In this Alice Waters MasterClass review, we’ll find out whether or not giving time to this course is worth your money and time!
I’m a decent cook.
But I always keep looking to improve my skills in the kitchen.
And therefore, after completing Gordon Ramsay’s MasterClass, I hopped on Alice Waters’ course.
The Alice Waters MasterClass on Home Cooking is necessary for those who prefer cooking delicious food themselves at home rather than eating out daily.
Therefore, I completed the course on the weekend and was ready to implement key takeaways in my daily routine (read further for those learnings).
So, is it worth it for those new to this course or planning to enroll?
We will be finding out by the end of this review.
Hence, for all that and more, let’s get straight into it!
Alice Waters MasterClass: Quick Summary
Check out a quick sneak peek into Alice Waters Teaches Home Cooking MasterClass.
What you’ll learn: The Chez Panisse founder Alice Waters teaches you her principles and art of home cooking, picking seasonal vegetables from the farm, and preparing a meal that satisfies your soul.
Course duration: 3 hours 47 minutes long, divided into 17 video lessons
Best pairs with Gordon Ramsay Teaches Cooking I, Gordon Ramsay Teaches Cooking II, Thomas Keller Cooking Teaches Cooking Techniques
Recommendation: I recommend this MasterClass for every cooking enthusiast, whether beginner or experienced, as this course teaches you something new and essential to implement in your kitchen for better food results. A 10/10 course for home cooks!
About MasterClass
(Skip this section if you are not striking with the ‘MasterClass’ for the first time or already read my hands-on MasterClass review.)
Have you ever taken an online course on Udemy, EdX, Coursera, or any of the other platforms that offer many courses?
If yes, then MasterClass will feel similar to you!
Those new to MasterClass can understand it as an online platform providing courses in various categories.
The platform offers 180+ MasterClass courses covering various topics such as cooking, home and lifestyle, business, arts, entertainment, music, sports, and more.
About Alice Waters
Alice Waters is the founder of the world-renowned Chez Panisse restaurant.
The restaurant is primarily known for its farm-to-table style and direct relationships with local farmers to supply ingredients.
Chez Panisse was opened in 1971, and even after 50 years, the famous restaurant still is quite popular.
The restaurant even had a one-star Michelin rating from 2006 to 2009.
Alice Waters is also a food activist and has won several awards, including Restaurant Magazine’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007.
Moreover, she has also been the winner of the James Beard Award multiple times for her various achievements within the culinary arts.
Alice Waters is a world-renowned chef and one of the most influential people in the farm-to-table movement.
Apart from this, she has also published 13 books on cooking.
That means she is an expert in local seasonal ingredients to cook healthier and tastier food at home.
This is what she is going to teach in her MasterClass.
What Does Alice Waters MasterClass Promise To Teach You?
In short, this MasterClass promises to teach you how to find the best seasonal ingredients in the farmer’s markets and create healthier and tastier meals at home.
However, if you dive deep into the course, there are many things that this course teaches you.
“Recipes are the framework. The most important thing is the ingredient, where you find it, how you cook it, and how you will turn it into a beautiful meal,” says Alice Waters in her MasterClass trailer.
Therefore, you can quickly build your expectations from what you will learn from the trailer.
However, to make it easy for you, this is what Alice Waters MasterClass promises to teach you:
- Understanding which food is alive and seasonal
- How to buy food in the farmer’s market
- Not depending upon recipes
- Meal planning and more
So, did this MasterClass live up to its promises? Was it worth taking for?
We’ll find it in the upcoming sections.
But first, let’s talk about the cost of this course.
How Much Does Alice Waters MasterClass Cost?
The Alice Waters MasterClass comes with the annual subscription of MasterClass.
That means there are no pay-per-course plans like Udemy or Coursera.
Fortunately, MasterClass offers you three-tier plans as follows:
- Individual Plan
- Duo Plan
- Family Plan
I have discussed the MasterClass cost in detail here, but for now, let’s have a quick overview of the plans.
Individual Plan
It is the first and cheapest plan on MasterClass.
The MasterClass Individual plan costs $180 per year.
That means you’ll be charged $15 per month on average.
With Individual plan, you get:
- Unlimited access to 180+ premium courses on MasterClass
- Exclusive access to the new courses whenever they get launched on MasterClass
- Access to MasterClass workbook and additional supplemental material with each course
Overall, I found the Individual plan suitable for the Individual learners who want access to MasterClass on one device.
However, under the Individual plan, you don’t get the feature to download the course videos for offline watching.
You have to shift to the other plans available on the platform.
Duo Plan
As the name suggests, MasterClass duo plan is suitable for getting access to MasterClass on two different devices simultaneously.
Therefore, it is best for couples who want to learn together or learners who want to get MasterClass access on two devices.
