Top Chef University

It’s easy to sit back, watch an episode of Top Chef and think, “I’d be good at that.” Now you can prove it. Try on your chef’s whites and learn from the expert culinarians at Top Chef University, the most comprehensive, user-friendly culinary academy on the web. Best part: You get to learn from home.

Based on the Emmy-nominated Bravo series of the same name and featuring content from some of the show’s most popular chef-testants, Top Chef University offers more than 200 in-depth lessons in 12 course categories, from Kitchen Basics and Technique to Entertaining to Molecular and Advanced Culinary Skills.

Users can purchase one course per month for $24.95 or gain immediate access to the entire curriculum for a year for $199.95. It is a fraction of the cost of traditional culinary school and provides access to virtual courses 24/7, like Vegetables, Eggs, Dairy, Cheese and Poultry/Pig, to name a few. Along the way, you’ll be tested on your culinary acumen and receive report cards that track your progress towards the Top Chef certification. Interactive features include webinars with some of the chefs, as well as forums where members can post questions to be answered by accomplished and hand-picked experts in the culinary field. Although you won’t end up with a bonafide culinary degree, you’ll have enough experience under your belt to be an awe-inspiring home chef. —Denise Shoukas

Denise Shoukas is a regular foodspring.com contributor and is the author of foodspring’s food forager blog.