Learn to cook without recipes classes

Learn to cook without recipes!

For everyone who:

is bored by cooking the same meals over and over,
wants to peek in their fridge and knows what to cook,
struggles with understanding the cooking lingo, or
wants to understand what is going on in their pots and pans.

Get ready to really learn to cook!

Learn essential cooking skills, and gain confidence and creativity that you can apply to your daily cooking.

Do you want to become a better cook?

What are these classes about?

Every class will be a 1 subject class.

Instead of following a recipe (everyone else is already doing that!), we will focus on 1 theme. Each class a new one.

This way we can dive deep and help you understand what the technique, the method, the dish or the ingredient is all about.

All the classes are live, interactive, hands-on, and virtual so you learn to cook without recipes in your own kitchen with your own tools.

For who are these classes?

Everyone who wants to become a better cook can join.

It helps if you have some cooking experience, but we strive to make the classes open for curious beginners too.

How does it make you a better cook:

👩‍🍳 After each class you really understand the subject to a level no one has ever it explained to you.

👩‍🍳 You will understand cooking techniques, connect the dots between various cooking concepts, and learn how you easily can substitute ingredients.

👩‍🍳 In the class you will learn to experiment and improvise while in the safe hands of chef Edie.

👩‍🍳 The classes are live and interactive, so you can ask chef Edie all the questions you have.

👩‍🍳 You will also learn and get inspiration from your fellow students, and what ingredients they are using during class.

👩‍🍳 In short, you’ll really learn to cook (without recipes)!

What our students learned

She helped us understand the process and learn to trust our own instincts!

Samantha W.Handmade pasta cooking class

I also learned a technique of balancing [flavor] with an acid that I carried over to another dish I made this week!

Sheryl RButternut squash soup cooking class

Edie made me feel like I didn’t need to be so rigid with recipes and there were many different delicious approaches to take.

Nicole S, LitmusVirtual team building cooking class

[Edie] is very personable and answers all your questions about each cooking subject. This has been a very informative and enjoyable learning experience.

Jean P.Did multiple Learn to cook without recipes classes

[Edie] gave me knowledge I can use to either follow the recipe exactly or make modifications with some confidence of how those modifications will affect cooking time, etc.

Linda PRoast a whole chicken class

Read all full reviews here.

It’s time to really learn to cook

To become a more confident and creative cook, we’ll guide you back to the basics. Learn what to do and why.
We will dive in, in three different ways:

Cooking techniques

Get to know the main cooking techniques and essential concepts. It will help you understand what you are doing, and why.
Examples:
* Knife skills
* NEW: The Cooking Techniques explained – 2 class series!
* Techniques like Boil, Sauté, Roast.
* Concepts like roux, making stock, pan sauce, roast a whole chicken, pureed soups

The anatomy of a dish

Every dish can be described in 1 sentence. That’s the base of a concept dish, everything else you can play with. Here’s an example how we do that.
From the menu:
* Dutch stamppot
* Vinaigrette & dressings
* Braised chicken
* Pilaf (one pan rice dish)
* Minestrone (thick Italian soup)

Ingredients in the spotlight

Learn what you can do with your ingredients, one at the time. What techniques can you use and how does that affect the taste?
On our list are:
* Veggies like Carrots, Fennel, Leeks, Potatoes
* Condiments like miso and mustard
+ Fun skills, like making pasta by hand or potstickers from scratch.

NEW CLASS: The cooking techniques explained!

~ learn more ~

Learn to cook without recipes classes calendar

Check out our unique 1 subject class in the Learn to cook without recipes series. The classes are centered around 1 theme, instead of following a recipe together. If you miss(ed) a class, get in touch using the form below.

