Curriculum

Online Cooking Course Curriculum

Penn Foster’s online Gourmet Cooking courses will cover how to create stocks, sauces, and soups, baking and pastry, breakfast, garde manger, and world cuisines. It also includes cooking labs and videos so you can start impressing family and friends in no time!

Gourmet Cooking Certificate

Certificate

3 months

As low as $59/mo

Full Program Overview

1-800-275-4410 (9AM - 9PM ET)

Online Cooking Course Curriculum

8 courses
28.7 Continuing Education Units (CEUs)
18 exams

Estimated completion time:

Fast track = 3 months
Average time = 7 months

With Penn Foster, you can learn at whatever pace works best for you. Some learners will be more comfortable moving faster, and dedicating more time, and the fast track estimate will apply to them. The average track will apply to most learners who can dedicate a few hours per week to completing their coursework. The estimated completion times are based on completion times for learners enrolled in this program from May 2021 - April 2022, excluding withdrawals.

In this course, you’ll learn about the ideal layout and design of a gourmet kitchen, the fundamental recipes for making stocks, sauces, and soups, and to appreciate subtle nuances of flavor and texture.

By the end of this course, you’ll be able to:
- Understand how to use your Student Portal.
- Access the Penn Foster Community and use it to find answers.
- Connect with Penn Foster on various social media sites.
- Design, set up, and present buffets.
- Create basic and advanced food presentations.
- Identify and use bouquet garni, sachet d’épices, mirepoix, and clarified butter.
- Prepare stocks and sauces.
- Learn about soup ingredients and preparation.
This course teaches the essentials about fruits, vegetables, and herbs, and the primary cooking methods.

By the end of this course, you’ll be able to:
- Identify fruits, vegetables, and herbs.
- Prepare and cook basic vegetable recipes.
- Understand the effects of herbs in recipes.
In this course you’ll learn to cook remarkable, mouth-watering recipes for beef, veal, lamb, and pork.

By the end of this course, you’ll be able to:
- Identify cuts of meat.
- Cook, plate, and serve beef, pork, lamb, and veal.
This course will teach you how to add variety to your diet by preparing different cuts of poultry and cooking it using various methods. You’ll also be able to apply the strong foundation of cooking methods you’ve learned to less familiar meats, such as bison, caribou, and emu.

By the end of this course, you’ll be able to:
- Roast, deep poach, and sauté poultry to experiment with different flavors.
- Define the basics of poultry and game, including cuts and trussing.
In this course, you’ll learn to take advantage of the wealth of available fish and shellfish by experimenting with the many preparation techniques to create light, healthful fish and shellfish dishes.

By the end of this course, you’ll be able to:
- Identify, clean, and prepare fresh and saltwater fish and shellfish.
- Boil, broil, and fry fish and shellfish.
This course will familiarize you with the many flavors and textures of legumes, grains, and pasta.

By the end of this course, you’ll be able to:
- Identify different types of grains, legumes, and pasta.
- Cook, simmer, and sort grains.
- Make your own fresh pasta, and determine what sauce goes best with your fresh, homemade pasta.
This course will teach you how to create delicious baked goods.

By the end of this course, you’ll be able to:
- Identify the ingredients most often used in baking.
- Identify the differences between yeast breads and quick breads.
- Cook sugar and whip egg whites.
- Prepare pastries, cookies, dessert sauces, and creams.
In this final course of gourmet cooking, you’ll learn about breakfast delights, tasty sandwiches, appetizers, and hors d’oeuvres, as well as culinary practices around the world.

By the end of this course, you’ll be able to:
- Learn about dairy products and eggs.
- Make eggs, omelets, soufflés, and quiche.
- Compare a soft-boiled egg and a poached egg.
- Describe the primary elements of garde manger.
- Create charcuterie.

Note: We reserve the right to change program content and materials when it becomes necessary.