a lesson together.

As you can see, the pros outweigh the cons.
What I do is take the online cooking classes to learn techniques, like braising and how to dice vegetables, and I go to local recreational cooking schools to take classes on specific types or styles of cooking, like Italian or Fusion. I find that to be a great combination that has dramatically improved my cooking skills and my overall enjoyment of spending time in the kitchen.