The duo plan for MasterClass costs $240 per year. That means, on average, it costs $20 per month.
For the price you pay in the duo plan, you also get the feature to download course videos for offline watching, apart from all the features of the Individual plan.
Family Plan
The uppermost plan for MasterClass is the Family Plan.
It costs $23 per month on average and $276 per year.
However, with the Family plan, you can access MasterClass on up to six devices simultaneously under one account.
You get all the Individual and Duo MasterClass plan features with the Family Plan.
It is suitable for learners who want access to MasterClass on multiple devices (up to six). Is MasterClass worth it?
Complete Breakdown Of Alice Waters MasterClass
As you know, Alice Waters’s MasterClass goals, cost, and what to expect are excellent times to dive deep into it.
We’ll break down everything that you get in the course.
Therefore, let’s start with what you can expect when enrolling in the MasterClass.
What Do You Get In Alice Waters MasterClass?
Once you buy the subscription and enroll yourself in the course, this is what you get as an overall course:
| Runtime: | 3 hours 47 minutes |
| Reviews: | 4.5 out of 5 ⭐ |
| Video Lessons: | 17 video lessons |
| Additional Material: | 1 class workbook |
The runtime of the Alice Waters MasterClass is decently long.
You don’t have to sit for long hours or dedicate a week to complete it.
Instead, Alice Waters MasterClass video lessons are around 10 to 15 minutes long.
Therefore, you can quickly complete at least one video lesson in one sitting, even with a busy schedule.
I completed this course on a weekend.
Moreover, there is also an option to switch the video playback speed to 2x, which can easily make you complete the course faster.
However, I don’t recommend that as it might compromise the learning and understanding of the concepts in the course.
Alice Waters MasterClass Course Curriculum
The Alice Waters MasterClass follows a structured curriculum completed in under 4 hours.
These are the structured lesson plans that you’ll be following in the course.
- Alice’s Philosophy of Food
- The Farmer’s Market: Learning From the Source
- A Vegetable Lunch: Roasted, Steamed, and Raw
- Allice’s Essential Kitchen Tools
- A Well-Stocked Pantry
- Cooking For Your Pantry: Alice’s Staples
- Leaves, Herbs, and Aromatics
- Cooking From Your Kitchen Garden: Salsa Verde
- Preparing a Beautiful Salad
- Chez Panisse Cooking: Galette
- Chez Panisse Cooking: Ravioli
- Follow the Rhythms of Nature: Seasonal Eating
- A Market Fresh Dinner: Planning and Prep
- A Market Fresh Dinner: Finish and Serve
- Coming Back to the Table
- The Power of Food: The Edible Schoolyard
- BONUS: Alice’s Egg in a Spoon
These 17 video lessons have a runtime between 10 to 15 minutes, and therefore, you can quickly either binge-watch the whole course or complete it by giving just 20 minutes max each day.
Detailed Breakdown Of Alice Waters MasterClass
Now, it is time for the ultimate breakdown.
We’ll be going through section-wise in the course, and first, let’s start with the lesson summary.
Alice Waters MasterClass Lesson Summary
The beginning of the lessons is entirely around kitchen tools and pantry.
However, even before that, Alice Waters shares her philosophy of food.
She shares her views on the importance of ingredients and how she doesn’t depend on the specific dish and recipe.
After that, Waters herself visits an actual farmer’s market.
She goes through the process of getting the best in-season vegetables, fruits, and protein.
And this is one of the best parts of the course.
Watching Waters put her advice into action by herself makes you understand the learnings easily.
Later, Waters talks in detail about her kitchen tools, pantry, and olive oils.
Most of you might want to skip through the starting section. However, having a well-stocked pantry is the first step towards success in the home kitchen.
“How I stock my pantry allows me to cook in the way I do,” says Waters.
In the pantry section, her daughter, Fanny, also joins in the video as they have co-authored the book “My Pantry.”
According to Waters, her pantry includes everything from vegetables and herb gardens to frozen foods, oils, and spices.
After that, Waters shares her views on food’s seasonality and how to pick suitable ingredients for the right dish throughout the year.
One of the best sections in the course is when Alice shares the recipes and cooking scenes from her renowned restaurant, Chez Panisse.
The section shares exactly how to cook two classics, a beautiful Galette, and light ravioli, from beginning to finish.
After that, Waters takes you through how to make a market-fresh dinner, where you learn from planning to preparation and serving to eat.
(She even says this in her course trailer that she’ll take you through the edible schoolyard project and to her Chez panisse cooking process).
The course was completed beautifully with an “egg in a spoon” recipe and story that works as the dessert after the final meal.
Overall, I found the course aligned with ingredients, not recipes.
It also doesn’t share specific cooking skills; instead, it is mainly aligned towards the right ingredients and preparing them correctly.
