The best cooking classes in NYC

Can you ever have too much cake? The answer is heck no. Even bad cake is good cake, so if you happen to flunk a bake, it's probably still edible, even if it looks like a crumbling pile of sponge, frosting, and choc. The NY Cake Academy has several courses available, from Valentine's cookie decorating to macaron baking, you'll be shown the proper skills and techniques to become a baking whizz. 

Believe it or not, making your own sushi actually isn’t that difficult. Procuring sushi-grade fish is probably the hardest part—and luckily, the instructors at Taste Buds Kitchen will take care of that for you. All that you have to do is layer the ingredients, roll ‘em up into tasty rolls and eat them, of course. You'll also be taught how to make your own dumplings. Mmmm.

Who doesn't love cheese? And if you say you don't, then you clearly haven't had good cheese. It's a staple in everyone's kitchen, so why not have a go at making some yourself? Make classics like mozzarella or the ever-so-trendy burrata at Murray's Cheese classes. Suitable for almost anyone, enroll in a class with other like-minded cheese fans to try your hand at making cheese from scratch, plus lots of samples. Say cheeeeese.

Revered chef Lidia Bastianich curated the classes here herself, which means that both the content and the food is top-notch. Hands-on classes include making fresh gnocchi or Italian cheeses, while observation classes encompass topics like the history and techniques of savory baked pasta. Afterwards, shop the store for all the amazing ingredients to cook at home.

If the thought of cooking with a big-wig chef makes you weak at the knees, opt for a more laid-back cooking class like the BYOB options at Taste Buds Kitchen. Thanks to an easygoing attitude and casual environment, these classes feel more like cooking in a friend’s kitchen than formal training. Watch attentively as the instructor demonstrates the proper technique for making fresh pasta, then replicate the steps at your personal cooking station. At the end of class, you’ll share a feast of homemade ravioli and fettuccine with your fellow students—and wash it down with plenty of wine, of course.

The Institute of Culinary Education is legendary. Not only do they have 1,500 classes every year, but they have loads of kitchens to work from, so you’ll never be battling for elbow room. ICE also has the largest program of recreational cooking classes in the world, so if you can’t find it here, it’s probably not worth learning. Students can learn to cook everything from dim sum to surf and turf here, but beginners might want to start with a basic knife skills course. Practice your slicing, dicing, chopping, julienning and other knife cuts to help grow into the most impressive, efficient and safe chef that you can be.

Milk Bar cakes and cookies may be everywhere now, but they're still just as delicious. Milk Bar offers Build-A-Cookie and Build-A-Cake experiences so you can make the coveted treats yourself. 

When the expert butchers at this Chelsea Market shop aren’t busy breaking down a whole hog or slicing beautiful filets, they’re spreading the gospel of humanely raised meats in their classes and demos. Carnivores should sign up for the sausage-making intensive, where students learn to mix, season and fill their own links. Not only will you get to make the freshest wurst you've ever tasted, but you'll get to sip complimentary wine and beer all the while.

Chocoholics can take their addictions to the next level with classes held at Valrhona’s Dumbo kitchen. Aside from learning how to actually make chocolate, students can also take courses in sweet studies like Seasonal Desserts and Bon Bons. And since each course is taught by a working pastry chef, you know you're getting top-notch instruction. 

Want international fame and notoriety for being the brains behind one of the most delicious franken-desserts this century (cronut, we’re looking at you)? Well, first you’re going to have to start at the bottom – and make sure it’s not a soggy one! The chefs at Mille-Feuille Bakery in Greenwich Village will help you with all the essentials to get you going on a path to pastry righteousness. In just over two hours you’ll learn how to make croissant dough from scratch (lots of butter and layering involved), resulting in 15 chocolate and almond crescents that you can take home to show off to kith and kin.