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Interested in Masterclass cooking classes? In this review, I’ll be sharing my top 3 cooking classes from world-class instructors on the Masterclass membership platform. Listing the best takeaways from each lesson and sharing my thoughts on what makes it worthwhile.
Read on to discover if Masterclass is right for you and to learn how you too can become a member!
First of all, you may be asking, what is Masterclass?
Masterclass is an online streaming platform where you can learn from the world’s best. From food to music, writing, arts, business and beyond (there’s a lot to choose from!). It is the ultimate gathering of industry professionals sharing their knowledge through online classes.
Each class offers pre-recorded video lessons from instructors (aka industry professionals) that you can watch as you please. With a downloadable workbook to accompany each class, to summarise all that you’ve been taught. All of which you get an exclusive all-access pass to when you join the membership programme.
**Full disclosure: I was compensated for writing this post. This post also contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you choose to make a purchase through these links. All at no additional charge to you. Please note that I only promote products I enjoy and I’m a fellow member of Masterclass!
Curious to learn more about what Masterclass is, how it works, what’s on offer, who you can learn from and if it is worth it?
Read my post on: A first impression of Masterclass cooking classes
In this post, I’ve outlined my top 3 favourite cooking classes so far. As well as the progress I’ve made and the updates that have occurred since I joined the Masterclass membership programme.
Why Masterclass?
You may be wondering, as someone who already knows their way around a kitchen … why a Masterclass membership?
That my friend is a great question.
And my answer is a relatively simple one. To find inspiration, to further your knowledge and to continue the never-ending learning process!
It is not every day you get to learn from such an elite class of industry professionals. This is your chance (and potentially only opportunity) to do so. You get to hear the stories of those who have paved the way. To learn their philosophies and to gain insights into their inspirations, mindsets, unique perspectives and processes. Furthermore diving into their world with this exclusive behind-the-scenes pass.
Not to mention the recipes. They share them all! All are available in downloadable workbooks which you have access to as a member. It’s pretty much like they’re sharing their best well-kept secrets.
Note: Masterclass do a buy 1 give 1 membership a few times a year. That means you can split the cost with a friend and both get the goods.
Sign up to my mailing list below and I shall notify you when those are happening!
The Updates/ What’s New?
Since joining Masterclass back in December of last year, there have been several different classes added to the platform. Each month a new class is added, opening up new topics and instructors into the already impressive lineup.
In full transparency, unfortunately, not all of these are in the food/cooking category. However, it presents a great opportunity to explore something a little different, as a bonus. If you’re keen to learn, want to satisfy some of those curiosities and gain perspective and knowledge of different fields/ topics, these classes don’t disappoint. And if anything else they’re certainly entertaining, industry insights and all!
Some of the latest releases include Amy Tan teaching fiction, memory and imagination, Issa Rae teaching creating outside the lines and Jon Kabat-Zinn teaching mindfulness and meditation.
The latest class to release upon my very own membership journey was bread baking classes with Apollonia Poilâne. Which I enjoyed!
Read more about my thoughts on this class here in my first impressions post!
And just last month Niki Nakayama, a two-Michelin-starred chef, specialising in Japanese cuisine was added into the mix! More details to follow below, as this class quickly became one of my favourites!
My Top 3 Cooking Classes So Far:
1. Yotam Ottolenghi’s class on Modern Middle Eastern Cooking
As featured on my first impressions post, Ottolenghi’s lessons were some of the very first I explored on the platform. Making my way through the class was an experience, laced with food stories, memories and plenty of takeaways.
His classes are spread out into different categories, centred around Middle Eastern influences and his passion for layered dishes with colourful ingredients and bold flavours.
These categories include:
- A Mezze spread aka small plates with big flavours, that are shared informally. Recipes included hummus with confit garlic and tahini, muhammara and pea spread with smoky marinated feta
- Brunch spreads with labneh and shakshuka
- Veggie spreads with all types of veggie salads, bright colours and fun flavour combos.
- Main courses include a mafalda pasta with quick shatta and a celebratory saffron rice with sweet spiced lamb
- Homemade condiments such as smoky marinated feta, dukkah, rose harissa and shatta Palestinian chilli paste.
