Culinary Arts Programs Online: Are They Worth It?

Much of today's education emphasizes how great online training is, and there are lots of benefits to learning online. But online education does have limitations. In-person instruction, particularly in the culinary arts, carries a number of advantages.

Picking up Bad Habits

In online training, you may learn how to hold the knife properly, and effective clean-up techniques, but you may accidentally pick up poor habits that the instructor will not be able to see and correct. Being in the actual presence of a knowledgeable instructor carries substantial value.

You can learn in a similar situation to what you will be facing in a professional kitchen, only at a more moderate pace. Culinary school gives you the opportunity to correct bad habits before the head chef at your first job does.

Personal Instruction Based on Your Needs

When you have a personal need in an online setting, sometimes it can be difficult to have it met. In-person instruction means that every part of the process is hands-on, and a slight change in your technique can be instantaneous.

While a webcam can make the process reasonable online, there is nothing as simple as having the instructor directly correct your form and set you to learning more effective habits by actually placing your hands where and how they need to be.

Additionally, culinary education is about producing delicious food. In order to correct an issue you’ve been having, an instructor needs to taste your food and provide feedback. You can’t do this through a webcam in your kitchen.

Networking with Classmates and Instructors

In-class discussions are encouraged and supported in an online class setting, but there is a lack of face time. There is no "hanging out" before or after class, as students tend to do in live class sessions. While this tends to reduce the tendency to chit-chat while the instructor is demonstrating something, it also tends to reduce the amount of networking that you can do with the other future chefs.

Meeting your classmates and instructors in person can lead to networking opportunities you might not otherwise have in an online environment. You could end up working with them at a new eatery in town or go into business together opening up your very own restaurant.

Face Time Encourages Seeking Help

Many students do not feel confident enough to speak up during an instructor's office hours online, because it feels unnatural and bizarre to initiate a chat session to discuss whatever topic the student may be struggling with.

In person, students are far more likely to ask simple "five-minute questions" of their instructors, so you will be more likely to feel comfortable with simply talking to the instructor instead of going through a process that could feel like starting a help ticket on a website.

Getting Direct Help in a Classroom

Direct help is different from the comfort zone you may have in seeking help, as this is when the instructor can come to you directly to identify and fix any issues you may be having with the course material. When your instructor is online, very often they will not see what techniques you are using most of the time -- the system is set up to be repetitive instead of adaptive. In a real-life class setting, your instructor can see how you are setting up the kitchen environment and adapt your methods immediately if anything is wrong.

Rapid Updates for Culinary Students

The culinary world is one where innovations happen surprisingly often, and online courses can struggle to keep up with this. If a new restaurant opened in town last week, a course module will not likely cover this change to the local scene. In a real-world class setting, however, your instructor can encourage you to check it out, and even make recommendations on the menu to let you experience how the professionals operate.

Additionally, laws and rules surrounding restaurants change and online courses might not be able to tell you the most current regulations surrounding how you keep food safe and fresh. Often, in-person classes lend themselves to more presentation of real-world experiences that may be both enjoyable and very informative.

Hands-On Experience while in Culinary School

In a commercial kitchen, the stress of having to rapidly produce for hungry paying customers means that you must essentially hit the ground running. In a class setting, you have the physical parts of a commercial kitchen ready for your use, only at a slower and more relaxed pace.

However, an in-person instructor can run a “stress test” in which you are expected to produce a meal at full restaurant speed, often for real people, as an assessment of both how well you know the materials and how well you can perform under pressure. This is extremely difficult to do in an online setting.

Are you passionate about cooking and want to take your love for preparing food to the next level? If you’re interested in earning an Associates of Applied Science degree in Culinary Arts, consider ECPI University for your education. With an accelerated schedule and hands-on learning, you could earn your degree in as little as 15 months. Contact a friendly admissions advisor today to discuss your future.

It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!

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