Back in May, I put up a post with links to free education resources, which I had started as part of my job during COVID.  The amount of free education out there online is staggering. If you don’t care about certification or diplomas, just about learning stuff, the world is filled with people who will teach you. Because, in spite of what the news wants you to believe, most human beings are pretty awesome.

To avoid overwhelm, I’m breaking up the things I have come across by subject. Today’s topic are some free classes about food and wine. Many of these dive deep into culinary science or history. I haven’t taken them yet, so I can’t review them properly, but feel free to ping me with feedback if you’ve given them a go.

Cooking & Baking

Harvard University – Science & Cooking
Taught by top chefs and Harvard researchers that explores how traditional and modernist cooking techniques can illuminate basic principles in chemistry, physics, and engineering.
https://www.edx.org/course/science-cooking-from-haute-cuisine-to-soft-matte-2

Home Made Cooking
Free online cooking classes with real chefs, real people, and really good food.
https://www.homemadecooking.com/

Institute of Culinary Education
Online versions of consistently sold-out classes with new menus and professional chef instruction via live video.
https://www.ice.edu/about/events/free-online-cooking-classes

The Art of Baking with Yuppiechef
Understand the basics of baking, including easy cake chemistry, pantry essentials and the golden rules of baking.
https://www.udemy.com/course/art-of-baking/  

Cuisinart Culinary School
(Via YouTube playlist)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojZIgseX7Xo&list=PLzI9I8xeK5kSkzn6mmMu-yM92EJ_4kHjs

Fermentology  
NC State: A series of short talks (20 minutes on average) about the culture, history and science behind the foods you have at home. (If you are into the science of sourdough, check this one out)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_cwC71gfzk&list=PLsSlVlDbPkFQrvOUmjuhFbo92RkbVzYwh

Wine

World of Wine: From Grape to Glass
University of Adelaide, through ED/X
An introduction to the world of wine, including viticulture, winemaking, and wine appreciation with diverse instructors and guest lecturers.
https://www.edx.org/course/world-of-wine-from-grape-to-glass

Wine Tasting: Sensory Techniques for Wine Analysis,
University of California (Davis) through Coursera:
An introductory-level course on professional sensory analysis of wine from a renowned teacher.
https://cpe.ucdavis.edu/section/wine-tasting-sensory-techniques-wine-analysis-coursera

An Introduction to Wines
Learn the most up-to-date techniques of wine preparation, blending and storage with this free online course.
https://alison.com/course/an-introductory-course-on-wines

Napa Valley Cultivating Excellence Videos
Napa Valley Cultivating Excellence is engaging wine content digging into what makes the Napa Valley America’s premier winegrowing region. Explore the unique geological formation of the valley, why it is the ideal climate to grow grapes, historical milestones and the tradition of leadership that continues today.
https://napavintners.com/trade/napa-valley-cultivating-excellence/

Rioja Wine Academy
RWA courses will take your knowledge of Rioja to the next level and increase your confidence when choosing a Rioja wine or when talking about it, whether with friends, clients or wine students.
https://riojawineacademy.com/en/home

In the medieval world, when the first western universities formed, they did not have physical facilities. Classes were taught in whatever space was available, including churches or homes. A university was not a physical space, but a collection of individuals, banded together as universitas (Latin for “the whole,” the entire self-regulating community of teachers and scholars).

When the world shutdown for COVID in 2020, I had a weekly task of sending out education opportunities for the members of the Local I worked for.  I continued that task for many more months through the pandemic, but instead of classes offered by the Local (since we couldn’t meet in-person), I would find what was available online. Some opportunities have since gone away, or now require payment, but what I ultimately discovered was there are more ongoing free education hours available than one person could take in a lifetime. I eventually added TED talks and How Stuff Works articles on all kinds of topics, including those being discussed during that tumultuous summer.

The list I eventually created was, well, extraordinary. And long. Like really, really long.  But if you’d like to join my universitas, here’s some basics:

Free College Classes
Free Ivy League classes (a master list)

Open Yale Courses
Coursera: Yale, Duke 
Harvard University Classes: HarvardX,   Harvard (Free Courses) 
Carnegie Mellon University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Stanford University
UC Berkeley
UCLA (Extension) 

Resources for Free Books:
Open Library: https://openlibrary.org/
Open Culture:https://www.openculture.com/
Project Gutenberg: https://www.gutenberg.org/
Google Books: https://books.google.com/
Free Audio Books: http://www.openculture.com/freeaudiobooks

LA Public Library online Learning resources:
https://www.lapl.org/collections-resources/online-learning
There are so many free resources here, LinkedIn Learning, Mango (Language), Craftsy, Great Courses, Gale, Coursera,  ArtistWorks music lessons… If you are not in Los Angeles, check your local Library system.  And while we’re at it, if your local library is under fire: List of public libraries with non-resident borrowing privileges.

Lately there has been some attention drawn to Harvard’s government classes, so here are a few I found (and – side note – these have been available for awhile):

We the People: Civic Engagement in a Constitutional Democracy
U.S. Political Institutions: Congress, Presidency, Courts and Bureaucracy
Citizen Politics in America: Public Opinion, Interest Groups, and the Media
U.S. Public Policy: Social, Economic, and Foreign Policies
American Government: Constitutional Foundations

I haven’t been able to take these myself, so if you do, feel free to drop a comment about how there were.

This wonderful learning opportunity was suggested as an add by a friend: 
YIVO – Institute for Jewish Research – dedicated to the preservation and study of the history and culture of East European Jewry worldwide. Online Self paced classes are here.

I’ll add some other posts with specific topics in coming days and weeks. Did I mention that list was long?