date	name	class info	sign up
you choose	Cooking techniques explained	Get a bird’s eye overview of all the main cooking techniques and how to use them in your daily cooking. ~ Unique 2 class series! ~	sign up
	Knife skills	An essential skill for all home cooks. Learn how to hold, treat and use your chef’s knife.
	One pot braised chicken	Learn how not to make 1, 2 but countless braised chicken dishes. Learn the concept, cook your own variations.
	Handmade pasta	Making pasta from scratch is not a life saving skill, but it is fun to learn how you make it. All by hand!
		~~~ Don’t miss our future classes and sign up for our updates ~~~	join the list

Be the first to hear what’s on the calendar

About your chef

This class will be taught by chef Edie Dourleijn, once a picky eater who couldn’t cook.

She documented her path to eating and cooking everything as one of the first food bloggers of her home country The Netherlands (in 2006!). To learn more quickly, she looked around for classes that would help her understand what is going on in her pots and pans, but they didn’t exist. Eventually, she ended up at culinary school.

Now chef Edie teaches her Learn to cook without recipes classes for curious cooks who want to become free of recipes. Just like she once was.

Edie also hosts all kinds of entertaining and educational virtual cooking classes to celebrate any occasion with family or friends, or as a (real) team building, receiving 5 star reviews.

Get in touch with any questions or requests you have.

More questions and answers

(Click on the + to read the answers)

What make these classes different from others?

At most, if not all, cooking classes (both virtual an in-person) the focus is on following a recipe, and if you’re lucky you’ll get a tip of two.

Not at our Learn to cook without recipes classes. In our classes we will be breaking down the recipes and focus more on why we are doing what we are doing. We will explain why we cook the dish this way and discuss the culinary discourse on the subject, the pros and cons of our recipe.

We think that recipes are merely this one person’s way of describing what to do, not a rule book to live by. There are many ways to get to a similar end result, and we will focus on that! To make sure you know how you can derive from a recipe and make any dish the way that works for you!

You can read a longer version of what you can expect here!

For who are these Learn to cook without recipes classes?

For everyone who is yearning to become free of recipes. By understanding what happens in your pots and pans, you can learn to see other people’s recipes as an inspiration, not as a strict guideline.
For a beginner, the live sessions might go a bit too fast or contain too much information, but each class will be followed up with an extensive email, and you have access to the recording for at least 1 week long.

Why are these classes online?

Thanks to the pandemic, chef Edie realized how much you can learn while cooking in your own kitchen. Using your own pots, pans and utensils, on your own stove, with a teacher looking over your shoulder in your pans, you’ll so much more than when you’re in the chef’s kitchen, following a recipe where others are stirring the ingredients you’ve chopped into the pots.

Are the classes interactive?

Yes, yes, and yes! Chef Edie does believe in communal learning. She definitely doesn’t know everything and is not afraid to admit so. She believes we all can learn from each other’s experiences and backgrounds. So yes, share your curiosity and knowledge with all of us.
The ultimate goal for this course is to create a curious community of cooking enthusiasts that openly and respectfully learns from each other.

Are these classes live or are they recorded?

All the classes in the Learn to cook without recipes classes series are live and interactive. We believe this is the best way to learn with and from each other.
In the future we would like to save the recordings and make them available on demand.

Won’t the classes be too science-y?

Don’t worry! Yes, cooking is science and we will discuss it, but only in a very practical way, only to understand why we do what we do – or decide not to do that. Not to brag about our knowledge.
Together, we’ll be doing cooking experiments you’d never do in on your own. Give yourself permission to come play with food! Check this page for an example.

How long are the classes?

The will 90 minutes, more or lesss, depending on the subject and the questions asked.

I am gluten free, diary free, vegetarian, vegan (etc), is this cooking class for me?

Yes! We will try to make all our our classes accessible for everyone. We will cook meat, fish, and other possible allergens/ingredients you might not eat, but will always offer suggestions for alternatives. The goal is to empower you in the kitchen, to lean how to interpret recipes and become free of them.

I would love to attend a class, but can’t make it.

Each class will be recorded and you can watch it back for at least one week.
For the future it is planned to save all recording and make them available on demand, but we don’t have a deadline for that. Sign up for the mailing list to stay updated.
You can also email us to schedule a private (group) class on the subject.

How much food will we be cooking? Will dinner be ready?

That depends on the class.
We have 3 types of classes, and generally the Anatomy of a dish classes are often providing dinner. These classes really focus on mastering a dish, from start to finish. At our other classes, it depends on the theme and dish that we’re cooking, but we will try to warn you ahead to have some extra food available in case you want to have a proper meal containing a starch, vegetables and enough protein. You can have those other elements ready before we start to cook together. It’s best not cook these extras during class, so you won’t get too distracted.

Will the classes be recorded?

Yes, and you can watch it back for 6 days (until the Sunday after class).
For the future it is planned to save all recordings and make them available on demand.

I don’t like to see myself on the screen. Can I still participate?

Of course! We do understand sharing your kitchen and culinary skills to strangers is scary. However, we encourage everyone to share their screens, for a better bonding and easier communication throughout the class. We love to see every student feels connected and part of a community of creative and curious cooks.
Alternatively, you can aim your camera at your works station, so chef Edie still can see your work and guide you, if needed.

How do I know if this class is worth the cost?

We understand that it’s hard to decide if these type of cooking classes are for you. You can get all the information for free online, or use the money to buy a cookbook, or get take-out tonight.

To get most out of the class, every student is encouraged to send in any question(s) on the subject (or related) they have before the class, so we can include it (see it as your homework! 😉 ). The classes are purposely live and interactive, so you can also ask during class and get all the answers you need.

Thanks for attending our classes and supporting a small business, who’s owner also needs to get food on the table, have health insurance, and be able take some time off to cuddle her two cats, Juli & Japi.

Do you offer refunds?

As a rule, no, we don’t. Both before and after each class you are encouraged to ask us all the questions you have, to make each class worth it and get the information you were looking for. Also, each class can be watched back to recap all we talked about.

If you still have a good reason to request a refund, email us with your concerns and we can see what we can do.

Do your offer discounts?

Yes, we do! You can even attend a class for free.

But only after you followed one of our classes first. We believe we have such an unique offer, that our students are the best to explain others how worthy the classes are – and we want to reward them for their efforts. So sign up for that first class, and hear all about the reward program!

Check out the upcoming classes

Miss(ed) a class? Have other questions?

Want to get notified on new classes? Want classes back on the calendar? Want to do these as a private class?
Do you have other questions or suggestions?
Email us at info@creativecookco.com or fill out this form!

Your own private cooking class?

Do you want to cook with chef Edie privately? That’s possible too. Send her an email (info@creativecookco.com) and let her know what you’d like to learn. We will plan a date and cook what you want to learn. You can pick one of the cooking classes we have done before, but it’ll probably more fun if you tell us what you’d like to learn. From one-on-one classes to virtual team building events with larger groups, all is possible.