moremiles

I love good food and enjoy watching cooking shows, but don't have a great interest in cooking myself-maybe from too many years of trying to put healthy meals in front of picky eaters. Would one of the cooking classes in Chiang Mai or CR still be worthwhile? Has anyone taken one of these who is just a modest, and now occasional, cook?

citywalks

I recently returned from my first trip to Chaing Mai (and Thailand) and I enrolled in an all day cooking school. It was great and I highly recommend it. I learned to cook Pad Thai, spring rolls and green curry. It is the Baan Hongnual Cookery School. Have fun!

Telephone: (66) 053-423335
www.baanhongnual.com
email: [email protected]

tweety817

I took cooking class at "Chiang Mai Cookery School" and "Smile Cookery School" in Chiang Mai. I recommend Smile because there were only 3 people in the class (including me) We went to the market first and the instructor bought us various treats to nibble along the way. She was really interested in each one of us in a personal way. The Chiang Mai Cookery School is a very slick operation, very efficient and organized but there were 30 people in the class. Smile is run at their guesthouse which is very modest. The class is 750 Baht. You cook 6 dishes and includes pick up and return to your hotel Going back the car would not start so the instructor took me back on her motorcycle. It was great fun.

rhkkmk

if you don't like to cook really i would skip the classes...

mrwunrfl

You can still take the course while having no intention of ever cooking the dishes again. You'd end up with good food and it would be like being in a cooking show, instead of just watching.

moremiles

I do love watching Ina and Nigella and the markets always interest me so I guess I will consider it after arriving-maybe it will spur a new interest!

cynstalker

Yes, it would be worth it! I took a couple of cooking classes while in Asia, and found them to be lots of fun. tweety is correct about the Chiang Mai Cookery School - there were a lot of people in the class. The upside, though, is that you <b>really</b> cook. The class I took in Luang Prabang had only 5 people, but the teacher/staff does all the prep, and the students get to &quot;stir&quot;.

They were both fun though - because of the wonderful ingredients, freshly prepared - delicous!

<font color="green">Cyn</font>

Kathie

We loved the class at the Anantara. It's preceeded by a trip to the market in Chaeng Sean. We were the only people in the class, just the two of us, so were able to talk with the chef while at the market about specific items and their use and preparation. In the cooking portion of the class we watched the chef prepare four dishes, while he talked in detail about what he was doing. Then we went to our individual cooking stations and prepared the dishes. All the chopping, grating, etc was done for us, all you had to do was cook! This, of course, was followed by eating - yum.

moremiles

I love the idea of a cooking class with no chopping, cutting, etc. or even just the watching and stirring and then eating! It might be a good activity to do as a solo traveler also. Thanks for all the tips.

althom1122

I don't do a lot of cooking either, but my daughter and I both really enjoyed our cooking class at A Lot of Thai. It was an evening class so we didn't have to commit an entire day, which I really liked. Plus, the evening classes are evidently not as crowded - my daughter and I were the only two the evening we went. It's run by a young mother, Yui (I think), and it's at her house. She and husband will pick you up in their VW van at any of the hotels in Chiang Mai. Nice alternative to an all-day class if you're not all that crazy about cooking.
Karen

rhkkmk

the sheraton grande in bkk has a nice little cooking school also....guenmai had a great time there last year...

moremiles

I'll have company in BKK so if I do a cooking class, it'll be in CM or CR, but I'm not booking anything in advance so it might be a moot point in high season.

jclizzzard

thanks for the suggestion about an evening cooking class, I am interested in taking one but my boyfriend doesn't want to give up an entire day of sightseeing - this may be the perfect compromise!