Note: Even though Alice is not a vegan or vegetarian, she primarily focuses on meatless ingredients. Even in her workbook, there are only two recipes, and that is only with chicken.
Alice Waters MasterClass Video Lessons Review
Now, you have quickly gone through the lesson overview. Therefore, let’s review the video lessons and my experience with them.
Starting of the Lesson
The start of the course may feel boring to some of you because you only watch Waters discussing various things there.
From her philosophy on food to her views on the pantry and what are the essential things before you step into the kitchen, it is covered initially.
However, lesson 2, “The Farmer’s Market” section, is quite interesting, where you can see Waters visiting a farmer’s market and how she buys fresh ingredients.
After that, Waters walks you through the process of lunch, which is India-inspired and based on the ingredients in her shopping basket.
You learn how to prepare your vegetables in three ways in that section.
Then Waters shares her essential kitchen tools and talks about the minimum tools you can have in the kitchen to get the most out of it.
In lesson 5, Waters takes you through her pantry and how you can keep your pantry stocked with fresh ingredients.
Alice Waters MasterClass Middle Section of the Course
From lesson 6 onwards to lesson 12, you will follow all things about cooking and recipes that Alice regularly uses in her Chez Panisse.
These lessons are the main chunk of the course.
Here, you learn how to prepare a beautiful salad with a seasonal and sustainable eating guide.
However, I’ll not spoil this special section for you and recommend watching it by enrolling in the course.
But overall, you’ll find various recipes, guides, and tons of cooking tips in your kitchen.
Alice Waters MasterClass Ending of the Course
From lesson 13 onwards, you’ll learn how to prepare a fresh market dinner.
And Alice covers everything from preparing to serving and eating.
The course is completed with a bonus lesson where you’ll find Alice’s Egg in Spoon recipe.
In a nutshell, I found the video lessons informative and engaging (especially when Alice herself does the job).
By the end of the course, you’ll find out that it is not only the recipe that makes a dish special but the ingredient that makes or breaks a meal’s taste and nutrients.
Alice Waters MasterClass Supplemental Material
There is a 77-page long workbook included with Alice Waters MasterClass.
With every MasterClass course, you get a workbook PDF, which you even get in this course.
The beautiful part about this workbook is that it begins with a heartfelt letter from Alice to any student.
However, the workbook includes a chapter for each lesson and provides recipes and instructions for some recipes that Alice loves.
For example, the sixth video lesson has an oat pancake recipe. You can find that in the workbook of the MasterClass.
The workbook also consists of Alice’s philosophy on food.
You’ll also find further resources and suggestions for reading about food and Alice’s work.
Like the course, I found it a perfectly balanced workbook as it provides easy access to recipes you might be looking for apart from the usual stuff (summaries, guides, instructions, etc.).
Alice Waters MasterClass Community
The MasterClass Hub or the Alice Waters community page is not that active.
However, with every course, you get a community page or space to interact with peer learners, ask your doubts, seek feedback, and share your opinions.
The space is managed by the MasterClass team and not by Alice Waters herself.
However, you can ask in the space if you have any doubts. The MasterClass team tends to reply quickly.
Does Alice Waters MasterClass Keep Its Promises?
Finally, after completing the course, the ultimate question is – did this course keep its promises?
Did it teach you what it promised?
Well, the answer is yes!
The course kept its promises.
Initially, the course promised to teach you about picking your own food ingredients, buying fresh from the market, planning meals, and not depending on recipes.
And by the end of the course, Alice Waters teaches everything.
However, this course is not solely on recipes or how to cook but more on making a perfectly delicious meal.
Though Alice shares a few recipes from her Chez Panisse.
Overall, I found this course worthy of my time as it initially taught me what it promised.
The lessons are amazingly structured through a curriculum to provide the learnings you can implement in your kitchen.
Pros And Cons Of Alice Waters MasterClass
Here are the pros and cons of taking this course.
Pros:
- Learn from a chef, food activist, and affectionate instructor with a charismatic character
- Follow a step-by-step guide on preparing a meal rather than just settling for a “quick meal.”
- Learn how to pick the fresh ingredients and store your pantry with healthy and seasonal options
- Explore how to get the most out of your seasons and cook tasty and more nutritious meals.
- Kitchen essentials to cooking like a pro, learn everything
Cons:
- The course is more towards farmers’ market and fresh, organic produce, which means it will not be suitable for everyone
- The course has no basic skills sections, like knife skills and sauteing.
Is Alice Waters MasterClass Worth It?
After considering everything in the course, the Alice Waters Teaches Home Cooking MasterClass is 100% worth it.
However, you need some basic kitchen skills, like knife skills and sauteing, to get the most out of the recipes shared in the course.
Ultimately, the purpose of the course is to teach you how to prepare your meal from the fresh ingredients of the farmers’ market and serve on the table.
