Wednesday, January 20, 2016

It Cuts Like A Knife . . .

A chef's knife, that is!

A few weeks back, I talked about 2016 being the year of living creatively, and how I planned on taking a cooking class. Well, the first one was the other day, and it was a blast!

My husband and I have taken Demonstration Classes - the chefs cook and talk while we sit and watch, drink wine and eat. This class - the Basics of Culinary - is Hands On and the wine doesn't appear until the food is cooked and the knives are put away.

A few things I learned:

- you really don't need most of the knives in the knife block. You can use a chef's knife for pretty much everything. 

- the point of the knife is the "toe" and the part closer to the handle is the "heel."

- when cutting up veggies, curl the fingers of your other hand under, making a claw. (I managed to leave class with all my fingers - yeh, me!)

- when seasoning, sprinkle the salt, pepper, parsley, etc from high above the food because that way it spreads more evenly. Too close and it can clump.

We made guacamole and salsa, pollo tacos al pastor (chicken tacos), red snapper escabeche (fish and veggies) and sopaipillas (fried dough with cinnamon sugar and honey - and, oh, honey, let me tell you, they were delicious!)

You know, cooking is a lot like writing - once you know the rules, you can go a little wild, expand and experiment.

And it's a pretty good bet that the next time one of my characters needs to do something dastardly with a knife, we'll all know what kind of knife they'll use....

32 comments:

  1. I wonder what you would make if the wine came out first?
    Glad you're enjoying the class. Sprinkle from high above - got it.

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    1. Well, if the wine came out first, I probably wouldn't be cooking anything because I'd be in the ER missing a few fingertips. :)

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  2. I would love to do this with my husband. It would have to be a special event though because the nearest cooking classes are 60 miles away.

    You've inspired me!

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    1. This class goes for a few weeks, but I bet you could find one-time classes, where the focus is on a single thing, like making pizza or fresh pasta, etc.

      I'm glad! :)

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  3. Now you make me want to take a cooking class! Maybe one day...when I have the time and sanity.

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  4. Properly curling my fingers when chopping veggies is something I can't do. I learned the wrong way and now it feels weird to try it any other way.

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    1. A lot of what we did felt weird to me because I was doing things the wrong way, too.

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  5. Hey, that's awesome! I think it's great you're trying new creative adventures, especially with the hubs, as it's something you can both do and learn together.

    Now that you know the rules, are you going to break them and start experimenting?

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    1. We really are enjoying learning together.

      Um, I think I'll follow the rules...at least for a little while longer. :)

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  6. Sounds like lots of fun! And delicious! :)
    I knew the curling your fingers bit (I think from watching way too much Food Network). It actually pops up in my WIP but doesn't go well and ends a little bloody...

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    1. It was delicious! If I do say so myself.... :)

      And eek for the character in your WiP!

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  7. Excellent! I'm so happy you enjoyed your first class. Yay for not cutting yourself. I still cut myself peeling vegetables:(

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    1. Well, I still have a few more classes to go so the odds of me cutting or scraping something other than a vegetable are still pretty good. :)

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  8. My husband hates watching me use a knife to cut food. He says I'm dangerous! It sounds like a cool class.

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    1. I was nervous watching my husband sauté fish in a very hot pan. I had my fingers crossed he wouldn't have to do the next thing - frying dough in hot oil! :)

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  9. That sounds like so much fun! I'd be lucky to leave with all my fingers too. Usually I have my husband do any cutting in the kitchen!

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    1. It turned out to be more fun than I thought it would - the chefs are great and down to earth, and the group is a good mix of skill and comfort levels.

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  10. You actually could use this experience in a book...make your main character a chef or have one of your characters take a cooking class. I probably need one of those. I'm far from a master chef.

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    1. As much as I enjoy watching Top Chef, I don't aim to ever be on the show. :)

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    1. If you mean "yum" then definitely! If you mean "um, not too sure about that" then I'd agree if it was just me making it. :)

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  12. yummy goal!
    i totally agree about using only one knife - i have a drawer full of knives but only use my fave and use it for everything - but i think my hub broke it and neglected to tell me! thanks for sharing your lesson with us!

    and i see a delicious murder mystery stemming from this experience.
    happy cooking and have a great weekend!

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    1. I used one knife all the time, too. It wasn't the chef's knife, though, but a smaller one. From what I could tell from class, a lot of people do that.

      Hope you have a great weekend, too!

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  13. That sounds awesome, Madeline! I love to cook, but I'm a little wary of classes now, because the last one I took was in China and the chef SCREAMED at me (I was slicing my vegetables too small, apparently.)

    It really shook my confidence, but I definitely need to get back in the ring!

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    1. Yikes!

      It's a really relaxed attitude in the class and the chefs are down to earth and fun/funny. Otherwise, I'd be too anxious. :)

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  14. Sounds awesome, Madeline. Looks like you had fun rustling up those amazing dishes. I'm always scared to cut vegetables with a big knife, I use the smaller ones when I'm cooking.

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    1. It really was fun! I'm going to start using the chef's knife more often, but I'll have to stop myself from reaching for the smaller knives first. :)

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  15. I should probably take a cooking class, since my cooking skills are in sore need of help.

    https://ficklemillennial.wordpress.com/

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  16. Gina, it's been fun so far! Maybe see if there are classes in your area. Maybe bring a friend. :)

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  17. If you're taking a cooking class, here's a book I think you would enjoy a lot: http://www.amazon.com/School-Essential-Ingredients-Erica-Bauermeister/dp/0425232093/ The School of Essential Ingredients has charming story line and lots of sensual discussions of food and food prep.

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    1. I did read that awhile back and thoroughly enjoyed it! I believe there's a follow-up/sequel to it also....

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