As the winter approaches, getting out of bed and going to class becomes a struggle. We all need some sort of motivation, and food is definitely one of them. It is not merely a dream to enjoy delicious food, gain knowledge and earn college credits at the same time. In fact, many food-related NYU courses have been around, just waiting for you to take them.

If you need cooking experience… Intro to Foods and Food Science

NUTR-UE 86, 3 credits

One of the most popular courses offered by the Nutrition and Dietetics department in Steinhardt, “Intro to Foods and Food Science” consists of a two-hour lecture and a lab session each week and includes a great combination of theory and practice. After the lab instructors perform a full demonstration of how to make a dish, students are divided into groups of four or six to reproduce it. From cutting to stewing, every detail is instructed and supervised by the very best chefs, making the class a favorite for students like Steinhardt sophomore Siqing Song.

“It is definitely my favorite class so far,” Song said.

She added that the class starts with teaching basic knife skills and cooking techniques.

“Since I had no culinary experience before I went to a university, the class gave me lots of hands-on experience related to food,” she said.

There are two versions of the class: one for nutrition majors only and another open to all NYU students.

If you need to fulfill your CAS Natural Science Requirement… Nutrition and Health 

NUTR-UE 119, 3 credits

Nutrition and Health is a theoretical class focused on the nutritional value of our daily diet and knowledge related to diseases such diabetes and obesity. This three-credit class is a part of the nutrition department and attracts a lot of fitness lovers, like LS sophomore Shaun Wang.

“I originally took this class to fulfill my natural science requirement, but it turned out to be a lot of fun,” Wang said.

Indeed, this course satisfies the Natural Science requirement for non-nutrition majors and is a Liberal Studies CORE equivalent. However, what really amazed Wang were the useful facts on nutrition and the interesting projects.

“I think it’s important to know what we are eating everyday,” Wang said. “I really recommend this class.”

If you aspire to be a wine connoisseur… Beverages

FOOD-UE 1025, 2 credits

As the name indicates, this class is all about a college student’s best friend — drinking, only a bit fancier. The course includes the history and production of different beverages as well as methods to recognize the ages of different wines. Students get to taste alcohol from different times and places. The course was a favorite for Steinhardt alumna Lili Zhu.

“It’s very interesting,” Zhu said. “People always get a little bit tipsy toward the end of the class.”

Only students over age 21 are able to register for this class.

If you like to explore different cuisines… Techin/Regional Cuisine 

FOOD-UE 1183, 2 credits

This two-credit class is an advanced version of “Intro To Foods and Food Science,” but instead of categorizing different food material, it introduces cuisine by different regions of the world.

“We had a lot of field trips,” said Zhu, who took the course her junior year. “We went to Chinatown for tea and Flushing for dim sum.”

This class is offered to non-majors but requires UE 85 as a prerequisite.

Your tuition allows you to take up to 18 credits, so next time you have some room for extra credits in your schedule, consider using them to improve your cooking skills.

A version of this article appeared in the Monday, Nov. 7 print edition. Email Diya Jiang at [email protected].