- He also has a class on hosting for less stress and more enjoyment.
My Thoughts and takeaways
Ottolenghi offers lessons full of joy, colour and ease. Along with what he calls ‘flavour bombs’ which are long-lasting add-ons that are easy to prepare and bring complexity and depth to a dish. One of the things that stood out to me was the abundance both in presentation and in flavour as well as his storytelling. Sharing anecdotes of his food stories was able to connect all the dots about his purpose and visions.
He described his class as a multi-layered experience and I can’t help but agree that this is what he delivers.
The top takeaways from Ottolenghi’s lessons…
- Presenting food with big flavours, big explosive colours and big generous gestures. This is one of Ottolenghi’s strong points. He teaches others to be mindful of what they are eating and to immerse themselves completely in the experience. To make food not only pleasing to the eye but also a delight for the mouth. Something that he delivers throughout all his recipes.
- He also emphasises food bringing people together in many ways, to get them to communicate, enjoy and unite. An important aspect of food that we may often forget.
- Flavour Bombs! also known as condiments that pack a punch. This includes everything from quick-pickled chilli to harissa, za’atar and marinated feta. Ottolenghi teaches you how to use these in a number of different applications. It was interesting to see how just one item could make such a difference.
- This knowledge as he states ‘gives you the necessary skills to make a range of Middle Eastern dishes confidently. To share a meal and be proud of what you’ve created’ (source).
- Labneh! It’s covered in a few different applications in these lessons (savoury and sweet). And the process isn’t as complicated as you may think. Labneh (a strained yoghurt) only requires two ingredients! It’s also incredibly versatile with a thick texture and a lovely foundation to build upon.
- Ottolenghi’s use of labneh with berries in a sweet application particularly piqued my interest. I had to immediately try it for myself. And as pictured below, it was such a great success both in look and flavour.
- Using his recipe for labneh and berries as inspiration, I added some citrus, and pistachios for my own interpretation.
2. Massimo Bottura’s class on Modern Italian Cooking
As someone with a soft spot for Italian cuisine, Bottura’s class was one that I looked forward to. It was not only the cuisine that got me intrigued to keep watching, however. Bottura’s philosophy on making use of what you have, determining your style of cooking and reimaging your recipes was appealing. It was pretty much the epitome of what I hoped to achieve.
His emphasis on embracing your creativity, evolving classic recipes and developing your palate were great lessons to learn. Not to mention his zero-waste cooking, which is both inspirational and a reminder of something we should be more conscious of.
This class includes:
- An evolution of pesto and experimenting with traditional recipes
- Making Tortellini, including the broth, sauce, dough, filling and assembly.
- A burger featuring regional ingredients from Emilia-Romagna to display regionally-inspired food and encourage you to make your very own.
- Passatelli: broth from vegetable scraps and bread crumb pasta.
- Spin-painted beet and Mediterranean-style sole
- Tagliatelle with ragu, souffle and pumpkin risotto
- A tasting demonstration to help develop your palate and a behind the scenes at how he came up with 2 of his signature dishes
My Thoughts and Takeaways
Bottura teaches some fundamental lessons and core cooking philosophies that I think are admirable. These include: considering your location and using ingredients accordingly, zero-waste cooking, evolving traditions and recipes, evoking emotions and memories through your food and lastly drawing inspiration from music and art.
Through his lessons, he teaches the importance of trying things for yourself and drawing conclusions on your own, thinking critically, using your intuition and being conscious of your surroundings. The recipes tie in nicely with these concepts as he teaches implementation and how to incorporate these throughout your cooking journey.
The top takeaways from Bottura’s lessons…
- Developing your unique version of a recipe requires both instinct and creativity. Your palate is an important tool to taste, identify, improve and evolve a dish.
- Chefs aren’t born with perfect palates. But they learn as they continue to experiment and taste ingredients. It’s never too late to reeducate your palate. Bottura encourages us to constantly sample foods in many forms such as ripe and unripe to learn how to use them in a recipe.
- Evolving traditions. One of the important aspects to take away from Bottura’s lessons is that you don’t have to limit yourself to the particular formula of a recipe.
