There are many reasons why a cooking class – the more hands-on the better – is the Christmas gift that keeps on giving.
Cookery classes are like boot camp for foodies. You stand there for hours using sharp knives, hot pans and pasta machines that can turn your fingers into linguine, all the while trying to get a gold star from the teacher for cutting your chives into infinitesimally small pieces. But the hidden bonus is that you become a better, more confident cook. If it isn’t too early to discuss Christmas presents yet, I say give them all a cookery class.
There are lots of superstar global chefs doing pricy, online masterclasses, but one of the things I’ve learnt – apart from how to trim an artichoke and make fresh ricotta – is that the more hands-on the class, the more you’ll learn. The scarier it is, the more likely it is you’ll rise to the occasion. I’ve had a French chef scream “Merde!” at me before throwing my scallop mousse into the bin. I’ve made puff pastry in front of 20 people watching my every roll-it-and-fold-it. I can do anything now.
The scarier it is, the more likely it is you’ll rise to the occasion.
It’s not just your cooking that improves: your dining-out does, too. At Di Holuigue’s The French Kitchen in Melbourne, I once took a class on France’s nouvelle cuisine, back when it was actually nouvelle. The knowledge, techniques and hot chef gossip she passed on illuminated my experiences in the fine-dining establishments around town. By learning to make beurre blanc and crème anglaise, I became a better restaurant critic.
Most recently, I was a guest at The Agrarian Kitchen’s restaurant, garden and school at New Norfolk, a short drive from Hobart. The class begins in the garden, where you’re handed a basket and a pair of secateurs, ready to wield on baby artichokes. Then it’s into the baronial kitchen, where co-owner Rodney Dunn demonstrates each dish once and off you go to cook it. (Note to self: remember to pay more attention to that demo.) The day finishes where all good cookery classes should finish – at a long table covered with food and wine.
If I haven’t convinced you yet to wrap up a class from Santa for your nearest and dearest, then consider this: they’ll be so grateful, they’ll surely invite you over for dinner to show off their new-found skills. It’s the gift that keeps on giving.
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Terry Durack is the chief restaurant critic for The Sydney Morning Herald and Good Food.
