the Price of a Basic Cooking Class

For my birthday this year, my mom enrolled me in three sessions of a basic cooking class coupled with a one-time wine-pairing class. The class was well thought out and offered all of the basic materials (ingredients and utensils) required for each dish. They asked that I supply my own knife ($58 for the recommended knife) and cutting board ($42 for a bamboo cutting board) as well as my own accoutrements to tie back my hair and apron. The class taught different cutting techniques and styles (Ie: dicing, mincing, etc.), different styles for cooking meat, vegetables, and more, the five basic sauces and how to prepare them, as well as troubleshooting problems with reductions, grilling, and overall flavor.

The class was very thorough in teaching basic cooking skills. I was hoping it would get a little more in-depth and probably would have only signed up for one course if it had not been a gift. I did learn a lot about troubleshooting in baking and sauce-making that I had not known before. I would definitely recommend the classes to someone who hasn't had much experience with cooking and would like to learn more. Seasoned chefs, you do not need this class. The bonus wine-pairing class was excellent, however. It went very in depth about flavors of food and was a lot of fun since we got to try all of the different wines and dishes.

If you are needing a basic cooking class, definitely find out about all of teh different programs in your area. Make sure that you are getting a fair price and be aware of extra items you may have to purchase: like knives and other equipment, or in some cases, the actual ingredients. If you are interested in the class, try to find places that offer bonus courses or equipment if you sign up for several courses at once. I received a wine-pairing class for free that ended up being woth more to me than the other classes I took.