I have been dying to post about my new journey of cookery school- well, not literally, of course. I mean I want to share what never occurred to me as a possibility- joining cooking classes and enrolling in a commercial cookery course. It eventually came down due to some unexpected setbacks- life challenges. Nevertheless, it was quite thrilling to begin such a ride. I really want to write all about it and the work-in-progress. Nothing is better retained and kept fresh than by writing it down and sharing. I feel like I could write a book! Well where to begin...
The first thing that I hit me is that it is one thing to cook for your own sustenance, out of hobby and pleasure. It is something completely different from cooking on a commercial basis, following recipes to the letter (mostly). I have been watching cooking shows like Masterchef and My Kitchen Rules and witnessed the pressure and skills required to work under such stressful environment. Being a chef requires lot of patience and hard work, physical and mental strength. It is not an easy industry- the hospitality- to walk through, but I guess cooking great, innovative and creative dishes is all worth the pain. Putting it this way sounds harsh, since all work do requires hard work. In the end, I think the only reward is the sense of satisfaction, a work done well. Plus life skills all in one.
I personally started my first class delighted. It was the first time I was having a proper cooking lesson. It is so much more enriching to watch someone dish up something in front of you, than from reading a recipe, watching a video or even a masterclass on TV. In that instant, you are mentally present and ready to cook something you never did before or learned. The pleasure comes from presenting the dish to the teacher and getting a positive feedback. You can then dig it and taste the fruit of your hard work.
First class involved cutting techniques. I learned what a mirepoix (rough cuts for stocks) is. The funny thing is that I have been hearing this term so often now, but never quite knew what it meant before or seemed to pay attention. This goes to show that you do not notice what you do not know.
Also, we did some paysanne cuts, turned vegetables, julienne, brunoise and macedoine. We all did pretty well for our first class. We did get to enjoy a home-made hearty vegetable soup afterwards as well.
After several classes, I became used to the surroundings and it was easy enough to get around. The practical small kitchen classes involves producing several dishes. It obviously involves lot of cleaning afterwards. In the large scale kitchen (restaurant kitchen), we are assigned to prepare a dish off the menu. The first few weeks were quite challenging but lot of fun. There were long hours but all end up pretty smoothly. It has been such a learning curve for me.