- Recipes are there to be changed. As Bottura says “If tradition doesn’t respect the ingredients, you must change the recipe” (source). Adapt a dish according to your tastes as well as the freshness, quality and seasonality of ingredients and have the confidence to change course where required.
- Follow your palate, taste everything at every stage of the process and trust your instincts.
- Eliminating waste. Perfectly displayed in his recipes, for example, bread crumb pesto and pasta and pasta water flavoured with herb scraps. This was one of the standout things in his lessons. Seeing it in action reminded me just how simple and easy this can be. It all comes down to a sense of responsibility and we can all be a “voice of change if we are together” as Bottura says (source).
- Using his formula of experimenting with traditional pesto, I whipped up my very own version. Remember to taste along the way, adjusting as necessary. The result was delightful, unique and something I’d make again. It replaced pine nuts with bread crumbs and recommended techniques I’ve never tried before.
3. Niki Nakayama’s class on Modern Japanese Cooking
Just last month Masterclass released cooking lessons with Niki Nakayama. From the unique perspective and focus on kaiseki – the traditional Japanese culinary art form reflecting the constant changes in nature, she teaches us to appreciate and celebrate moments in time. Whether that was the seasonality of vegetables in their peek and honouring fresh ingredients or taking inspiration from one’s surroundings and location.
Nakayama’s class consists of the following:
- An explanation of the concept of kaiseki and how to create balance in your meals.
- Japanese cooking essentials, including culinary tools and pantry basics.
- Fish preparation and sashimi including tuna and rockfish
- Ichiban dashi and bone broth
- Vegetable tempura, karaage, rice and pickles
My Thoughts and takeaways:
Nakayama offers a fresh perspective with her innovative take on Japanese cooking and is a welcomed addition to the Masterclass platform. She is also the first of what I hope will be many more within the Asian cuisine category available on the platform.
Her focus is on the Kaiseki, a traditional Japanese multi-course meal that showcases the best of what nature has to offer in a particular location (source). Through her lessons, she encourages others to do the same wherever they may be located. All Nakayama classes have the underlying message of food bringing people together and sharing moments/ expressing a moment that is happening right now. It’s all about being present and sharing an authentic experience with guests, whether that is in your very own home or her restaurant. Nakayama teaches us to respect tradition but also find our path within it.
Overall Nakayama is the ultimate definition of leading by example and an incredible one at that.
The top takeaways from Nakayama’s lessons…
- Thoughtfulness for how one treats ingredients. To respect each item, understand its unique properties and then present it accordingly. This is particularly evident in the lessons where she goes over preparing a fish and using all the parts, not letting anything go to waste. In this way, you can honour and utilise the fish to its full potential.
- Ingredients need to speak the loudest, particularly in Japanese cuisine which in comparison has fewer layers to other cuisines. It’s simple, without any herbs or spices and the complexity comes from selecting the perfect ingredients in that particular moment. Therefore knowing how to make it shine is the ultimate goal.
- Locality is another standout point in her lessons. Nakayama talks about the ingredients in her backyard in Los Angeles as an influence and fusing these with Japanese cuisine and culture. It is highly inspiring and encourages me to take a better look at how I could apply this myself. She encourages everyone to find the best ingredients in their backyards/ neighbourhoods/ surroundings and explore! To ‘give yourself that space to showcase where you are and express yourself through the food’.
- Dashi is a Japanese cooking essential! Nakayama takes you through the process of making dashi, the underlying flavour of many different elements in Japanese cuisine. Including some all-important tips about how to make a clear luxurious liquid with minimal, if any clouding. She covers how to source ingredients, the best ingredients to use and the method to making it just right. All to achieve a clear broth with maximum flavour! Without giving out any spoilers, this was an enlightening class. I feel capable of producing a good-quality dashi and cannot wait to give it a try.
Conclusion
If you’re interested in learning from the very best in the industry, getting culinary inspiration, recipes and cooking lessons full of value, then Masterclass is for you!
In this post I’ve highlighted my top 3 classes so far on the platform, outlining the contents of each class and listed my thoughts and top takeaways.
Hopefully, by now, you’re convinced that Masterclass is worth having a look at and giving it a go. Details are available here.
Do you think you’ll give Masterclass a try? Let me know your thoughts and if you have any questions below!
Stay Curious,
Laura
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