Cooking Class With C

A few Saturday's ago C and I had our first day of cooking class at Kitchen Art Studio's. I was actually pleasantly surprised to find out after we got there that we were the only ones signed up for the early morning class. Guess everyone else decided to sleep in..lol It worked out perfect especially with C being as shy as she is in new situations. She had personal one on one attention from Chef and even got to help out at the stove.

C learning to use a knife

Tossing the apples in lemon juice

Seasoning the pork chops

Helping Chef at the stove

Seasoning the mashed potatoes

Future Iron Chef??

Time to eat!

Roasted pork chops with apples and caramelized onions, mashed potatoes, sweet and sour cabbage.

Apple Tartin

I always enjoy learning tips and tricks in the kitchen and Chef had a few I loved....

* You can tell if the grocers have washed your apples based on how hard it is to get the sticker off. She says if it is tuff to get the sticker off, then they have been washed. The sticker is designed to be tough to remove after being washed...interesting!

* To keep your cutting board from slipping, place a damp paper towel where your board will be and then place your board on top. The damp paper towel acts the same way as the sticky rug mats we use in our home.

* Do not use metal knives to cut lettuce. This is why your lettuce turns brown at the cut points. Either tear or use a plastic lettuce knife. 

* The lettuce knife is also great for teaching little ones like C how to use a knife without cutting her fingers off!

* After your mashed potatoes are done do NOT put a lid on the pot. Instead use cling wrap and actually cover the potatoes leaving no room for condensation (see below picture). Leaving a lid on hot potatoes will cause condensation and drips down into your potatoes and can cause them to become starchy and gummy. Totally makes sense!

* This is my tip for preventing condensation in your food. I put a layer of 1 or 2 paper towels on my pot and then replace the lid. The towels capture the steam before it can gather on the lid and drip down into my food.