Anyone ever take cooking classes?

[Mountain Cat]

If so, what did you take?

For me, I have taken two formal cooking classes, both were a few hours long over a two day weekend, and we got to eat what we made afterwards. (The Silo, New Milford, CT, USA)

I took a Greek class, and I wish I could remember the instructor's name. Cooking egg and lemon into Greek soups or other dishes without scrambling them was the most worthwhile thing I learned that weekend.

I also took an Indian cooking class, taught by Suvir Saran, who has two cookbooks out at last I noticed. The biggest take home I got for that was in adding in most of the ingredients to your pan individually, rather than dumping them in all at once. That most things cook at different rates.

I am also in a cooking group where we learn recipes together, along with techniques some of us know better about than others. Just before COVID hit, I learned about making / cooking east Asian dumplings. Alas, that pandemic is not helping our communal learning processes for a variety of foods. We did get together this summer to learn how to make water kefir - warm and breezy out, socially distanced, masked and all.

And, as for any of you?

 

[MypinchofItaly]

Funny enough, I am going to collaborate with Italian cooks/chefs for a cooking class (on-line at the moment because of Covid).
Few years ago I have taken a formal cooking class in Milano about patisserie and bread making. It has been very useful and I’ve also met very nice people. It was nice at the end of the lessons eating our creations all together

 

[TastyReuben]

Yes, there are a few places around that offer cooking classes. We've taken several.

Where we've gone, they offer a few different types; demo classes (like a cooking show and everyone eats), hands-on classes (you cook along with the instructors and everyone eats), classes that are cuisine-specific, classes that deal with wine/beer pairings, themed classes, and "field-trip" classes, where they hold it somewhere off-site, like a winery.

The classes we've taken:

Couples Cook Italian
Grilled Pizza Party
Couples Cook German
English Tea Party
British Pub Night
And a few I'm forgetting

Each class was 2-4 hours.

 

[Hemulen]

Yes, there are a few places around that offer cooking classes. We've taken several.
- - -
British Pub Night
- - -
Each class was 2-4 hours.

British Pub Night cooking class. You must've been canned . 2-4 hours of fish and chips with mashed peas (and ale), steak & kidney pudding (with ale) and bangers & mash (with ale).

I've never had formal cooking classes - just watched better chefs than me cooking. I've dreamed of having cooking classes in Palermo. I visited the city a couple of years ago but at the time I thought cooking classes weren't worth the money. After experiencing the multifaceted (Roman->Gothic->Byzantine->Saracen/Arabic->Norman->German/Roman->Spanish->Neapolitan) history and culture of the place, visiting the wonderful fresh food markets and enjoying all the tasty meals at local restaurants - I repented my parsimony.

 

[TastyReuben]

British Pub Night cooking class. You must've been canned . 2-4 hours of fish and chips with mashed peas (and ale), steak & kidney pudding (with ale) and bangers & mash (with ale).

I've never had formal cooking classes - just watched better chefs than me cooking. I've dreamed of having cooking classes in Palermo. I visited the city a couple of years ago but at the time I thought cooking classes weren't worth the money. After experiencing the multifaceted (Roman->Gothic->Byzantine->Saracen/Arabic->Norman->German/Roman->Spanish->Neapolitan) history and culture of the place, visiting the wonderful fresh food markets and enjoying all the tasty meals at local restaurants - I repented my parsimony.

It was excellent, and for the international cuisines, they always bring in someone from that country, to lend an air of legitimacy we'd otherwise not have.

The best thing about it, it introduced me to a delightful Fall/Winter beer, a Charles Wells Bombardier.

 

[Hemulen]

It was excellent, and for the international cuisines, they always bring in someone from that country, to lend an air of legitimacy we'd otherwise not have.

The best thing about it, it introduced me to a delightful Fall/Winter beer, a Charles Wells Bombardier.

