6 Inexpensive Cooking Classes In and Near Queens

Learning how to cook can be, obviously, life-saving, but also help save you quite a bit of money otherwise spent on take-out and restaurants, so we wanted to find a few inexpensive cooking classes in and near Queens.

Life in New York City is notoriously fast-paced, which means between work, family and social life, there’s very little time for cooking. And yet, cooking will help you keep that diet you’ve been planning to follow, or save you some money at the end of the month since you’ll be paying a lot less on ingredients than you would on the finished meal over at the corner restaurant or on that Chinese food take out you were planning for.

When the issue isn’t just related to a lack of time to spend in the kitchen, however, but with a lack of knowledge regarding the ins and outs of cooking, then there is something we can actually do – take a cooking class. The classes on this list are everything from cooking classes in Astoria to the rest of Queens, but if you want to travel a bit more, you can also take one or two of these 7 beginner cooking classes in Brooklyn.

There aren’t too many options in Queens, truth be told, but there are some that you can certainly attend in order to learn how to make yourself something you would love to eat, or maybe some kind of food that will last a couple of days in the fridge. Or perhaps you already know how to cook, but are simply looking to improve by taking a class led by a trained professional.

In order to create our list we relied on two sources. One of them is class aggregator Class Curious, and the other is good ol’ Google. Once we created our list, we ranked them by how much classes cost by dividing the price by the number of hours – trying to figure out which class costs how much. Of course, in the case of some locations, the price per hour differed by class, and we’ll mention them all in the article. We also chose to include two locations that don’t have any courses currently listed, simply because they’re a viable option that you should look out for when you’re seriously considering taking on a cooking class. Since they have no course prices, we just added them at the end of the list.

Without further ado, here are 6 inexpensive cooking classes in and near Queens.

6. Saladmaster

Out of the entire list, the Saladmaster offer is certainly the most exclusive. Unlike the other classes, this one will actually take place in your own kitchen, under the form of a “cooking show.” What does it mean? Well, it means that you’ll gather up some of your friends and Saladmaster’s chefs will come on over and teach you a few things before you get to dig in the delicious food.

They might be the ones doing the cooking, but you and your guests can learn and sample the goods, ask questions and become inspired for the next big dinner party.

Of course, you have to make sure to book one of these cooking shows in advance, and there’s no actual price listed on the site, so we’re pretty sure this calls for a bill split between you and your guests.

There’s even a reward promised for the hosts – the Saladmaster Food Processor, which cuts, grates, juliennes, shreds and slices fruits and vegetables – a rather fancy-looking machine to match your other appliances.

5. Bite Size Kitchen

Bite Size Kitchen has one goal – to make you stop fearing the idea of cooking by encouraging you to savor the entire experience of preparing a home cooked meal. Regardless of your skill level, Bite Size Kitchen wants to give you a helping hand to push you forward. Not only are you taught how to cook, but you’re also taught how to play with your food.

You’ll get to learn how to mix aromas, how to pick the right ingredients and how to mix them. There are private classes available at Bite Size Kitchen, but there are also public classes open to those willing and hopeful to learn.

For example, you can learn how to make dumplings in a 2.5-hour class, from prepping to filling, wrapping, and cooking them. You can also learn how to make a dessert spring roll.

4. The League of Kitchens

Up next is the League of Kitchens where you can take cooking classes in different cuisines of the world. The workshops last for 5 and a half hours and cost $175.

You can take a course in Nepali, Indian, Trinidadian, Argentinian, Afghan, or Mexican cooking, learning multiple recipes and key secrets of the local cuisines. There are several workshop options, each coming with a different menu that you are to tackle during the meeting.

Perhaps the best part about these workshops is that they are taught by an immigrant who knows exactly what they’re talking about when it comes to the cuisines they grew up with. Not only will you cook together, but you’ll also eat together and learn about their culture, sharing stories. At the end of it all, you’ll even take home a booklet with recipes and a shopping guide to match the type of cuisine you’re supposed to cook.

3. Sugar Room

Who does not love sweets? Well, if you want to learn how to make the most delicious cakes, cookies and so on, then perhaps the Sugar Room is your go-to place.

The Sugar Room is a cake design studio that brings a contemporary approach to centuries of decorating techniques, and it is one of the best inexpensive cooking classes in and near Queens. The location offers numerous courses you can attend, depending on how interested you’re in this and how much time you want to spend in the kitchen. For instance, they offer programs that last anywhere from 3 weeks to 23 weeks, as well as classes with specific themes.

A 3-week program, for instance, will cost students $400, with each class lasting for two hours. Everyone will learn how to make a cake, about fillings and icings, focusing on the Dominican, chocolate, and vanilla cakes. The 20-week program costs $1,800 and will take students through piping techniques, lessons on buttercream icing, cupcakes, tiered cakes, and buttercream flowers and so on.

Separate-topic courses have individual pricings. For instance, a lesson on fondant techniques costs $175, while one on gum paste flowers costs $350.

2. Young Chefs Academy

This time around we’re focusing on the little chefs instead, with Young Chefs Academy, which caters to kids ages 4 to 18. There are three different age groups here – between 4 and 6, between 7 and 11, and between 12 and 18. The class duration for the youngest group is 60 minutes, while the number rises to 90 minutes for the other two age groups. The price is $45 per class for either of them. If you’re a member of the Young Chefs Academy Chefs Club, some discounts apply.

For the duration of the class, kids will learn to cook various recipes, gain age-appropriate culinary skills, learn about nutrition, and more. In short, you’d soon find a partner to help you out in the kitchen, maybe even come up with ideas they’ve picked from class, solving that issue you always have about deciding what to eat.

1. Cook’s Arts & Crafts

Finally, at the top of our list, we find Cook’s Arts and Crafts. This is a place where you can learn a lot of things, from crafting, making jewelry, needlepoint, crocheting and so on, to cooking, which is what interests us.

There are multiple classes you can take here. For instance, you can choose to take on a 6-hour class that costs $150 that will build up your buttercream skills, teaching you how to ice and decorate a cake, make six different icing flowers, and so on. After this particular course, there are another two that will teach you even more about the art of decorating a cake.

Separately, you can take classes for specific purposes. These take two hours and have a different cost depending on the topic. For instance, a class about floral cupcakes costs $20 and so does the class about clown cupcakes. A class on making and shaping cake pops costs $34, while one on homemade gummies costs $35.

Classes take place all through the week, and you can even take teenagers along if it’s something you think will interest them. Of course, you’d need to make an appointment ahead of time to make sure you have a spot since all classes have a maximum of 6 students, so the instructor can focus on each and every one of them, helping them perfect their techniques and make the most of the class.

That being said, these seem like really fun classes to take, especially if you have an interest in cooking or simply want to learn something new. We hope you enjoyed these 6  inexpensive cooking classes in and near Queens.