Cooking lessons for me...

[PeterPan]

I've been thinking I ought to focus on learning to cook better. I was watching "Worst Cooks in America" with ds and realized that while I'm not TERRIBLE or dangerous, haha, I could actually make some effort and do better. I've kind of gotten stagnant. But I'm not sure what I'm really looking for. I think not a local class, because I wouldn't make it. It would be fun, but I'm not sure where and not sure I want to drive.

 

Are there live or online classes or forums for this, sorta like ClickinMoms is for photography?? 

 

Someone suggested to me Craftsy, so I'll go look there. I was looking at the Newlywed Cookbook stuff at Williams Sonoma today. That kind of food seemed right at least, something kind of fresh and healthy (but not crazy healthy), using nice techniques.

 

I think I'd just like to be more proficient. We already eat good things (free range meats, quinoia, lots of veges, beans, etc.). I just want it to come across a bit more wow, like simple but yum. I'm sorta plain. But if I could do something sorta pizzazzy and nicer and have it get automatic enough that it wasn't a big deal, that would be fine.

[Liz CA]

Depends on what kind of style you like. Ina Garten "The Barefoot Contessa" has at least one book that has basic recipes. You can also watch her on youtube.

 

Lidia Bastianich is another person who is easy to follow - mainly Italian cuisine. She also has several books and you can find her online: http://lidiasitaly.com/

 

Ree Drummond has several cookbooks out - mainly hearty fare but easily adaptable.

[KungFuPanda]

Try YouTube videos. I love watching those Tasty videos where you just watch someone cook a dish from above and the recipe is printed onscreen.

[HomeAgain]

Yep, youtube.

 

If you're up for it, a meal delivery service might work for you, too.  We have a dozen nice cookbooks, including Good Eats and training books from the CIA for the technical aspects.  But a meal delivery service made us a bit more willing to try ingredients with new techniques.  We get Blue Apron, and some of the prep seems weird, but is so good.  We've actually had it on hiatus the past couple of weeks and instead have used the cards to create some of our favorites again.  The ingredients are mostly simple, but they're put together fantastically.  Like, seriously, I never thought a mixture of barley, yogurt, carrots, and cucumber would be a favorite here.  But it is.  It just would not have been a combination I ever would have thought of.

[fairfarmhand]

Salt, fat, acid, heat is wonderful! Just the basics on why certain recipes work.

 

 

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[Rosie_0801]

Salt, fat, acid, heat is wonderful! Just the basics on why certain recipes work.

 

 

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How did your lamb experiments go? Or was that someone else? That conversation might have been years ago. :lol:

[regentrude]

Great Courses has a nice video course.

https://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/the-everyday-gourmet-rediscovering-the-lost-art-of-cooking.html

 

Very systematic and technique focused.

Of course, there is always youtube, too.

[Carol in Cal.]

If you want to have good recipes that work and that are optimized and have a little pizzaz, I recommend:

 

'Beat This' for a quirky selection and lighthearted commentary

 

or 

 

'America's Test Kitchen' for solid descriptions of the basic techniques used, and of the rationale for the recipe design

[vmsurbat]

Great Courses has a nice video course.

https://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/the-everyday-gourmet-rediscovering-the-lost-art-of-cooking.html

 

Very systematic and technique focused.

Of course, there is always youtube, too.

 

I second this course.  Chef Briwa is very personable, the techniques are adaptable, the dishes cooked are a nice blend of good basics and something a little fancier.

[fairfarmhand]

How did your lamb experiments go? Or was that someone else? That conversation might have been years ago. :lol:

 

It was me, and it was years ago and I'm impressed you remembered.

 

I'm getting better at it. I'm finding it just takes time to tweak my techniques for lamb. It's just different enough from beef that I sometimes forget.

 

I will say the whole family and everyone I served it to love lamb burgers better than beef burgers!

[PeterPan]

Great Courses has a nice video course.

https://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/the-everyday-gourmet-rediscovering-the-lost-art-of-cooking.html

 

Very systematic and technique focused.

Of course, there is always youtube, too.

 

This looks really good!! Does the guidebook add anything to it? Does it have recipes or something?

[PeterPan]

I didn't realize so many Great Courses videos are now available on amazon video. They have a $7.99 subscription.

[Rachel]

There is a book, Kitchen Counter Cooking School. It isn't a step by step cooking manual, sort of a memoir. But she does teach some basic cooking skills and then tell you how to change things up using basic sauces. She also has cooking classes available through her website.

 

If I remember correctly you are in the Cincinnati area. Near REI is a place that offers cooking classes. I think it is called Sur La Table but I'm not positive. Here's a link to their schedule. https://m.surlatable.com/browse/storeCalendar.jsp?storeId=019&utm_referrer=direct%2Fnot%20provided

[PeterPan]

Ok, I started the GC Everyday Gourmet, streaming it on amazon, and it's really scratching my itch! Just in the first video he's making so many dots connect for me. I think that's the thing. I've cooked a lot, had a lot of experiences, but I think I just had some gaps on how to connect it to make it better. I liked his example of the two meals with the same stuff, where they differed only on technique. That's kinda my life, lol. 

 

I think I'll work through the streaming GC videos then try some more things y'all listed and that I'm finding. The GC one is really good though, definitely worth the time. It's sorta meta level.

[abacus2]

I am finding that Terra's Kitchen meals have improved my techniques. They include making simple sauces and some approaches I haven't used before, but aren't hard. All of their recipes are easy to make again with simple ingredients.

[MissShellyA]

You need a subscription to Beach Body on demand, but I've learned a ton from their show Fixate: https://www.beachbody.com/product/fitness_programs/fixate-cooking-show-healthy-weight-loss.do