Cook Your Way Through Home Isolation With These Online Classes

You’ve been telling yourself for years that you’ll get around to perfecting the art of pasta, sourdough bread, cocktail making…

And although the opportunity to finally take up these kitchen challenges has arisen under rather unfortunate circumstances, we say embrace it.

It’s pretty amazing to think how video chat tools like Instagram and Facebook Live have transcended the boundaries of social distancing. It’s not every day you’ve got people in London, Berlin and Sydney coming together in the same (chat) room to hang out with a top chef or restauranteur. In some ways, our global community is closer than ever – and we think that’s definitely something to smile about.

So, no matter where you might be in the world right now, we’ve put together a list of online masterclasses and virtual cooking workshops to help you bake, stir fry, ferment and brew your way through the current crisis.

Ready, steady, cook!

Pop a cake in the oven

You can catch Lily from Lily Vanilli Bakery going live on Instagram with all you need to know about nailing that meringue buttercream, whipping up a vegan cake or achieving a perfect drip of caramel. If you’re spending your birthday in isolation, drop a hint and send these videos to those within your bubble.

Make pasta like a Nonna

Given your neighbours haven’t taken all the flour from the supermarket shelves (not cool guys), this is the perfect time to channel your inner baker. As well as the world’s most-loved Nonna offering online pasta tutorials, bakers all over London are sharing secrets from within their kitchen.

The team at Officina are also taking their workshops virtual. Live pasta masterclasses will pop up over the next few weeks, with tips on how to make the best Italian pasta and sauce from scratch. The ingredients are posted beforehand so you can prepare the goods alongside their team.

Cook along with famous chefs

Famous chefs and food personalities all over the world are inviting you to join them for live cooking classes – and sometimes just to hangout and chat.

And how could we not give our first shout out to Massimo Bottura. As well as lending tips on how to make everything from gelato and chocolate sauce to ragu and besciamella sauce, Massimo’s energetic Instagram videos are also very good for the soul. For anyone needing a serious pick-me-upper, this is your guy.

Jason Atherton, the Michelin-star chef and restaurateur behind venues like The Betterment, has kicked off ‘Social Kitchen Isolation’ Instagram videos. The series sparks inspiration for date night ideas with your partner in isolation, vegetarian cooking and meals influenced by a range of international cuisines.

Australia’s lovely Maggie Beer is another top chef to join the Instagram party with a #CookWithMaggie trend going and Mr Dan Hong has shared many tasty Asian-inspired recipes for you to recreate.

Start that sourdough starter

Breadahead Bakery is giving you the chance to finally learn how to make sourdough at home. At 6pm daily, Matt Jones will open the doors to the ‘Sourdough Hotel’ where he will give tips on creating, nurturing and troubleshooting your dough.

Funk up your isolation

With plenty of time on your hands, we suggest adding the art of fermentation to your skillset. From kombucha and kimchi to kefir and sauerkraut, there’s a world of funky foods to learn about. Pop over to Rude Health, a London-based healthy food company, for 5pm fermenting lessons every Friday. Hop on a cyber plane all the way to Melbourne, and you’ll find Sharon from The Fermentary also offering up tricks of the trade!

Wok from home with Wagamama

Much more exciting than working from home, world-wide restaurant chain Wagamama has started a #WokFromHome series via Instagram and Facebook live. Each week, the restaurant will post a list of ingredients and dishes for diners to be able to cook alongside their chefs on Wednesdays and Fridays at 6pm.

Shake, stir and brew

Let it be known: the party has definitely not stopped. Thanks to bartenders and brewers around the world, everyone is getting an education on concocting classy tipples at home. Renowned bartending programmes, World Class and Diageo Bar Academy have both started sharing cocktail tutorials for those wanting to liven things up at home.

In Sydney, The Golden Gully not only has cocktails, wine and food available for delivery but also offers virtual happy hour sessions with their mixologists Dan and Rach. After an hour with these two, you and your lockdown crew will be shaking and stirring like pros. The neighbourhood bar also has online cooking classes available with their chef Emma Evans.

Brewdog recently kicked off their online bar sessions, which saw 1,000 fans take part. The good times will continue every Friday and include homebrew masterclasses, beer tasting, live comedy, pub quizzes, giveaways and more. Over on their ‘gram you can also get amongst live cook alongs on Wednesday nights. Oh and can we also talk about how they released an ‘Ultimate Shower Brew’ for the lockdown. Top stuff.

Take your tastebuds to Greece

Missing out on that Greece holiday you had booked? The Athenian is bringing Greek flavours to your home with live workshops to master dishes like tzatziki, chicken souvlakis and courgette fritters. Tune into their Instagram for more delicious details.

Make the perfect grilled cheese

Now is the time for comfort food, and Morty & Bobs knows this better than anyone else. As well as a kickass restaurant in Coal Drops Yard, M&B is especially famous for its hot sandwich shop in Westfield London. Every Wednesday, the crew have been going live to share grilled cheese secrets. Switch on your toasted sandwich maker and don’t miss it!