The back process of a delicious and tastier meal depends on the recipe and the ingredients, which this course explains beautifully.
The course inspires you to cook more through locally-grown food and makes you understand the importance of “seasonal cooking.”
I noticed how passionately Alice cooks something, relying more on taste and instincts than the recipe.
It comes from years of experience, but she makes it more accessible and acceptable by inspiring you through her journey.
I can honestly confess that after watching the course, I went into the kitchen and prepared a fresh salad with homemade dressing without any recipe.
This course is for you if you want to learn the basics of a ‘tasty and healthy’ meal, especially if you are an aspiring cook or looking to become a better home cook.
5 Lessons From Alice Waters MasterClass That I Learned
There are a lot of learnings in the course, but here are the five lessons that I picked from this MasterClass course.
1. Ask Questions
The course dedicated ample time to the importance of fresh produce and buying from local farmers’ markets.
And it clearly states to ask more questions about what you are buying.
Your farmer or grocer will know more about the seasonal fruit bowl, and vegetables than you do.
So ask them about their product.
You can ask questions like:
- Where did it come from, and how far away?
- Is the fish sustainably caught?
- Questions related to the ripening of fruits
These questions will help you find the right ingredients before you put them into your pantry for cooking according to your needs.
2. Go For Seasonal Ingredients
You can prefer buying seasonal vegetables and then decide what to make for lunch or dinner.
Going for something available according to season is always an excellent choice.
3. Taste > Assumption
Alice says, “You think you may know what a tomato or a carrot tastes like – but nothing compares to the fresh-picked in-season produce.”
When picking your produce, do not assume what it tastes like based on previous experiences.
4. Don’t Throw Overripe Fruit
You can store overripe fruit in the freezer for use in homemade jams and jellies.
5. Panty’s Importance
Don’t take your pantry lightly.
What you keep in your pantry directly impacts the taste of the final dish.
Do not fall for the cheap oil, flour, or dried pasta.
Instead, you can choose your favorite virgin olive oil, pasta brands, spices, and herbs.
Good Things About Alice Waters MasterClass
Considering learning, there are tons of it.
And considering the good things about this course, many of them exist.
First, Alice Waters herself is a very charismatic and calm personality.
Her voice and delivery are calm and provide a relaxing experience to watch.
You’ll feel neither bored nor distracted with her delivery. And that gives this course another plus point.
Another good thing about this course is the content.
The lessons are designed beautifully to provide almost everything that can make you a better cook at home.
Bad Things About Alice Waters MasterClass
Not bad, but the slight feasibility of the learnings to implement practically from the course is impossible for everyone.
This is because it’s not possible to access farmers’ markets.
Therefore, many of us have to rely on Costco or Aldi. And it is also not feasible to visit the farmers’ market a couple of times a week.
It is why many people cannot get the best of the crop.
Hence, some of Alice’s recipes rely on fresh vegetables and ingredients, which might not turn out as delicious as Alice’s.
FAQs About Alice Waters Teaches Home Cooking MasterClass
Alice Waters MasterClass includes 17 video lessons, one workbook, and one community space where learners can engage with each other.
Alice Waters MasterClass comes with an annual subscription to MasterClass, which is available in the three-tier plans.
Individual, Duo, and Family plans are available at $180, $240, and $276 per year.
Alice Waters MasterClass is 100% worth it if you want to become a better home cook or improve your home cooking skills.
The course has everything from the basics (like Alice’s essential kitchen tools to planning of meal) of ingredients to making and delivering one of the best meals to your loved ones, with a focus on seasonal vegetable purchasing.
The Alice Waters MasterClass takes 3 hours and 47 minutes to complete, but there is also an option to switch the playback speed up to 2x, with which you can quickly complete the course under 2 hours or less.
Verdict: Do I Recommend Alice Waters MasterClass?
Considering everything in the course, I highly recommend Alice Waters MasterClass.
Especially for the home cooks.
The course is informative, teaches something different than usual, and has learnings to implement in the kitchen, making it very practical.
Also, the recipes shared by Alice Waters are worth trying if you want to cook something special today!
Here’s the trailer for the course. You can have a quick overview of it:
Contents
- 1 Alice Waters MasterClass: Quick Summary
- 1.1 About Alice Waters
- 1.2 What Does Alice Waters MasterClass Promise To Teach You?
- 1.3 How Much Does Alice Waters MasterClass Cost?
- 1.4 Complete Breakdown Of Alice Waters MasterClass
- 1.5 Detailed Breakdown Of Alice Waters MasterClass
- 1.6 Does Alice Waters MasterClass Keep Its Promises?
- 1.7 Pros And Cons Of Alice Waters MasterClass
- 2 Is Alice Waters MasterClass Worth It?