Singapore's best cooking classes

Shermay’s Cooking School

Best for Pastries
Vitamins and protein are so over-rated. Go straight for the good stuff with chiffon cakes, macarons and brownies galore. Students are sent home with a box full of treats and a better idea of what goes on in the oven. $109, members $98.10. Chip Bee Gardens, Blk 43, #01-76 Jln Merah Saga (6479 8442, www.shermay.com).

Coriander Leaf

Best for Middle Eastern
Fly over to Coriander’s demonstration kitchen on your magic carpet and take part in ‘Arabian Nights’. Highlights of the class include Syrian roasted red pepper dip, Palestinian barbecued chicken and Egyptian lentils. The cooking studio also focuses on South-East Asian, Mediterranean and fusion cooking, always finishing off each class with tips on the best ways to present your meal with more flair. $125-$150. 3A Merchant Court, #02-03 Clarke Quay, River Valley Rd (6732 3354, www.corianderleaf.com).

Palate Sensations

Best for French
With an open kitchen and separate cooking stations, Palate’s Wessex studio is for those eager to get their hands dirty. They offer courses from around the world, but the dishes prepared under the guidance of regular guest chef François Mermilliod (from Outram Park’s francophile outpost Absinthe) stand out. Upon completion, everything can be devoured outside on the balcony or in the intimate indoor dining room. $68-$170. #03-05, 1 Westbourne Rd (6479 9025, www.palatesensations.com).

Phoebe’s Kitchen

Best for One-on-one
Phoebe Koh’s goal is to pass on her belief that cooking should be fussfree and fun. Due to tight quarters – the classes are run from her kitchen – the fewer the better, but she can accommodate up to six. Ingredients for her dishes come straight from the market and she focuses mainly on Chinese cuisine, with dishes like roast pork and braised sea cucumber. $100-$150. Blk 13, Holland Dr (9634 4682, www.phoebeskitchen.com).

AFC Studio

Best for Cooking demos
Those who prefer cooking as a spectator sport and drool over what the latest celebrity chefs are cooking up should check out the Studio’s latest line-up. Open for less than six months, the demonstration kitchen is filled with top-notch equipment and the shop sells fancy cooking paraphernalia – books, tools, seasoning. So far they have only offered ice-cream classes, coffee appreciation workshops, and had visits from a top Spanish chef and Wild Rocket’s Willin Low – but they have hungry eyes, and gossip is rife about upcoming visitors. $45-$120. #07-02 Orchard Central, 181 Orchard Rd (6834 4829, www.theafcstudio.com).

Culinary Hobby Class

Best for DIM SUM
Experienced in most Asian cuisines, Catherina Hosoi is something of a radio and television superstar. She opened her studio in a Peranakan house a few doors down from Baba House on Neil Road in 1985. The dim sum class stands out as one of the most popular among her students – including plates like char siew pau (steamed pork bun), har gow (translucent prawn dumplings) and yu tiao (deep-fried dough stick). $80-$350. 67 Spottiswoode Park Rd (6227 3777, www.culinary.com.sg).

Epicurean World

Best for Survival cooking
While catering to the less adventurous Basilico They’ll teach you some of the secrets mamma never taught you AFC Studio Watch celeb chefs cook up a storm in their kitted-out kitchen Palate Sensations Learn about global cuisine in the hands-on cooking stations Coriander Leaf Chef Samia Ahad shares a taste of the Middle East with tried-and-tested Indian cuisine, chef Devagi Sanmugam – known by many as the Spice Queen – gives the more daring bunch the skills needed for a camping adventure. Pack up the SUV with ten recipes for baked beans and tricks for cooking over an open fire. $50-$80. Spice Queen, 24 Race Course Rd (6458 0572, www.epicure anworld.com.sg).

Bake it Yourself

Best for Party planners
While these guys offer professional baking diplomas, they also conduct one-day workshops to satisfy sweettooth cravings and creative needs. Cake is used to sculpt Louis Vuitton purses and 3D farm animals, and candy provides the base for holidaythemed treats. $50-$160. 182 Bukit Timah Rd (6100 2253, www.b-i-y.com).

Basilico

Best for Italian
Each month two Italian chefs use Basilico’s kitchen as the vehicle to guide people through a different region of their homeland – in May they explore Puglia, before moving on to the culinary delights of Sicily in June. Local cheeses, olive oils and Italian phrases are tossed around throughout the course and, for an additional fee, a wide range of wines can be added to the syllabus. The chefs also organise private classes for small parties. $100. Level 2, The Regent Singapore, One Cuscaden Rd (6725 3232).

Cookery Magic

Best for Local cuisine
Ruqxana Vasanwala conducts both hands-on and demonstration classes in her black-and-white townhouse in Katong. She has created a peaceful escape with a bohemian decor, filled with antiques and a Balinese garden out back – the perfect setting for devouring your culinary creations. Indian, Malay, Indonesian, and Chinese dishes are all offered, but she remains best known for iconic Singaporean dishes – chilli crabs, pepper crabs, chicken rice and char kway teow. Ruqxana shares secret cooking tips throughout the class. Read: a dash of salt in the wok prevents oil splats. $65-$110; $390 private class. 179 Haig Rd (6348 9667, www.cookerymagic.com).