Class Cooking

I was able to take the paella class with Kim. She is a great instructor. She provides both a knowledge of the culture and ingredients as part of the lesson. I learned some great skills as well. I am looking forward to making my own paella. And who can beat sampling some great wines at the same time!

I have been taking cooking classes from Kim for many years now, and I always learn something new. Personally, I enjoy learning specific techniques such as how to best approach chopping an onion, or how to properly hold a knife, or how to make a hollandaise sauce, or how to use a tagine. I’ve learned these and many other techniques to use in my everyday cooking.
Kim is excellent at de-​mystifying ingredients and recipes that may seem out of reach. For example, in one holiday class, we learned how to make duck breasts with a port reduction sauce. She sometimes themes classes by a culture: her Turkish and Spanish are my favorites. Or, she may theme classes by a meal, such as brunch, or summer salads. Best of all, her recipes have staying power. I find myself using her recipes regularly in my daily cooking.
Another fun way that I have used Class Cooking has been to gather a group of friends and have a private class in the evening. It makes for a fun and delicious date and dinner party, and you leave the mess behind!

I just completed my second cooking class with Kim. I wanted to take a moment and post a review. First I think it’s important to know that I am an extreme newbie when it comes to cooking. I am starting from the least knowledgeable position that a human possibly could. I was one of nine in this most recent class. The class is structured in such a way (very hands on) that you are busy pretty much from the time that you sit down. Each step of preparing each dish is shared. So each of us got a chance to participate in the whole process. Those students that had more experience were quick to lend me a hand or help with my questions. We prepared a main dish, a side dish, a vegetable dish, a salad and a dessert.
Kim is very well prepared. She has structured the class in such a way that there is no real downtime. While one dish is cooking we are simultaneously preparing another. We learn about spices, food history, cooking techniques, kitchen tools or what’s up next month. The activities seem to develop into a frenzy of controlled chaos. As one dish is completed it gets moved onto a serving plate, another is being garnished and another is being placed on the table. I don’t know enough yet about the cooking process to figure out exactly how she did it but everything is done at the exact same time. Kim lets us know it’s time to eat. We all sit down and eat. I really enjoyed the session. I feel confident that I can duplicate what I learned at home and I will most certainly be back for another class.