We took a 3.5-hour evening glass for 700 baht. You are able (as a group) to decide on four different Thai dishes out of a small cookbook, which you get to keep. The cookbook has about 30 different recipes and also has colored pictures, tips, and descriptions about the different Thai ingredients.

Baan Thai actually means Thai home, and the school is part of the founder’s home. The classes are small (there were eight in ours), and the cooking is actually hands-on. We each had our own wok and cooking space, and we all got to eat our own food when we were done (so come hungry).

Once all the students arrived, we very democratically decided on the dishes we would make. We chose Chiang Mai noodles (a northern Thai specialty), spring rolls, papaya salad, and mango with sticky rice. We also had the choice of either going to the market to gather the ingredients or learning to make curry paste from scratch. We chose to make the curry paste for our Chiang Mai noodles. This was fun and informative, but be prepared to do some labor. We all sat in a circle and chopped our hearts out. No food processors here! What I learned most from that experience is that it is worth the money to buy it in the stores!

Our instructor was a young girl probably in her early 20’s. She spoke very good English and kept us entertained with a few jokes. They even take pictures of you while you are cooking and then post them on the Internet for you to download. This was a great experience and not only gave us insight into Thai cooking but also allowed us to meet other travelers. We also had a full belly at the end since all our food came out wonderfully thanks to the careful guidance provided.

You may want to check out their website at www.cookinthai.com since they also offer all-day classes, too.