Do you ever watch shows like Chopped or MasterChef and think to yourself, “Oh yeah, I could totally win that game,” only to get in the kitchen to make dinner and realize you have the cooking skills of a college freshman? Cooking can be fairly overwhelming if you’re not familiar with the fancy terms that recipe websites like to throw around. Like, seriously, what even is a julienne cut? I’m genuinely asking.

The straightforward answer to learning how to cook is to buy a cookbook for beginners and spend some time watching tutorials at .5 speed. But let’s be honest, trying to pause a YouTube video while your hands are covered in ingredients you’re not even sure are the right ones, while simultaneously trying to figure out what on earth “al dente” actually means sounds… stressful. To say the least.

Luckily, there’s a much more enjoyable option available: cooking classes!

Benefits of an In-Person Cooking Class

  1. Real-time instruction

You can ask your questions and get an immediate answer! No typing into Google as fast as you can before the food burns—the instructor is there to help you out.

  1. Socializing

Classes provide a friendly, welcoming environment to learn to cook in. No more feeling isolated in your amateur cooking skills—you’re surrounded by people in the same boat as you.

  1. Delicious food that YOU made!

How many times have you attempted to cook a meal and then ended up eating ramen because it turned out terribly? By the end of your first cooking class, you’ll come away with a tasty dish because you’ve been taught how to make it correctly.

  1. It’s just plain fun

Cooking at home? Stressful. 10 pots on the counter, and all of them are dirty. Lonely. Sauce everywhere. 

Cooking with a class? Peaceful. Spacious. New friends. Sauce contained. 

So give your smoke alarm a break and try a class at any of these great locations around Denver: 

Cozymeal Cooking Classes

999 18th St., Unit 300, Denver

Create Kitchen & Bar

2501 Dallas St., Aurora

Denver Cooking Classes

5045 W First Ave., Denver

Sticky Fingers Cooking (Program for kids!)

3700 Tennyson St., #12492, Denver

Stir Cooking School

3215 Zuni St., Denver

Uncorked Kitchen & Wine Bar

8171 S Chester St., Ste. A, Centennial