Cooking classes are becoming increasingly popular with good reason: you get to eat good food, you don’t have to do the dishes, and you learn enough skills to impress your guests at your next dinner party. The bonus is meeting new people and having a great time while learning something new.

An educational and vocational center that was established in 2008 by Hande Bozdoğan, Istanbul Culinary Institute (ICI) offers professional certificate programs as well as amateur cooking classes (taught by ICI instructor chefs as well as guest chefs) in their modern building in the heart of Beyoğlu. Their monthly schedule includes a variety of classes from Turkish cooking and Italian cooking to pastry-making and basic kitchen skills. No need to worry if ICI doesn’t have a cooking class to your liking—you can book a private class or group class (of at least 5 people) to learn dishes from the cuisine of your choice.

To give you an idea about how ICI courses work, The Guide team embarked on a cooking adventure of its own.

Here is what happened.

Taught by guest chef Laçin Behlil, the menu of the Impressive Dishes course included shrimp with garlic and feta cheese sauce, baked sea bass with olive and bell peppers, potatoes with bay leaf, and baked pears with sweet wine sauce. There were 5 participants, including the two of us from the Guide, and the atmosphere was very friendly and intimate. Don’t worry if you’re not experienced, this is not a competitive environment at all.

The 2.5-hour class kicked off with each person introducing themselves. In no time, we had our aprons on and were standing by our designated spots to get going. In some classes, participants form pairs to tackle the recipes. During our course, we didn’t work in pairs; instead, each participant was assigned a separate task, such as chopping garlic, cutting potatoes, or preparing the sauce. Certain time-consuming preparations, such as deboning the fish, were done by the assistants prior to the class starting time. All ingredients used in the class were high quality and fresh, including the impressively large shrimp.

It was surely a hands-on course and it was taught in such a way that even the most inexperienced cooks could keep up. As we cut, chopped, and mixed ingredients, the chef kept on giving us little tricks and tips on how to alter the recipe—which is probably one of the best aspects of taking a cooking class because most cook books will give you a recipe without offering you any varieties. If you like to play it safe, you can take a course to learn how to make a fantastic dish so that when you have guests over you know that you’ll be able to impress.

After we were done with the cooking, we all sat at the table, sipping our choice of red or white wine, chatting away, and waiting for the oven to do its magic. Once everything was ready and the food was served, silence took over for a few minutes: we were all very hungry but also amazed at how marvelous the dishes had turned out.

If you’re after a great learning experience and an enjoyable evening, the amateur classes are definitely for you. Call ICI when you’re in Istanbul (or even before you arrive) to book a spot at one of their cooking classes or reserve a time for a private/group class. You’ll see that it is a great investment—one that will pay off months after you leave as you’ll be able to cook great Turkish food at home.

The bookings depend on the availability of chefs and the ICI kitchen. Most instructor chefs can teach in English as well, but it’s safer to call in advance to let them know if you’ll be needing instructions in English. If the chef doesn’t speak English, there will be an assistant present who can translate. The prices for monthly courses are approximately 120 TL. If you’re after a private or group course, you will be given a separate price. Ask them about team-building, corporate cooking courses, and gift certificates. Call (0212) 251 22 14 for more information and to register.