Cooking is more than just a daily necessity—it's a cultural experience, a bonding activity, and a life skill that connects people across the globe. Whether you're preparing a weekday meal or celebrating a special occasion, food plays a central role. But for many, learning how to cook international cuisines can be challenging—where do you start, and who do you learn from?
That’s where Otao Kitchen steps in. Based in Melbourne, Otao Kitchen offers a unique solution for food lovers and travellers alike by providing hands-on cooking classes that celebrate multicultural cuisine and culture. More than just a cooking school, it’s a space where authentic food traditions are preserved, shared, and celebrated.
Otao Kitchen offers a wide variety of cooking classes—from Vietnamese, Thai, and Japanese to Greek, Indian, Mexican, Korean, Spanish, and even dumpling-making workshops. Their classes cater to individuals, groups, tourists, and even corporate team-building events.
The pandemic reshaped the way we live, learn, and connect—especially for children and teens. With extended lockdowns and months of disrupted schooling, many families struggled to find meaningful ways to keep kids engaged at home. At Otao Kitchen on Victoria Street, we saw this challenge as an opportunity to do something truly special: teach young people to cook—online, interactively, and joyfully.
We all know how important the right kitchen knife set can be. But then comes the question of which set to get: Sharp Japanese steel that makes quick work of meal prep or a cheaper one? We have been using these items in our cooking school for the last few years.
To help you find the best kitchen knife set for your needs, we’ve turned to reviews from actual customers who have purchased and used these knives for themselves.
When it comes to Asian household, everyone will have one of these. Cheap and Cheerful. The cleaver is mostly used to slice boneless meats, chop, slice. It is an excellent tool for smashing garlic and ginger and also use it to transfer food from cutting board to wok or frying pan. You can use for cut meat such as chicken, beef for making minced meats. It is multi-purpose kitchen knives. This Thai cleaver looks much like the butcher cleavers familiar in butcher shops in the west, but thinner. Made from high quality stainless steel. The blade is around 20 cm long, 28 cm height and 15 cm wood handle. Product of Thailand.
Buy On Amazon Fr $33.92
Santoku means three virtues is a blade-style perfect for chopping, mincing and dicing vegetables. This 16.5 cm Wasabi Black is the handy knife you'll turn to again and again in your kitchen. This Wasabi line of knives is made in the traditional Japanese blade styling. To reduce food sticking, the blades are sharpened on a single side or sometimes being slotted. Although it has a traditional blade-style, it is paired with a uniquely modern handle material, polypropylene blended with bamboo powder, and impregnated with an agent for super clean food preparation.
Buy On Amazon Fr $48.97
The cut resistant gloves let you handle your grater, knives, and mandolin slicer while worrying less about bandaging a finger or worse. Great for the kids too.
Made of food-safe ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, glass fibre and Spandex, these gloves have been designed to resist cuts from even the sharpest blades. We use these gloves for clients to make a salad so they don't cut themselves. Different Size.
NoCry Cut Resistant Gloves with Secure-Grip Microdots and Level 5 Cut Protection. Comfort-Fit. Food Grade, Size Medium. Includes Free eCookbook!![""]("//ir-au.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=otaokitchen-22&l=am2&o=36&a=B01FQXLSLA")
When your kitchen knives are being used during every service you'll need to revive the blade to keep it sharp.
Just a few minutes using the 400 grit side and you'll restore dull blades. A few more minutes on the 1000 grit side and that edge will be sharper than before.
Wet the whetstone's surface to float away from the swarf. The silicone base keeps the whetstone in place, so you can keep a consistent angle.
Buy On Amazon from $26.99
If you enjoy Indian cuisine, chances are you’ve come across garam masala — a warm, fragrant spice blend that adds depth and complexity to curries, soups, stews, and marinades. Whether you have a jar in your pantry or you're curious to make your own, let’s explore what makes this spice mix so special.
Garam masala literally means “hot spices” in Hindi — but not hot as in spicy. Instead, the “heat” refers to the warming qualities of the spices on the body, according to Ayurvedic tradition. It’s a staple in North Indian cooking, where it’s used as a finishing spice or stirred in while cooking to enhance flavour.
This aromatic blend typically includes cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, cumin, coriander seeds, black peppercorns, and nutmeg. Some regional variations also use mace, fennel seeds, bay leaves, or mustard seeds. Each household or restaurant may have its own unique version, so garam masala can taste slightly different every time you try it.
The debate between gas and charcoal grilling has been raging for decades. Which is better? The answer isn’t so simple—it depends on your priorities: flavour, convenience, cost, and control.
At Otao Kitchen, we believe that understanding both methods empowers you to make the most of your outdoor cooking experience, whether you're firing up the BBQ at home or learning with us at one of our grilling masterclasses.
