So, you want to learn how to cook? Everyone should have some knowledge of how to cook. Some people dream of getting Michelin stars, while others want to save a little on eating out and eat healthier food. One can achieve their desire via learning to cook on YouTube, while the other goal needs much more struggle. Can you guess which is which?
Learning to Cook From YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing platform, not exactly a learning site. You cannot contact your teacher other than by commenting on the video. It is excellent for learning because videos about anything are free, and the comment section is a forum for people who need help.
Since YouTube is the most popular video-sharing website in the world, you will find instructions for any recipe you can think of. However, there is a catch. You can only get instructions and examples and no supervision. No one is watching you cook and pointing out any mistakes as they happen. There is no student-teacher interaction.
Some home and professional chefs have prepared several video lesson series or courses to teach you cooking. You can find such lessons for beginners, intermediate or advanced learners.
The Difference Between YouTube and Online Culinary Course
Is there any difference between learning to cook through YouTube versus an Online culinary course? Yes, there is. Let’s go through the reasons these learning mechanisms are different from each other.
Teacher Interaction
With a proper online culinary course, you can interact with the teacher. The amount and degree of interaction depend on the website from which you are taking the course. However, since this is one of the key differences if you invest in an online course, ensure you are offered plenty of student-teacher interaction, or else you will not get your money’s worth.
Your teacher may even be able to see what you are doing on video and correct what you are doing in real-time. Although you must remember, they still cannot taste the food you make.
Tests
In an online culinary course, your teacher can test your knowledge through oral, visual, or written examinations. This learning mode differs from YouTube as you will be accountable for learning from the lesson. While in YouTube courses, the only way to test your knowledge is when you make that recipe for that dinner party you held.
Learning from YouTube requires no discipline. You can rewatch the video over and over while making the recipe at home. While you can do the same with your online course resources while practicing, your memory will be tested during an exam.
Certification
While you can become a killer home chef by learning from YouTube, you cannot prove your skills until you cook for someone. At the same time, students who took online culinary courses will have a certificate to prove their knowledge and skills. The value of that certification in the culinary world will depend on where you received your certification. Even if some places do not accept it as adequate culinary education, it is still proof you put in hours to be where you are.
Before the global pandemic, online culinary certification was a laughing matter for many people. However, the lockdown led to even the most prestigious culinary schools giving blended learning or online learning a go. Since then, the culinary world has grown more open-minded.
Traditional Culinary School
The traditional Culinary school setting is often where you will find people aspiring to be award-winning chefs. If you are serious about pursuing your dreams of opening your own restaurant or a career in food, you should attend culinary school. Here are some reasons why it is worth going.
Watch the Master
You can stand next to a brilliant professional chef in culinary school and watch him cook from over his shoulder. Being this close allows you to absorb everything like a literal sponge. You will have the opportunity to see techniques mastered through time at play.
Some say those who can’t do teach. However, you cannot apply that to the culinary arts. You cannot teach people to make delicious food unless you are a master yourself.
Mentor
Since professional cooking knowledge started being passed down, the mentor-mentee relationship has been the method of choice. When you go to culinary school, you will have a chance to meet the benevolent chef who will see something in you that they wish to cultivate.
Having a mentor guide you through your culinary career is incredibly important and beneficial to your journey. A famous mentor and protégé pair is Marco Pierre White and Gordon Ramsey.
Network
In culinary school, you will first meet like-minded, passionate individuals who are as excited to enter the culinary world as you are. Secondly, you will meet your instructors, who are culinary professionals. They are members of the restaurant world who can let you into the right circles.
Thirdly, you will meet more professionals on special occasions like guest lectures, competitions, or seminars, increasing your social links within the culinary world.
Taste
The biggest thing you will miss by not going to a physical culinary school is your instructor tasting your food. You can tell if something you made is yummy or not. You could ask your friends, family, or neighbors. However, you won’t get a professional analysis.
The teacher at culinary school will describe if something is mediocre or extraordinary. They will let you know precisely what you’re missing. On rare occasions, you get nothing but praise. You feel elated. These opinions are critical and help you refine your taste.
Conclusion
You can learn to cook on YouTube, but it is nowhere near the same as attending an online or physical culinary school. Not only does a certification help you advance your career, but being around like-minded people is a great experience.
If you want to improve your home cooking, choose YouTube since it’s free. However, if you want a future in food, you must attend culinary school soon.