, I didn't mean to criticize, just add a lame joke (as you probably know). No doubt you had a nice experience learning about the British food & drink culture. I've really enjoyed some less epicurist(ic) meals in Londonish pubs. In that milieu, the atmosphere and the quality of beers counts. Quite often British pub meals don't quite reach the level of the beverages served, though. Pub meals tend to be filling; hearty and savory but rather greasy and overcooked. It's pretty much the same in pubs everywhere.

 

[TastyReuben]

, I didn't mean to criticize, just add a lame joke (as you probably know). No doubt you had a nice experience learning about the British food & drink culture. I've really enjoyed some less epicurist(ic) meals in Londonish pubs. In that milieu, the atmosphere and the quality of beers counts. Quite often British pub meals don't quite reach the level of the beverages served, though. Pub meals tend to be filling; hearty and savory but rather greasy and overcooked. It's pretty much the same in pubs everywhere.

Oh, no, I didn't take it as critical at all. One of the items on the menu was...bangers and mash and onion gravy!

 

[epicuric]

Funny you should bring this up. I found a course this morning that will be my Christmas present this year - a 35 module on-line course by Marco Pierre White. He is one of my favourite chef's, along with his even more talented tutor.

A few years ago I took a day course in food smoking. I am also looking for a poultry boning course locally.

 

[caseydog]

I never took one, but I did teach a camp cooking class at REI on Saturdays for a while. It was a lot of fun.

CD

 

[Mountain Cat]

.

A few years ago I took a day course in food smoking. I am also looking for a poultry boning course locally.

I'd love to find both of those courses. The poultry boning one is likely to be best in-person rather than on line, for sure.

But, ahem, since I raise chickens, I can now get them to this stage: (He is in the freezer, now.) But when I attempt to de-bone chicken, that's a true mess.

 

[Burt Blank]

Do you mean to bone out the chicken for a Ballotine ?
Formal Class Pattisserie in Paris 1978. Informal Chiang Mai.

 

[Dive Bar Casanova]

I took a cooking class years ago. It was given at a local college by a Disneyland Head Chef.
The college had a nice professional facility and a dining room.

I learned a lot. Food prep and safety really stuck with me.

One thing I learned is Disney properties not only get the some of the food they sell free from suppliers, the suppliers pay Disney to promote and use their products. Many pay Disney even more to use and promote their product exclusively.
Coca Cola the biggest payola of all. No more Pepsi.

That Coke ya buy Disney got free, the cup too. That money you paid right into Disney's pocket.

 

[MypinchofItaly]

I’ve been involved in a collaboration with an online Italian cooking class in Roma, Local Aromas. It’s a nice and useful bunch of people

 

[The Late Night Gourmet]

The first class I took was about how to make pasta. It was mind blowing. Everything was exciting and new, and I still make pasta very much the way I learned it in the class.

After that, I took classes on a variety of things, including German food and Greek food, and I learned something each time.

But, it was a law of diminishing returns. By the time I took my last class, they didn’t teach me anything I didn’t already know. I got some interesting recipes, but that was it.

I also noticed that they were taking more things out of the hands of the students. They used to give us a chefs knife to cut things up with, but after that they started having things pre-chopped. I’m guessing that there must’ve been some accidents that prompted this move. If I’m paying over $35 for a cooking class, I want the right to chop off my own finger!

 

[caseydog]

The first class I took was about how to make pasta. It was mind blowing. Everything was exciting and new, and I still make pasta very much the way I learned it in the class.

After that, I took classes on a variety of things, including German food and Greek food, and I learned something each time.

But, it was a law of diminishing returns. By the time I took my last class, they didn’t teach me anything I didn’t already know. I got some interesting recipes, but that was it.

I also noticed that they were taking more things out of the hands of the students. They used to give us a chefs knife to cut things up with, but after that they started having things pre-chopped. I’m guessing that there must’ve been some accidents what prompted this move. If I’m paying over $35 for a cooking class, I want the right to chop off my own finger!

Learn to dice onions like a pro!!! (ambulance standing by)

CD