sberk

On our upcoming trip to Thailand this December we are very interested in taking a Thai cooking class - half day to full day (not a multi-day class). We are planning on being in Bangkok, Chiang Rai/Chiang Mai, and Phuket. Which place is the best to do a class? Any specific recommendations? Thanks.

Peteralan

Hi sberk...The only cooking class I am aware of is the one at the Oriental Hotel. I've heard it is very good but sorry I don't know how long it is or how much it costs.Do you have a Thai Tourist info near you? Maybe Thai International could help you? Good luck!

Lindsey

I thoroughly enjoyed the class I took at the Four Seasons in Chiang Mai. Although we were staying there, I don't think you have to be a guest at the hotel to take the classes there.

The classes take place in a beautiful outdoor pavilion, overlooking the rice paddies. The chef prepares the whole dish as you observe. Then, for the "hands on" part, you go to your personal cooking station, where all the tools, ingredients, etc. are perfectly arranged, and you cook it yourself. Then you sit a communal table with the other 7 students (they take a maximum of 8 at one time) and eat what you prepared. Each class teaches you about 4-5 dishes. We did the one on soups and noodle dishes.
There is an optional market tour early in the morning, before the class, if you are interested in how the raw ingredients are sold locally.

Kathie

The famous cooking classes at the Oriental Hotel are several days long, no one day classes. There are many options for cooking classes. I enjoyed the one we took at the Anantara at the Golden Triangle. The class starts with a trip to the market, then you watch a series of dishes being made and then you do your own cooking. This is followed by getting to eat all of your creations. It was an excellent class. They have a different menu each day of the week.

rhkkmk

on kathie's suggestion we are enrolled in the cooking class at the anantara in june...
just today i saw a listing in the may issue of travel and leisure for cooking classes around the world and they listed the one at the four seasons in chiang mai..i think it was about $165, and they also made mention of the oriental, i believe...

the blue elephant restaurant in bkk has a one day cooking school and i believe that i read that the shangri-la also has one...
on some of the islands there is also a chance to have lessons, i believe...

the anantara is $70 i think...

sberk

Kathie,
We are considering staying at the Anantara - thanks for the info on the cooking class there. Can I ask you generally did you enjoy your stay there? My concern is that we will be locked in to tours, services offered by the hotel - when similar tours may be available for less if we were staying closer to Chiang Rai. Did you like the location?

TracyB

Hi, we took a cooking class at the Chiang Mai Cookery School just outside of Chiang Mai a couple of years ago..It was awesome..You are outside (but covered), each person has his own cooking station, you are taught how to cook each dish, cook it and then you get to eat it..They picked us up from our hotel and also drove us back.....You can also take it at their restaurant in Chiang Mai, but I would recommend at their home...Check their website for more info..http://www.thaicookeryschool.com/

Kathie

I loved the Anantara and the location. You are rather isolated, but that is what I liked. We don't do arranged tours, but hire a car and driver for the day, laying out our own itinerary. We did that at the Anantara. You'll go different places from the Anantara than you would from Chaing Rai (it's an hour's drive). You will likely eat at the Anantara, their food is excellent. And they have a wonderful spa.

I posted an extensive review after we returned. Do a search on this board and you'll find it.

sfowler

In Bangkok I would recommend the cooking classes at The Blue Elephant. Their website has full information:
http://blueelephant.com/school/index.html
I would recommend the morning class as it includes a market tour. A piece of advice -- don't eat too much of the food YOU make as they then serve you an enormous lunch.

BrianD

Please see the review that I posted today. I just attended a class at the Kao Hom Cooking School in Chiang Mai.

rhkkmk

the cooking clas at th anantara, golden triangle, was just fabulous...wish we had enough time to do each of their daily classes...the chef is particularily nice and fun...the set-up could not have been more perfect with 4 individual working areas....for the 3 of us there was a staff of 4....$50 per day which is also very reasonable

YUI

Hi there
My name is YUI. I run my own cooking class named " A lot of Thai" at home since 2001.
We are just a small cooking class in town with less advertising but always get good feedback from all students.
No need to pay more for just a setting atmosphere. At my home you'll find the real atmosphere of Thai home & Thai culture. You can check more in formation at WWW.ALOTOFTHAI.COM
Thanks
YUI

Cicerone

I have taken a 3- hour cooking class at the Landmark hotel. I chose this because I was there Christmas week, and the Oriental school was closed. I thought the Landmark class was a lot of fun. You don't do a lot of work, as all the chopping (the main pain of Asian cooking) has already been done. It is a good way of learning the techniques and the various spices that are used. Their website does not seem to contain info (www.landmarkbangkok.com) you might call, fax or e-mail them at tel 66- 2-254 -0404 , Fax: 66- 2-253-4259 E-mail: [email protected]

The Jim Thompson house in Bangkok also offers cooking lessons. Take a look at www.jimthompsonhouse.com. They look interesting to me, and I will probably take one next time I am in Bangkok. You will most likely go to see the house anyway, so it is a good way to combine the two.

I wouldn't want to take time out in Phuket to be inside cooking.

glorialf

The Oriental allows people to take individual classes if they have room -- or at least they do if you're staying at the hotel. I've taken several classes that way over the years and they are wonderful. But not cheap.

YUI

Hi there

I'm Yui from "A lot of Thai"Home cooking class.Right now my official website(www.alotofthai.com) is under construction so please check our information from temporary homepage at
http://alotofthai.bravehost.com

Thanks so much for those recommendation from our friends around the world.

Enjoy cooking Yhai food!

Yui

deptrai

My wife & I took a class at the Blue Elephant last year and really enjoyed it. They have a different menu each day so you can pick exactly what you would like to learn to cook.

Dave

lordploppy

Hey sberk,
we went to Chiang Mai and did a course with a lovely family who picked us up in their volvo, and took us to their house, where we did the course on specially prepared benches. professional and homey, all at once. We also went on a trip to the local market as part of the course and got little (travel friendly!) a cook book at the end of it - just a lovely half day for us. Highly recommended. They call themselves 'a lot of thai' and I think you can contact them on: [email protected]

divediva

we had a private cooking class with Yui
at A Lot Of Thai cooking school in chiang mai. not only was it fun, but we
had some of the best thai food we have ever eaten...and we cooked it ourselves.

in addition to having a real cultural experience ( the school is in Yuis side yard area at her home ), they pick you up in their little green 60's four door sedan, take you to the local market and
share lots of info on foods of the area.

i also ordered a great tshirt and she shipped it to me 2 months later.

i highly recommend this school...

rv224

try Blue Elephant in Bangkok

http://www.blueelephant.com/bangkok/index.html

HappyTraveling

We just returned from our trip to Bangkok. While my husband wasn't interested in shopping all day long, he opted to go for a well-recommended cooking class. Check out: www.baipai.com

According to him, he had a blast. The food was good, and they provide pickup and dropoff service and because they aren't famous in the same way as The Blue Elephant and the Oriental, they are extremely service oriented and very hospitable. This place came well recommended by other asian websites.

They are also only half the price of what you pay at the other places. This also includes parting gifts such as a box of Thai paste, a tote bag, apron and a picture of yourself cooking in the class.

We will be posting our pictures on our website soon. Will let you know as soon as it's up and going.

Next time we are back in Bangkok, I will sign up for the classes too. I know that he had a really good time.