With Shanghai’s never-ending stream of dining options, many of us can’t remember the last time we ate at home － and no, delivery doesn’t count. Eating out is great, but there’s something to be said for a home-cooked meal. Here are some classes that will have you folding dumplings or searing steaks like a pro. Who knows? It might even become your new favorite activity.
1. UnTour Food Tours
Hands-On Dumpling Delights
Image courtesy UnTour
This is a lesson in the traditional preparation of Cantonese rice paper-wrapped shrimp dumplings and an eating tour all bundled into one. An action-packed day begins by wandering through the city’s alleyways in search of street stalls and mom-and-pop shops whose cuisine spans the breadth of China. Potstickers, xiaolongbao and boiled jiaozi are just the beginning of this culinary adventure.
Once you’ve had your fill, a Chinese chef will teach you how to make the dim sum staple so you can entertain your family and friends back home. Hands-On Dumpling Delights runs every Tuesday and Saturday at 10am.
Price: RMB580
Website: untourfoodtours.com
See listing for UnTour Food Tours.
2. Cook in Shanghai
From Wet Market to Chinese Banquet
Image courtesy Cook in Shanghai
Conveniently located on Zhaojiabang Lu and Jiashan Lu, Cook in Shanghai is a school that caters to small groups. Students select three recipes before embarking on a field trip to a local wet market. Once they’ve selected their ingredients, teachers will show students how to prepare their feast.
More advanced students can skip the market tour while artsy types will enjoy crafting advanced garnishes in vegetable carving class.
Price: from RMB280
Website: cookinshanghai.com
See listing for Cook in Shanghai.
3. PoorChef Cooking Studio
Pretty as a Picture
Image courtesy PoorChef
If you suffer from a #foodporn addiction, you might be familiar with the food photos of the PoorChef, Whitney Wu. This Taiwan transplant has been making a splash with her creations at pop-up events since last summer.
At her Hengshan Lu studio, Wu is teaching students American-style baking and cooking with a bit of Asian inspiration. Trendy dishes like corn soufflé brunch pancakes and s’mores donuts are all in her repertoire. Hit up PoorChef to feed your belly and social media feed in one fell swoop. Video classes are also available for purchase at the PoorChef WeChat store.
Price: from RMB599
WeChat ID: poorchef
PoorChef Cooking Studio, 335 Hengshan Lu, by Wuxing Lu 衡山路335号， 近吴兴路. Nearest metro: Hengshan Lu, 3 min. (158 0082 2036)
See listing for PoorChef Cooking Studio.
4. Zwilling Gourmet School
Cooking Students Who Lunch
Image by Cristina Ng/That's
Zwilling’s HKRI Taikoo Hui flagship store features a restaurant called The Twins and a gourmet cooking school that showcases high-end Zwilling products. Taught by highly experienced chefs, the lunch-time cooking classes run from Tuesday to Saturday. The schedule changes monthly and they cover both Chinese and Western cuisine. Once a quarter, the celebrity chef behind The Twins, Cornelia Poletto, teaches a course.
The class leads in with a chef-led cooking demonstration. Afterwards, you are set loose in the kitchen to prepare your own meals while the instructor assists.
Price: from RMB228
Zwilling Gourmet School, Rm W201, HKRI Taikoo Hui, 286 Shimen Yi Lu, by Nanjing Xi Lu 石门一路286号W201室兴业太古汇, 近南京西路. Nearest metro: Shaanxi Nan Lu, 2 mins. (5255 5659)
See listing for Zwilling Gourmet School.
5. Chinese Cooking Workshop
Dim Sum and Then Some
Image via flickr
One of Shanghai’s most comprehensive yet beginner-friendly schools is the Chinese Cooking Workshop. Chef Mike Huang leads students through the successful completion of wok-fried and dim sum meals covering Sichuan, Huaiyang, Cantonese and vegetarian cooking methods.
In addition to the regular schedule, the school can arrange market tours and private events. Are you ready to try more difficult hand-pulled noodles or roasted Beijing duck? Great, because they have those on offer as well.
Price: from RMB200
Website: chinesecookingworkshop.com
See listing for Chinese Cooking Workshop.
6. JR Recipe
Tasty At-Home Meals Made Easy
Image courtesy Jing Republic
Interested in baking cake rolls that resemble the adorable Japanese character Rilakkuma, cooking perfect Spanish seafood stew or rocking shrimp stir-fry for date night? Thanks to a diverse crew of teachers, you’ll be able to find a class that suits your interests at JR Recipe.
Classes are taught at their home décor shop and restaurant at the Fenyang Lu and Dingxiang Lu locations and the schedule changes monthly.
Price: from RMB198
Website: jingrepublic.com
See listing for JR Recipe.
7. Shanghai Young Bakers
Master Baking Basics
Image courtesy Shanghai Young Bakers
This charity program assists marginalized young Chinese adults who are unable to pursue traditional forms of education. One way to get involved is by joining one of their public or private booked baking classes. You receive training from EFBPA École de Boulangerie et de Pâtisserie d’Aurillac-trained bakers in the ways of viennoiserie and pastry. All proceeds directly fund Shanghai Young Bakers’ programs.
We’d call that a win-win.
Price: from RMB600
Website: shanghaiyoungbakers.com
See listing for Shanghai Young Bakers.
8. Cooking Skill Exchange
Cooking with Friends
Image courtesy Cooking Skill Exchange
This community devoted to sharing their love for cooking hosts fun events facilitating culinary knowledge exchange. Their regular group classes are led by experts in Italian, Japanese, Middle Eastern, Russian, Chinese and Thai cuisines, all taught by professional chefs and foodies.
This fall, the focus of public classes will be on healthy recipes. Or, let them know what cuisines you are interested in and they will find an appropriate chef.
Price: from RMB350
WeChat ID: CookingSkillExchange
See listing for Cooking Skill Exchange.
[Cover image via Pexels]
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