IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.

Missing family get-togethers? These virtual cooking classes will keep you connected

Friendsgiving and other holiday celebrations canceled this year? Think again.
HOLIDAY COOKING CLASSES
A virtual cooking class is the perfect way to come together this holiday season. visualspace / Getty Images

The holiday season usually means getting together for food and drinks with friends, family and those you hold near and dear. Even though the holidays might look a little bit different this year due to COVID-19, it doesn’t mean that you still can’t gather around the table with your loved ones — at least virtually anyway.

Now you can enjoy breakfast, lunch and dinner — even an evening glass of wine — together through the magic of online cooking classes. We’ve rounded up 11 of the best classes to take as a family or group of friends. When the class is over and your meal is ready to eat, hop on over to a family Zoom party to enjoy the meal together and catch up.

1. Holiday Brunch

Brunch has easily become one of the best meals of the day because just about anything goes at brunch. With CozyMeal's online class you’ll be working right along with a chef to create a four course meal. Don’t worry if no one in your family is a formally trained chef, because the class is fully interactive —meaning you can ask as many questions as you want! The menu, which includes cremini mushroom polenta, croque madame, sugar snap Amish pepper nut cookies and cranberry granita, is the perfect late afternoon brunch.

2. Pasta with the Grandmas

There is an art to making fresh pasta by hand, and it’s sure to bring your family closer together when you make it with an Italian nonna live from Palombara Sabina, Italy. During this Airbnb Online Experiences class you’ll make an authentic Italian meal with a grandma and granddaughter. Each day of the week the class features a different meal like lasagna, ravioli, gnocchi and more!

3. A ‘Friends’-Themed Friendsgiving

Friendsgiving is back on the calendar with this “Friends"-themed cooking class. This interactive experience will have you cooking and laughing right along with the host chef as you swap stories about your favorite “Friends” episodes and moments. The menu is made up of four recipes, including Rachel’s “traditional” English trifle, Monica's "mockolate" brownies and Chandler's Thanksgiving favorite: grilled cheese!

4. Mochi Magic with Kaori Becker

If your family enjoys a challenge you’re going to want to sign up for Mochi Magic with Kaori Becker through 18 Reasons. If you aren’t familiar with mochi, it’s a traditional Japanese treat made with a chewy rice dough. The online class will teach your group how to make three different sweet and adorable mochi dishes. This is a great class for families with older kids who love to try different cuisines from around the world.

5. Perfect Pie for the Holidays with Chef Maria Capdevielle

If dessert is what your family craves then you might want to consider this pie baking class with Chef Maria Capdevielle. During the class you’ll learn the art of making perfectly flaky pie crust just in time for the holidays.

6. Chef Danny Lledó's Paella Master Class

Paella is a traditional rice and meat dish from Spain. In this online cooking class you’ll learn from award-winning paella chef, Danny Lledó. The class is live from his restaurant in Washington DC, but you’ll be cooking up paella right in your own kitchen. If you decide to book this class be sure to check on the meal kit options, which are an extra cost, but will save you a trip to the store for harder-to-find ingredients.

7. Sticky Fingers Cooking's Kids in the Kitchen! Classes

If your kids are missing cousins or friends from school, this program from Sticky Fingers Cooking is a fun way to get kids off the couch and into the kitchen. The Kids in the Kitchen! program offers five interactive cooking classes over five weeks, taught by the same instructor. Some of the fun recipes include fried rice cups, Thanksgiving sides and fluffy buttermilk pancakes.

8. Alice’s Table Cheese & Charcuterie Board Workshop

The pride and joy of many holiday get-togethers is the small snack boards — cheese and charcuterie boards and dessert plates — that are often scattered around the kitchen or living room. Alice’s Table has partnered with Harry and David to create the ultimate cheese and charcuterie board. The hour-long masterclass will teach you how to set up the perfect cheese and charcuterie board, ask questions, and enjoy tasty bites shipped directly to your house from Harry and David. Items that will be shipped include two types of cheese, two types of cured meat, fig jam, garlic stuffed olives, the famous Harry and David pears and more.

9. British Sweets, Mexican Treats, Biscuits, Pies and More

Baking has never been more popular than it is now due to the pandemic. With the holidays right around the corner nothing could be better than brushing up on your baking skills with talented pastry chefs. This class through 92Y features four sessions that will cover a variety of baking techniques. The total cost of the sessions also includes the cookbooks that each recipe comes from, shipped overnight to your house, making these classes perfect for aspiring family bakers.

10. Chef Pablo Lamon's Ceviche Class

If your family speaks Spanish you might be interested in an online cooking class from Top Chef's Pablo Lamon, where he will teach your family how to make a classic ceviche. During the class you’ll learn how to make certain knife cuts, hold your fingers to avoid getting cut, and make Peruvian-style ceviche.

11. Rhinefarm Detour Virtual Wine Tasting

For the oenophiles in your life, a wine tasting might be the way to get everyone together. This guided hour-long Rhinefarm Detour virtual wine tasting features three Gundlach Bundschu wines .You'll also get glassware, corkscrews, and a few nibbles to enjoy while tasting.