There are a lot of fun and creative meals that can be made to get into the spirit of the spring season. Wake up your culinary talents, eat clean, and head for private cooking classes in NJ. You will learn new skills that will help you produce a truly divine culinary feast for friends and family.
Some of the techniques that you may learn are some of the same that caterers and personal chefs use in their own businesses. The instruction in these classes could include:
Kitchen Safety
Before you even get started, cooking classes will probably go over the basic rules of the kitchen. This could include the foundations of handling knives, preventing slips and falls, burn prevention, and the elements of effective first aid. You still want to have fun and learn everything you can, but it is very important that your experience be a safe and secure one.
Kitchen Equipment
Most households have only the basic kitchen utensils and materials. Taking cooking classes may show you just how much you are lacking in useful supplies and equipment. Items that you may wish to add to your kitchen could include a food processor, a mandoline (a manual or electric vegetable slicer), or a pasta maker.
Basic Sauces
Many of the best meals are made with unique sauces. A tart pineapple or simple raisin sauce for carved ham, a basic Bearnaise sauce to top asparagus or broccoli, or vanilla sauce for a crusty bread pudding. You will be taught how to recognize when you have too many sauces on your menu and when an additional sauce could be that final touch that is desperately needed. You will also be taught how to make healthier sauces if you are someone who likes to try and eat clean.
Working with Meat, Poultry, and Fish
It takes a special touch to produce the main part of the meal. In the private cooking classes, you will learn about the very best ways to season, bake, broil, carve, and present meals consisting of salmon, ham, turkey, quail, lobster, and even duck. Instruction will also be provided on the very best side dishes to go with each and how to make them.
Food Presentation
Whether it is served plated or buffet-style, you want your food items to shine. Everything needs to look stunning and very appetizing. Adding garnishes and simple decorative touches to your final product will entice your guests to try everything. Use techniques like the caterers in NJ do by: painting your plates with natural colors, adding greenery or simple herbs for vegetarians and those who tend to eat clean, or shaping your vegetables into unique forms such as potatoes shaped like mushrooms.
As you can see, there are many ways to make your spring dinner gathering elegant and tasty. Friends and family will rave about your new talents, and you will already be thinking about taking classes from a personal chef that New Jersey has to offer for your summer barbecues.