Yes Chef! The 5 Best Cooking & Baking Classes In NYC

Whether you want to learn and improve your home cooking skills or you dream of owning a cupcake shop one day, these five cooking and baking classes will help you get there. By Carly Petrone.

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Want to learn how to bake and frost the perfect cupcake? Head over to Butter Lane Bakery and take the Cupcakes 101 Class. Make 3 cupcake recipes, find out the perfect butter to sugar ratio when it comes to creating the perfect icing, and take home a half-dozen cupcakes to enjoy later. For $75/person, you'll work a mixer like a rock star, bake in an industrial, convection oven, and walk away knowing the difference between an "okay" cupcake and one you can't put down. Interested in turning the class into a date? Sign up for the Sweetheart Class ($120/couple) and go home with a dozen of your own cupcakes after learning Butter Lane recipes from cake to icing. Both classes are two hours long and take place at their East Village location. Souvenir aprons are available for $20. Private parties are also available.

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Sign up your budding chef for cooking and baking classes at Crave.it. This gourmet Italian café and bakery is offering a two-hour class for a group of 10 kids for $500. They'll get to feel like a professional when they receive their own chef's hat and apron once inside the kitchen. They'll bake cookies and pastries using seasonal themes and learn how to whip up a frozen treat using homemade gelato. Parents are free to stick around and watch while sipping on complimentary coffee. Don't get too jealous. Crave.it also offers adult baking and cooking classes every Friday night from 6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m. for $75/person. The baking class teaches you how to create sweet and savory bites for your next party while the cooking class helps you learn preparation techniques for a three course menu (appetizer, entrée, and dessert). The best part? It includes a wine pairing.

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The Brooklyn Kitchen offers a variety of classes that are aimed at home cooks. From basic knife skills to how to make the perfect cocktail, there's something for everyone. Professional instructors also offer classes in DIY skills like cheesemaking, beer brewing, and fresh pasta making. Vegetarians also have options with classes like Hearty Vegetarian Entrees and Breakfast: Achieve Eggcellence. Learn how to make Chinese Take-Out or how to Butcher a Pig. Even the novice of cooks can find out how to roast a chicken in Chicken 101 Dinner. Gather a group of friends or impress you boss by getting all your co-workers together for a private skills class (12-16 people). You can spend two-hours in their open kitchen learning everything from Easy Weeknight Meals to how to recreate Thai/Vietnamese Street Food. Individual classes cost anywhere from $75-$200.

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Who can say no to a BYOB cooking class? Taste Buds Kitchen offers a bunch of different kitchen experiences ranging from learning how to make Sushi & Dumpling to Tapas Empanolas. Plus, now you can invite friends over for brunch after you find out how to create a mid-morning meal with a twist. Whip up sweet & spicy bacon and French toast sticks or go with the traditional eggs Florentine. And don't forget the mimosas! Classes range from one to three hours. Cost for classes vary. Please see website for more details.

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For those looking for an organic cooking class, there's no better place to turn to than Whole Foods. The Bowery Culinary Center, located on the second floor of the Bowery/Houston store, offers classes for urban home cooks of all skill levels with some of the best chefs, artisans, and growers in the city. Hands-on classes are approximately three hours and are limited to 8 to 12 students. Just register for any one of the many classes offered during the week and you're all set. Past workshops have included everything from how to make homemade pasta and dinner for two to how to sharpen up on your fundamental knife skills to cooking on the fly. Can't make it into the store? Follow #WFMdish to join in on upcoming chats about spring flavors and meals on twitter.

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Carly Petrone is a freelance writer living in New York City.