COOKING 101

FUNDAMENTALS OF FINE COOKING

(A Certificate Course for Those Completing all 7 Classes)

Class is recommended for all those who want to cook really well.

Whether you are a novice, need inspiration to get started, or you just want to hone your culinary skills, this series will enlighten you, inspire you and give you confidence to cook like Julia!  Bonnie has taught professional cooking in an academic setting for years and she has patterned this series after that curriculum.  Each class will begin with a discussion about the topic with printed class notes, copies of all recipes, followed by demonstration of recipes with tastings.  You will be learning culinary principles and techniques that pertain to each of the class topics and suddenly you will find yourself saying “Cooking makes sense!”  And because of that, it is suddenly easier and fun!  Some classes are demonstration and others include some participation.  Snacks and complimentary beverages are provided in this series, and you will also sample the food prepared in class.   

Knife Skills and Introduction to Cooking (Hands-On)

Monday, September 13, 2010 – 6:30 PM (snacks provided)

In this important class you will learn how to identify knives, which one to select for various tasks, how to purchase, care for and properly hold a knife.  And, you will have hands-on practice chopping, slicing and making various cuts using your chef’s knife.   We will use many of our “practice cuts” to compose a beautiful chopped salad for you to sample.  Also, you will learn culinary terminology and the concept of mise en place. 

Sauces

Monday, September 20. 2010 – 6:30 PM (snacks provided)

Sauces seem to be the one thing that even confuses very good cooks, and why is that?  Perhaps it’s the French names we often find attached to various sauces.  Bonnie will break this class down to cover the basics and help you understand how to construct sauces that you will use in your own cooking.  She will show you each step along the way as she teaches you how to make the basic sauces—Béchamel Sauce,  Brown Sauce which is also known as Espagnole, Tomato Sauce and Hollandaise Sauce We also will cover some contemporary sauces as well.  Armed with this knowledge, the secrets of producing hundred of sauces are yours forever.

Meat –Beef and Pork–………………….Joe Linot, Cargill

Monday, September 27, 2010 – 6:30 PM (snacks provided)

You are in for a treat with this class!  Joe Linot, former Executive Director of the Kansas Beef Council, and now Marketing and Value Creation Manager at Cargill, Joe is a leader in the meat industry and has a wealth of information to share regarding this important culinary component.  He will cover selections of meat, provide you with hand-outs, discuss various cuts and the proper cooking methods.  He will bring products for “show and tell” and you will learn the tender cuts that respond well to dry heat cookery as well as the less-tender cuts that require a slower, moist heat method.  Joe will demonstrate various cuts of beef and pork in the evening preparation, and will then illustrate how to serve and carve them properly. 

Poultry

Monday, October 4, 2010 – 6:30 PM (snacks provided)

Learn all about poultry—how to buy the best bird, how to select poultry for various purposes, the different forms available in the market, how to work wonders with chicken.  You will learn how to brine, how to season and roast, how to pan-fry chicken and make pan gravy, how to stuff a boneless breast to create fabulous entrees for a great casual supper or weekend entertaining. Great chicken recipes you will use again and again.    

Fish

Monday, October 11, 2010 – 6:30 PM (snacks provided)

Fish may be one area that raises the most concern among cooks.  We live in Kansas and have not always had available the fish that are plentiful in other parts of the country. But Bonnie will introduce you to fish that are locally available, and will cover different cooking principles in preparation of fish dishes.  Expand your repertoire as you learn how to cook the fish properly, to preserve moisture and texture, and to season fish to enhance natural flavors.  You will also learn how to tell when fish is done and find you are suddenly eating and enjoying more fish. .  Bonnie’s recipes are ones you will use again and again. 

Vegetables

Monday, October 18, 2010 – 6:30 PM (snacks provided)

You will discover vegetables are quite delicious when you expand your repertoire and learn how to properly select, prep and cook these nutritional wonders.  Bonnie will demonstrate vegetables currently available in our markets, and teach you how to prep them, and which are best for sautéing, roasting, glazing, stewing and/or steaming, and how to season them properly so even the finicky eater will not be admonished to “eat your vegetables

The Grand Finale—Dinner Competition—(hands-on)

Monday, October 25, 2010 – 6:30 PM (dinner provided)

It’s show time!  Tonight you will have the opportunity to practice what you have learned.  The class will be divided into groups with a dish assigned to each group.  Don’t panic—you will have plenty of help from Bonnie and staff to answer questions or provide assistance.  When all have finished, we’ll create a buffet for the final dishes.  Your team will have an opportunity to present your dish and share any tips you discovered along the way.  Your peers and instructor will offer feedback while you bask in your glory!  Then dinner is served!  Then, we will award certificates to all of you who were good, ate all your vegetables and came to every class!  It will be fun—not stressful at all!  Chances are you will have made new friends in this series as well as expanded your repertoire. (Dinner included in this class).